When we ride we ask for both stability and mobility from our bodies.

We want stable hips, middle and shoulders. Yet we want softness from our ankles, knees, elbows and hands.

For me the biggest challenge is maintaining stability in the rest of my body whilst keeping it in my shoulders and keeping my hand and elbows soft.

I can do it if I’m just focusing on that area but not if I’m trying to use the other bits too. It’s so much to think about!

So I have to train it to get better.

In my regular training things like Deadlifts where I have to use my lower body to lift the weight whilst keeping my middle stable, my shoulders retracted whilst my arms stay relaxed.

Kettlebell swings which require the power to come from the hips, the torso remains stable and helps control the movement whilst the arms remain soft.

I also like to do some more rider specific exercises.

Rising Trot Squat -trying to get soft elbows and still hands.

I also like Split Squats with the arms going forward and back with the lift and lower of the squat.

Something I’ve also been trying out is sitting trot on a gym ball again trying to get soft elbows to absorb the movement but still hands for the contact.

Half Squat position whilst doing a banded row encourages me to stabilise my body and retract my shoulder blades. To make it harder I do the Squat so I’m moving up and down sort of like a rising trot whilst still trying to keep the movement coming from my shoulders keeping my arms soft.

I’m still way off being good at this so please excuse the video-these are my best efforts for now! Hopefully with practice I’ll be able to report back in a few months with some better ones!

https://youtu.be/e4D-QolatGw

In proper medical anatomical terms the “Core” isn’t really a thing. However it is a term that most riders recognise as a thing, and if you ask them where it is they will usually point at their abdominals. 

If that’s you, you’re not wrong! The abdominals are very much a part of what we would call the core. However it also emcompasses other muscles around the waist and back too. So really the core is a wrap around of muscles kind of like……..a Corset! Ponders whether that’s where the term came from?

That is why just doing a bunch of sit ups won’t fully strengthen your “Core.” You’ve got to Strengthen the sides and back too! 

Then to have it fit to ride you want it pliable, able to move , absorb force without becoming stiff and able to maintain stability whilst the limbs move independently of it. 

This is why with my Weight lifting clients rarely do any traditional looking Core training. We do full body exercises such as the Barbell Squat and Deadlift which require stability of the torso whilst moving limbs under a load. 

When we do “Core” work without equipment such as in my Classes or Online Programme we will mostly do them with movement of the torso or the limb; or sometimes both. 

Here’s some examples of my core stability training whilst moving limbs. Bird dogs -regular and lifted, Deadbugs - Regular and Double.Mountain Climber Straight and Across, Side Plank Lift and Leg Lift.

Why is Yoga beneficial for riders?

Yoga is great for :

Switching your brain off, unwinding and relaxing. Let’s be honest horses can be stressful. Add into that work, families etc and it can sometimes all be a bit overwhelming. Taking some time to switch off can be hugely beneficial to your mental well being and resilience. 

It can teach you to focus on both stillness and precise movement of your body. Being able to switch off and fully focus is a huge asset to your riding and Yoga is a great way of practicing that whilst tuning in to how your body reacts to signals from your brain and different movement patterns. If you can fine tune this off horse it will be a whole lot easier on horse. 

You learn to recognise your own movement patterns and asymmetries and can work to improve them. If you don’t know what your body is doing when you ride you have no way of correcting it. If you don’t know your left is different from your right you won’t take steps to improve it. Recognising these things in Yoga means your both feeling and addressing them ready to put into practice when you ride. 

Yoga combines mobility, flexibility and stability. Which are all required not only to be a good rider but also to help prevent injuries and make you feel good day to day. 

I utilise Yoga with my 121 clients, in my classes and we do a weekly yoga session in my online programme.