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Are You Checking Form?

One of the reasons many of us exercise off horse is because we want to work on our own asymmetries and weaknesses. That means it's really important to make sure everything you do is with good form, otherwise your just further instilling those bad habits and not improving your riding!

Do you regularly check your form and straightness when you exercise off horse?

How do you ensure that you're actually working on your own asymmetries and weakness?

Here's a simple but very effective exercise that has some easy markers to help ensure you're in good form.

The Goblet Squat.

You can do this with or without a weight.

Feet hip width apart, hands clasped in front of you -or holding a weight with your elbows pointing down-kinda like a prayer position. Keeping your chest open (don't round your shoulders) squat down to touch your elbows to your knees.

Do both elbows touch your knees at the same time? That's your first clue if it was level!

Once you've got that, check in to whether your feet feel equally weighted left-right-front and back. Do you stay level all the way up and down? Is your chest still lifted at the bottom of the squat?

Squats are a great exercise for strengthening the big muscles of the glutes and legs, which creates stability in the pelvis and spine, the action of keeping your chest open works your abdominals and back muscles then when you add in the focus on form you're training your body awareness, symmetry and feel-maximum bang for your buck!

What aids are you giving?

As you’re riding your horse you’re communicating with your seat bones. If you’re tuned into them you can give precise aids without looking like you gave any aid at all.

However as often we aren’t necessarily tuned into our seat bones they could be giving aids without us realising. Or if we are using them but aren’t necessarily fully tuned into exactly what they’re doing they could be doing different things right to left.

So, here’s a little exercise for you to try out on a gym ball.

Firstly sitting on the ball, can you feel which direction your seat bones are pointing? Forward, back, different each side? Ideally they should both be pointing straight down as if you could plug yourself in to the ball with them.

Then imagine there are pencils on the bottom of them, draw a circle with them one at a time. Are your circles the same?

Now, sitting on the ball imagine a set of buttons in front of you. Slide alternate knees forward to push the button-or start to move your seat bones as if you’re in walk on your horse. Are your left and right seat bones doing the same thing?

How about in trot?

Then move on to Canter. If you’re on right canter just follow the canter with your right seat bone, how does that feel? What shape does it make?

Now try the left. Is that the same or is it different?

By this point you’ve probably realised you’re more asymmetrical than you thought…….

Think about how that impacts your horse, your riding and your saddle. Of course no horse and rider will ever be 100% symmetrical but being as close as you can get will have a huge impact on your riding aids, as well as your horses symmetry and the wearing of your saddle.

What did you find when doing this exercise?

It’s for your horse

I, like many of you watched Badminton last weekend. Anyone else need a stiff drink to cope with all the drama so early on?

What I think is clear, is to get around Badminton you have to be a serious athlete! Having a good horse isn’t enough, even if that horse is at peak fitness you still need to be a stable ninja (new project name there maybe?) to ride that course. Strength, stability, quick reactions and endurance are some of the most obvious qualities required. Having done some social media research/stalking I'd say most if not all of those riders do work off horse to be fit enough to perform at their best.

Then I saw a post from a friend who had been to a yard demonstration at Carl Hester’s. All of the riders; who were pupils of Carl’s did work off horse to perform their Dressage best for their horse.

These are the people many of us are aspiring to.

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “ dress for the job you want not the job you have” we could flip that for riding (or any sport) to say “Train for the level you want not the level you have” I will say that’s a little more complicated with the riding bit but I’m not talking about that.

If the people competing at higher levels are busting their ass in the gym, or doing Pilates, Yoga etc then surely that’s what we should be doing too if we want to improve our riding.

If you’re not naturally inclined to do any exercise other than horse stuff, just think of it as an extension of that.

It’s about ensuring you are fit and balanced enough to support and manage your own body weight, that you are as symmetrical as possible to prevent asymmetry in your horse and you’re fit enough to help him out if he needs it. It’s about your horses welfare. This isn’t about how you look etc, it’s about appreciating the fact you are sat on top of your horse and it is your job to make that as easy for him as possible.

What do you do to make help your horse carry you?

Can you connect the muscles

Something I ponder when writing programme for clients is how this will benefit their riding.

I think that it’s possible to become very fit and it not improve your riding that much. Once you’ve reached a basic level of fitness and stability I think you need more than just more fitness.

It’s not just as simple as building the muscles. You’ve got to know how to connect to them and how you want them to work when you’re riding.

If you’re exercising mindfully and really focusing on the muscles as you work them you’re a step ahead; but I also think it’s important to understand what role those muscles play in your riding position.

I often explain to my clients why we’re working the obliques or the rotator cuff for example- and if I don’t they can definitely ask and I will have an answer!

So, if you don’t already really connect with all of your muscles as you’re working them, check in on how different parts of your body operates singularly and together. Then ask yourself- or your trainer if you have one how the work you do translates to your riding and I’m sure you’ll start to see those little annoying riding habits tidy themselves up!

Why Neutral?

When we talk about rider biomechanics we talk about being in neutral. You will move in and out of it slightly as you move with the horse but it should always be your set point.

But why?

Is it because it looks nice? Is it tradition as so many things are with riding?

Actually, there are proper legitimate reasons for riding in neutral. When I refer to Neutral I don’t just mean the Pelvis.

Neutral refers to all of the joints of the spine stacked directly on top of one another in perfect alignment, with relaxed, moveable joints in the limbs.

This enables them to absorb movement more effectively which means you will sit much stiller with more stability. This enables you to move with your horse and give clearer aids.

It also means you are completely in line with the pull of gravity. Creating just one line of pull for gravity to act on as opposed to being out of alignment means there is less chance of gravity getting the better of you!

Neatly stacked joints also avoids putting extra strain on the supporting ligaments, tendons and stabiliser muscles as they do not have to fight to keep joints safe if they are already aligned. This therefore helps to prevent injury through strain or pulling of those ligaments, tendons and muscles.

So, how do you apply this to your riding?

Here are a couple of tips to get you thinking neutral.

Imagine stacking yourself up in boxes. Your pelvis is one box, your rib cage another and then your head the top. Your aim is to stack all of the boxes directly on top of one another.

Starting with your Pelvis. Have your Seat bones pointing directly down as if you could plug yourself in to the saddle. With your Pelvis level then imagine there are 4 corners to your pelvis and rib cage with dowels on like flat pack furniture and slot them together so your rib cage is directly over your pelvis. Then sit your head directly over your spine with your ears in line with your shoulders.

As mentioned, Neutral is not a rigid position, you will move gently in and out of it as you move with your horse but you continue to pass through it each time as your central point.

If this is new to you just give the stacking up process a try and see how it feels!

Think of it as part of your anti fall, injury prevention and effectiveness tool kit!

What do you need to work on?

Are you self aware as a rider?

Do you ever evaluate your own performance?

It’s too often I see/hear riders listing their schooling issues and the multiple ways in which their horse causes them.

It’s less often that I hear riders list the ways they are creating, contributing or at very least certainly not fixing a problem with their schooling.

Yet, often when I teach riders on horse or go through an exercise off horse for them to transfer to their riding, we change the rider and it fixes the horse.

So, was the horse ever the problem in the first place? Or was it reacting to a rider not communicating in a way the horse understood?

It’s tough, I get it. You try so hard and it can still feel like you’re getting nowhere.

The best riders I know spend time looking at how they could be better, and they go away and work on it.

Whether that’s something they can work on whilst riding or something they need to work on off horse; they put the work in to better themselves and the end result we see is a better partnership with their horse.

I want you to think about that this weekend.

Whatever your schooling issue with your horse, what could you be doing better to help that? How could you be miscommunicating and what do you need to work on to fix it?

Not sure what you need to be doing better? Hit me up it’s my job to help riders use their own bodies better to communicate with their horse!

Crunches for Core Training?

Often when I start training a new client they will have asked for better core strength.

Then after a few weeks training I’ll ask them how they’re finding the training, what they are enjoying and what they may want to do more of. That’s when they’ll say-“ I want to work on my core more……”

Their training so far will have included things like Weighted Squats, Deadlifts, Over head press, Kettlebell swings………all of these movements require you to use your core! However they require you to use it as part of using your whole body so it learns to switch on whilst hip hinging, pushing, pulling etc.

So much core training we see is using the abdominals in isolation either static or with very little movement across the rest of the body. That doesn’t transfer that well to sports performance; riding or otherwise!

Don’t get me wrong, I still include some of the more traditional core work in my sessions, classes etc but usually as a way to break down a breathing and recruitment pattern or to focus on ultimate control of small movements in the torso. It’s more accessory work than the main focus.

The real “Core Strength” training occurs in the big compound movements when they are required to activate as part of a whole body stabilising movement pattern.

When you ride you don’t use your abdominals in isolation. You use them alongside a stable pelvis and shoulders, force absorption through the whole body and perhaps small movements in the arms and legs. And you’ll hopefully be breathing throughout all of this too!

So, it makes sense to train in a way that requires your core to work whilst performing other things such as a movement pattern, maybe force absorption and of course Breathing!

If you’re looking to improve your core for riding think about the whole picture in your training. Start with basic movement patterns such as Squat, Hip Hinge, Push Pull. Also consider Force Absorption, perhaps your reflexes and sure add in some abdominal work.

But don’t think you haven’t done a Core Strength session because you didn’t do a Sit up or a Plank!

You get what you asked for

I’ve been doing more ridden coaching recently and a pattern I’ve noticed is many problems are solved when the rider is more clear about what they want.

A Horse’s lack of energy very often matches the riders lack of energy. Said rider may be flapping their legs etc but the actual energy emanating from the rider is a bit lacklustre. Add a bit more oomph to the rider and you get a bit more oomph from the horse!

The same goes for the more lively horse. If the rider can lower their own energy they will find it easier to contain their horse’s energy.

Then there’s the specifics. When you’re asking for forward with your seat and legs yet you’re hands are ever so slightly pulling back. If you’re pulling back just the tiniest bit that’s a stop/slow down signal to your horse. If he’s an “energy conserver” you’ll be struggling for forward; if he’s a bit of a hot head you’ll get what comes out as a tantrum-he’s confused!

You give an aid, you move a leg then a hand……. did you mean to give two separate aids? Or did you mean to give a hand and leg aid as one aid? Those things will get you different outcomes.

If you give a leg aid and lift a seat bone, you’ve shifted your weight, did you mean to do that?

There are multiple ways your body can shift when you what you think you’re doing or asking for become something else. So it’s really important that you as the rider can take responsibility and be really clear about your intentions to your horse.

If you don’t get what you wanted, ask yourself if you definitely asked for that or if maybe you were a little unclear.

This is why as riders it’s super important to work on your body awareness. Being able to recognise your own patterns and notice when things move a little off kilter is the key to refining your aids and being clear with your horse.

I do this in lots of different ways with my clients, from Gym Ball work to exercises involving bands, different planes of movement and often just really focusing on the basics.

How do you train your body awareness?

Tipping Forward?

When I asked riders what their biggest riding bad habit was, tipping forward was a common answer.

It’s a big one because there can be lot’s of reasons we do this.

Nerves. When we are scared or nervous our body tries to feel safe by returning to the foetal position; hence it tries to curl up.

Expecting bad behaviour-rearing for example. There may be some nerves linked to this too, but not necessarily. There are plenty of fearless riders who spend a lot of time riding flighty horses so they naturally sit a little hunched in a sort of defensive position.

Lack of stability. This can be two fold. If you lack strength through the middle it’s going to be difficult to sit up on a horse. Also, if you lack stability in your hips/pelvis again like the nerves your body tries to retreat to a position of safety-leaning forward.

Firstly, let’s deal with a quick checklist of how to set yourself up to sit up straight.

Have your seat bones pointing directly down as if plugging into the saddle.
Check your pelvis is level.
Imagine you have 4 corners of your pelvis and slot the 4 corners of your rib cage directly on top.
Float your head directly on top.

If you struggle with nerves and it causes you to tip forward, focusing on your breathing can both help to calm you down and help you to uncurl.

Breathe in, fill your belly so it pushes out, breathe out, push the air out and draw your abdominals in. This deep belly breathing activates your diaphragm. This both calms you down and creates stability in your core at the same time-cool huh!

If you tip forward because you lack stability……..well I think you know the answer! You’re going to have to get stronger! Creating stability in your seat and middle requires strengthening your Glutes, your Hip flexors and your Abdominals and Lower back.

If you’re a gym bunny that could mean adding Deadlifts and/or Front Squats to your routine.
Not a Gym Bunny? A Pilates class that includes Squats, Bridges all the hip work plus the regular core stuff you get with Pilates. Little hint-my online programme has all of this….. https://www.equestrianfitness.co.uk/online-classes/

If you want some more in depth help, myself and Veterinary Physio Steph Morgan are running our April Challenge in which I’m focusing on helping you deal with your tipping forward problems alongside Steph providing structured strength and conditioning for your horse. She is adding in a focus of different training strategies that would be helpful for different breeds and types of horses. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in head over to our Facebook page for full details. https://www.facebook.com/110251518143961/posts/149872854181827/?d=n

Mastering your Body

As part of my work with clients I often help them understand what things are supposed to feel like when riding.

For example; the idea of your rein contact coming from your shoulder girdle and abdominals, or what your body needs to do to absorb the movement of a horse underneath you.

It can be hard to explain this whilst on a moving animal, particularly when it can be something that talented riders do instinctively. It takes a huge amount of body awareness to understand what the body is supposed to be doing whilst riding, which muscles are activating, which bits are lengthening and how you can make those things work better together.

Without blowing my own trumpet, that’s what I do. It’s my job to understand, analyse and explain all of those things to riders like you in a way you can easily grasp and then hopefully recreate that feeling when you’re riding.

Once you are aware of how your body can move or manipulate what’s going underneath you, suddenly things start to click into place; the impossible becomes possible.

Off horse training is about mastering and understanding your own body. If you can understand and control which bits of your to activate to create stability alongside which bits to release to create mobility you can fully use your body to communicate with your horse.

If you want some help mastering your own body let me know!