February 2012 Newsletter

• The Riding-Pilates Connection
• Off the Horse Rider Assessment
• Common Riding Problems and their Corrections
• EQUESTRIAN PILATES® Mat Exercises
• Marketing Your EQUESTRIAN PILATES® Business

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Fall Newsletter

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Fall is in the air. I love the crispy air and new weather that fall brings. Yes, I live in Southern California, but even we have a change in the weather this time of year!

I'm excited to announce a small expansion of the EQUESTRIAN PILATES program. Exercise is only 1/2 of the equation–your nutrition is an important component as well. In January I will launch a NUTRITION page on this website. You can look forward to heath and nutrition articles as well as many other resources on how to improve your nutrition.

To get us all excited about transforming our equestrian health, below you will find a great article written by Kirstin Hill, RD and certified EQUESTRIAN PILATES teacher.

If you have any questions please contact me at elizabeth@equestrianpilates.com.

Happy Halloween

Elizabeth Hanson, Creator of EQUESTRIAN PILATES

• Roasted with a drizzle of olive oil, dash of salt and pepper- simple, yet delicious.
• Baked with a drizzle of olive oil or trans fat-free margarine, sprinkle with cinnamon or brown sugar.
• Scoop out the baked flesh and use it as a side dish or stuff it into pasta shells or puree into a creamy soup.
• Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta. After cooking, scrape the inside of the squash-it comes out in long strands. I add in red sauce and lean ground beef or turkey just like I would regular pasta.

• Sliced as a snack with cinnamon and peanut butter or cottage cheese.
• Baked for dessert with cinnamon & nutmeg; place on top of light vanilla ice cream.
• As part of a meal, with pork chops and sauerkraut for example.
• Sauteed with cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar for use in oatmeal or yogurt.

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The Design of My Site

Thank you so much to all of you who noticed my new design.  I love it too.

It was done by Mikel at www.tinyfrog.com.

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The Low Down On Low Back Pain

One of the most debilitating, bothersome and time-stealing problems for riders is low back pain. Many back experts report that low back pain is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits in the United States. Contrary to what many people think – low back pain is also reported to be the most frequent activity limitation in people younger than 45 years old.1, 2, 3

There are many ways to address this problem from both a treatment and prevention standpoint. Simple solutions such as lifting techniques and body positioning while working are critical and may cause significant changes in structure and function. Getting better circulation to all muscles will assist in clearing out waste products in your body that can contribute to muscle tension.

To reduce or eliminate back pain we need to look at preventative and long term measures. Some of these might include:

1. Maintaining a healthy diet and weight.
2. Maintaining proper posture.
3. Remaining Active.
4. Wearing comfortable shows.
5. In addition to regular exercise, working with another health care practitioner such as a doctor, chiropractor, massage therapist, etc.
6. Taking part in a mind-body type exercise program like Pilates.

Many people are now turning to Pilates to reduce or eliminate back pain. It€™s focus on strengthening the core and the deep torso muscles has helped many people manage or eliminate their back pain. Here are some particular benefits:

1. Pilates encourages proper posture. Proper alignment is key to overall function of the body. Each Pilates exercise focuses on making sure that the body is in proper alignment. When we are in proper alignment our body functions more effectively. Not only can we move with more strength, but we are less likely to injure ourselves.
2. Pilates strengthens the core and balances the body. Once you have balance and strength, the body is much better able to handle repetitive stress. By building in a girdle of support for the back and abdomen the body is better able to function on a daily basis.
3. Pilates works on increasing flexibility in the body. Flexibility is very important as it allows us to move our body the way we desire. Pilates exercises that stretch us to make us more flexible also feel good and can eliminate muscle soreness.

Here are a few EQUESTRIAN PILATES® mat exercises that are known to help reduce or eliminate low back discomfort. As with any new exercise regiment consult a doctor before practicing these exercises.

Spinal Bridging

Goal – To lengthen and increase the flexibility of your spine by rolling through each vertebra while engaging your abdominal muscles to initiate and control your movement. After each bridge the spine should feel longer.

This exercise is taught to almost everyone who has low back pain. It teaches us to use our abdominal muscles in a way that supports and lengthens the lower back.

Position Description – Lie on your back with your needs bent and your arms by your side.

Movement
1. Inhale in through the nose.
2. Exhale through the mouth as you engage your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. Engage your abdominal muscles by pulling your belly in and up. Engage your pelvic floor muscles by engaging the muscle that keep you from peeing.
3. Inhale through your nose.
4. As you exhale raise your tailbone toward the ceiling, flattening your lower back. Curl your spine up, one vertebra at a time ending in a bridge.
5. In the bridge position, inhale through your nose and reach with the knees to lengthen the spine.
6. Exhale through your mouth as you curl back down, one vertebra at a time, returning to neutral spine position.
Repeat 7 more times.

Notice – Pay close attention to whether or not your spine easily peels off the mat one vertebra at a time or if it feels more like a huge chunk moving at once. Focus on engaging your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor allowing your lower back to relax. Notice how your spine lengths and releases tension. Do not to allow yourself to sink into one hip or the other for support€”this means you are overusing one side to support your body weight and under using the opposite. If this happens, engage your stomach muscles to even out your hips. Relax your gluts and your leg muscles and focus on your strength coming from your core and pelvic floor.

Application to Riding – This exercise helps prevent rigid posture in the saddle. It allows you to sit up tall in the saddle. It helps eliminate head bobbing and balances the seat.

Knee Sways

Goal – This exercise teaches the principle of moving the legs from the core. It also releases tension in the lower back, obliques and hip muscles.

Position Description - Lie on your back with your needs bent and your arms by your side.

Movement
1. Inhale in through your nose.
2. Exhale through your mouth as you engage abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. To engage your abdominal muscles pull your tummy in and up. To engage your pelvic floor muscles squeeze the same muscle that prevents you from peeing. Let both knees fall to the left side. Hold for a count of five.
3. Inhale as you bring your knees back to the center. Do four sets.
4. Repeat on the other side.

Notice – Focus your attention on the engagement of the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor. Try to relax the top and back of your legs and use your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor to move your legs. Relax your lower back and feel the tension release to get the full affect of the stretch. Relax your lower back and feel the tension release to get the full affect of the stretch. Try to relax your gluts and leg muscles during this exercise and focus on your strength coming from your core and pelvic floor.

Application to Riding – This exercise develops flexibility and suppleness in the upper and lower back to help prevent a rigid posture in the saddle. Releasing tension in the hip muscles helps develop a more powerful and effective seat. All of this helps with difficulty sitting the trot.

Cat Up/Down

Goal - Stretch your upper and lower back and front of the body.

Position Description – Get down on all fours with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders with a neutral spine.

Movement
1. Inhale through your nose.
2. Exhale and engage the core, abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. Round your spine upward, lowering your head toward your chest. Keep your shoulders down.
3. Inhale as you arch the other direction–head up, breast up and tailbone up.
4. Repeat 7 more times.

Notice – Focus on the muscles in your lower back and notice them stretch as you move your spine in either direction. As you feel your abdominal muscles engage feel your back muscles relax to allow a deeper stretch. Maximize the use of the core, pelvic floor, serratus anterior and lats. Minimize the use of the shoulders.

Application to Riding – Flexibility, suppleness, and added length in the spine helps prevent a rigid posture and allows you sit up tall while in the saddle. Again this is a great exercise to work on the muscles which can help prevent lower back pain, slouching and bobbing the head.

It is recommended that you make sure that exercise is the right treatment for your particular condition. You should consult a doctor before trying any of these exercises.

References:

1. Hart LG, Deyo RA, Cherkin DC. Physician office visits for low back pain.
Frequency, clinical evaluation, and treatment patterns from a U.S. national survey.
Spine. 1995;20:11-9.
2. Deyo RA, Mirza SK, Martin BI. Back pain prevalence and visit rates: estimates
from U.S. national surveys, 2002. Spine. 2006;31:2724-7.
National Institutes of Health

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June 2010

I hope that all of you are doing well. I am so glad that summer is finally here. For many of us this means spending more time at the barn and perhaps in the show ring!

Whether you are a leisure rider, trail rider, train everyday or are serious about showing, your physical fitness is key to a great partnership with your horse.

My goal is to provide you with great ways to whip your body in shape and keep it moving the way it needs to for the best ride of your life.

For me personally it’s about getting in shape after having a baby. I have now ridden 5 times since his birth. YEAH! But what happened to all of my muscles???? (Perhaps some of you feel the same way too.)

I am pleased to announced that one of our newest teachers, Kirstin Hill has contributed a great article about how to keep hydrated during your summer rides.

If you know of anyone who might enjoy receiving this newsletter please forward it to a friend.

Please let me know how I can provide the most value to you. I look forward to bringing the newsletter to you each month.

Elizabeth
Creator, EQUESTRIAN PILATES®

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Spine Twist on the Ball

The goal of this exercise is to rotate the spine while maintaining stabilization and balance of the pelvis and shoulder girdle. Adding the ball helps the rider better understand how much his or her hips shifting cause the seat to be unbalanced. When this happens it will cause the ball to shift out from under you to the left or right depending on which seat bone you lean too much into. On the horse when the seat is uneven, the horse and rider become out of balance.

I remembered this exercise during my lesson yesterday with my Dressage trainer Camilla Fritze.* She noticed, especially during the left lead canter, that I sit too much on my right seat bone. When this happens my seat is unbalanced and my horse either doesn’t canter at all or he picks up the right lead instead of the left. UGH!

And guess what, when this happened it was MY fault not the horse’s fault. It is so easy to have an experience like this and get mad at the horse. But as they say “the proof is in the pudding”! Camilla corrected my position and asked me to shift more weight to the left, put my upper body and arms in the right place and relax my wrists. (I, of course, felt totally crooked, but was now straight.) And guess what? When I followed her advice, I got the PERFECT canter departure. Oh, how awesome it was to get it right.

So what’s great about the following exercise is that it points out the importance of keeping your upper body balanced over your hips and seat with equal weight on both seat bones. As Camilla pointed out during my lesson when this happens the rider is in balance and so is the horse. Everything becomes easier as it is now possible for the horse to carry your weight and move how he needs to without your body interrupting the process.

You can see how this happens when seated on the ball. If you sink into one hip as you twist you will find that the ball shifts with your body weight just like your horse will do if you put unintentional pressure too much into one seat bone versus the other.

Position Description – Sit on the ball, tall of the sitz bones, legs slightly more than hip-width apart. For the easiest version of this exercise sit in a chair position with your legs slightly more apart than hip-width apart. As you gain balance and strength try this exercise with your legs in proper riding position, ie straight line from shoulder, hip, to heel. Do not squeeze with your inner thighs. This will make you rigid and unbalanced, just as it would seated on the horse. See Rider Anatomy 101 to learn about the location of your sitz bones/seat.

Movement
1. Inhale through your nose.
2. Exhale as you reach your arms long to your sides at shoulder height. Rotate your ribcage to the left. Keep your pelvis stable.
3. Inhale in through your nose.
4. Exhale as you return to center.
5. Repeat to the right.
6. Do eight sets.

Notice – The ball forces you into good form. If you allow your hips to shift while twisting your torso the ball will shift under you. Spine Twist becomes more difficult while seating on the ball by requiring more balance. Pay careful attention to your shoulders, not allowing them to rise up.

The first picture is “Step 1″. The second is “Step 2″ and the third is an example of what NOT TO DO. It is a person who leans too much into the right side of her seat.

*Camilla Fritze is an amazing Dressage trainer in Somis, CA. She offers quality training programs for beginners to serious FEI competitors. She is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist. FEI Competitor. You can reach her at 310-924-1220. Galavant Equestrian at www.galavantequestrian.com. She is located at Whitethorne Ranch in Somis, CA.

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Staying Hydrated During Your Summer Rides

By Kirstin Hill
Certified EQUESTRIAN PILATES® Mat Teacher
San Diego, CA

June, the month of summer, has arrived. I feel the summer heat more and more each day and am quickly reminded of the beautiful glove tan I will be showing off for the next few months. Summer is usually equated with a change in fitness and eating habits. This article will focus on hydration needs throughout the summer, especially those scorching show days when we are suited up from head to toe feeling sweaty, hot, thirsty and fatigued before show time.

It is so important to stay hydrated during the summer months as we continue riding not only for optimal performance but also for our health. Some of the symptoms of dehydration include fatigue, thirst, less frequent urination, and light-headedness.

For low to moderate intensity riding lasting about 60 minutes, the best drink choice before, during and after exercise is cold water. Cold water (~40-50 degrees) is absorbed more quickly from the stomach and also has the effect of cooling the internal body temperature along with your sweat.

To prevent dehydration during exercise, 8-10 oz of water should be drunk about every 15-20 minutes. Thirst is not a good indicator of when you should drink water since at the point you are thirsty you are already mildly dehydrated.

Contrary to popular belief there really is no hard and fast rule about how much water one should drink per day. Fluid intake per person per day is determined by a variety of factors including body temperature, kidney function, and the environment. Fortunately, our bodies are clever and we have a great way to monitor our hydration needs-check your urine! Urine that is concentrated and dark, like the color of apple juice means you need to drink more water. You know you are hydrated when your urine is odorless and close to colorless like a straw/lemonade color.

Sports drinks can be good if you are sweating a lot, especially on a hot and humid day, since they replace valuable electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium. However, many of them can be loaded with sugar, dye and other fillers that are not beneficial to the body. Check the label for the serving size, many times the values listed are for half or even a third of the bottle which can be very deceiving. For example, it is common for a 16 oz drink to list the serving size as 8 oz and show values like 12g of sugar when you realize after you have guzzled the whole bottle that you just drank 24 g of sugar!

A few tips to keep in mind this summer: 1) Keep a large water bottle with you throughout the day the to drink. There are also many different kinds of water holders that attach easily to saddles so you can keep water with you while you ride. 2) Replace fluids early and often before, during and after exercise, especially when it is hot. 3) Good sources of fluid are not just limited to drinks. Many foods contain varying percentages of water, especially fruits and vegetables. Biting in to a juicy piece of watermelon is such a treat after riding on a hot day. Cheers!

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Healthy Riders and Healthy Horses

Many of us are comfortable with the idea that we need to have healthy horses to get the most from our ride. We spend countless hours and dollars making sure that our horses get the best care.

But how many of you spend as much time and attention on your own health? If you do, awesome, let’s work together to get more people on the healthy band wagon. If you do not, don’t beat yourself up about it. Let’s address some simple steps to get you on the right track.

Riding is a beautiful partnership between us and our horse, but when we are out of shape our sports performance suffers and so does our communication to our horse. This could be a variety of things like being over weight and thus putting too much stress on our horse’s back, being generally out of shape and thus bouncing around in the saddle, not dealing with injuries that lead to stiffness and rigidity in the saddle and so on.

The good news is that these issues are solvable with a plan and action. And the benefit is AMAZING – the better health we have, the better we are able to ride, the more fun we have with our horses and so on.

There are a few steps we can take to get back on the right track.

1. Exercise. There is no doubt that riding is exercise, but to take care of your body completely, cross training is a must. For example, a bit of cardio, stretching and strength training like Pilates and/or weight lifting.

At this point, I’m sure that many of you are saying to yourself, “I have WAY too much to do. How can I possibly add one more thing?”

One of the biggest reasons that I find people do not get enough exercise is that they make things too hard for themselves. If all you have is 20 minutes two times per week that is better than nothing. If you could do one cardio session per week and one strength training/stretching session per week you would see dramatic improvements. If you have never done cardio before, or not for a long time, don’t start out with a plan to suddenly go on an hour run 3 times per week. Not only will you be too out of shape to do this, you are setting yourself up for failure from the start.

Here are a few simple ideas to get your started: go for a walk with your spouse, kids or a friend instead of watching TV. Park at the end of the parking lot and walk a bit farther. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Treat yourself to a weekly, bi-monthly or monthly personal training session. Enroll in some sort of weekly group exercise program. Turn on some music and dance for 20 minutes. Get off your horse and stretch. Take the dog for a walk.

Exercise is meant to make us feel good. Just be creative and think about moving and having fun.

2. You are what you eat. Now I don’t know one person who likes diets or the idea of going on a diet, myself included. I have been on and off them my whole life and I have decided no more. That’s why I was so happy to learn about a new book that preaches a diet very similar to what I like to follow. It is called “The Good Mood Diet”, written by PdD nutritionist, Susan Kleiner. She recently spoke to a group of us Dressage riders in San Diego. She talks about how to eat to fuel your body to give you the energy to accomplish what you want in life. It is not about what you should NOT eat, it is about what you should eat. The great thing is that it is a healthy well balanced plan that will give you the energy you need to enjoy your favorite sport, horseback riding.

And again, perhaps some of you are thinking, “UGH, it’s just too hard.” I get it, but I also know that all of you make sure that your HORSES get all the right vitamins, supplements, hay, etc. YOU DESERVE IT TOO.

As with adding exercise into you life take baby steps. Try to make one more healthy choice per week. After just a few weeks these baby steps will add up and make a significant difference in your life!

And guess who benefits? You and your horse. What could be more fun than that!

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Rider Anatomy 101

Ischial Tuberosities (sitz bones)
The SEAT!

These bones are the part of the pelvis, the foundation of the riding seat. The pelvis is basically a collection of bones that are fused together in the shape of a bowl with no bottom. At the base of the are the sitz bones or ischial tuberosities.

When sitting upright on a hard chair this is the hard part felt at the base of the buttocks.

These bones provide the contact point for the seat.

One of the best ways to feel them is to sit in a chair and place your hands under your bottom. You should feel two boney parts under your hands. When you are in the saddle you should feel equal weight on each of these bones. If you feel more weight in one or the other than you are sitting crooked.

Sometimes it is very challenging to feel if you are crooked or not while riding. The best thing to do is have a qualified trainer give you feedback. If this is not possible ask a friend to watch you. Remember that you might be used to feeling crooked and when your trainer or your friend gives you feedback to change your position the new position might feel crooked to you even if your trainer or friend now tells you that you are straight. The good news is that when you are straight you are more likely to be in balance and thus your ride will feel better. Again, it’s the horse’s correct movement that always tells the truth.

Check out the exercise above, Seated Twist on the Ball. It is a great way to learn how to feel your seat bones. Good luck!

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Introducing Kirstin Hill

Certified EQUESTRIAN PILATES® Mat Teacher
Contact Information
San Diego, CA
kirstin.a.hill@gmail.com
650-208-8029

Kirstin grew up in the Bay Area (Menlo Park) but currently resides in San Diego, CA with her fiance. Horses and riding have been a part of her life since she was a young girl. Her earliest experiences started as being a groom for local polo players. Later on she discovered and joined the United States Pony Club with her first pony, Paddington. Pony Club has provided her the best foundation for learning horse-care fundamentals, team participation with sportsmanship and correct riding techniques. Members are rated and move up the levels based on their progression of riding skills and horse management knowledge. Kirstin is currently rated through the C-3 (traditional) and is going for the H-A (highest horse management level) this summer (July 2010). While in Pony Club Kirstin also successfully competed on an Irish Sport Horse named Limerick through training level eventing. Her most notable accomplishment on Limerick was qualifying for Pony Club Championships in dressage in Lexington, KY during the summer of 2007. Kirstin’s lessons and tireless practicing paid off with her taking home 1st place for the highest rated training level freestyle as well as leading her team to an overall first. Currently Kirstin has been a working student for the past two years for an eventing trainer/Pony Club National Examiner in Ramona, CA.

Aside from horses, Kirstin has always had a passion for fitness, especially Pilates, and eating right. This led to her pursuing and earning her B.S. in Foods and Nutrition from San Diego State University. Her goal is to earn her R.D. (Registered Dietitian-a food expert, not the same as a nutritionist) license in order to credibly counsel people about food and nutrition. As a step towards earning this license, she must first complete a dietetic internship, which she just landed at the VA in San Diego. It will begin this August and end the following May. Kirstin is most excited about this because she wants to combine her EQUESTRIAN PILATES® services with nutritional services to offer her clients the most complete and optimal package for benefiting their health and well-being as people and riders. Kirstin has truly found her niche by being able to combine her passion for riding and health/well-being and knows she will be able to offer her clients nothing but the best!

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March 2010 Newsletter

Hello all,

Spring has finally sprung in most parts of the US! I hope this means that more and more of you are on your horses.

My year is off to a fast start. Many of you know that I had a baby in January and thus I did not write a February newsletter. Sorry to have missed all of you in February during my maternity leave. I look forward to keeping in contact with all of you this year.

If you would enjoy receiving this newsletter by email please sign up on this website.

Please let me know how I can provide the most value to you. I look forward to bringing the newsletter to you each month.

Below you will find excerpts from the monthly newsletter. For the full newsletter each month please sign up on this site.

Elizabeth

Exercise of the Month

Pelvic Bowl
Learn to move your seat while engaging your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor, stretch and release tension in your lower back, and strengthen the muscles needed to maintain proper postural alignment.

This exercise has benefits for the rider both on and off the horse. Working from your core to control your hips and pelvis allows for a more effective seat and helps the rider sit up tall in the saddle. For many riders, the rigors of this sport often contributes to low back pain which can be alleviated by this exercise as it stretches and releases tension in the lower back and pelvis.

Position Description – Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms by your side.

Movement – For this exercise take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth as needed throughout all of the movements.

1. Start by flattening your back to the mat. Notice that as you are doing this, your tailbone lifts off the mat towards the ceiling. Keep your legs and pelvis still.
2. Lift your left hip then lower it.
3. Press the tailbone down into the mat, allowing your back to arch.
4. Lift your right hip and then lower it.
5. Repeat eight times in this order and then reverse eight times.

Notice – Focus your attention on the movement of the pelvis and notice what muscles you are using to move it. Pay careful attention to using your pelvic floor and stomach to move your pelvis. Relax your buttocks and the front and back of your legs. Don’t allow yourself to grip or “muscle” your way through this exercise and stay focused on relaxing your body as you move.

Note – Keep your arms down by your side.The arms are above the head in these photos to more clearly demonstrate the positions of the pelvis.

EQUESTRIAN PILATES® Question Corner

I am excited to hear from you. If you would like to submit a question for the next newsletter please email me.

Everyone keeps talking about how important my “core” is while riding. I pull my stomach in as hard as I can, but I don’t really think it is helping. Any ideas?

Thank you for this question. This is a great question because EVERYONE is talking about the core and how it helps the rider, but there are few good explanations on what it is and how it helps you.

First of all what is the core?
In EQUESTRIAN PILATES® lingo the core is comprised of the muscles that support the spine, connect the front of the body to the back of the body and provide the strength to maintain body balance, alignment and posture.

In particular, the main muscles that are involved are the rectus abdominus, external and internal obliques and the transversus abdominus. These muscles work with the deep muscles of the spine to make up the powerhouse.

To engage the deep centering muscles pull the navel in towards the spine at about 30% of your tightest squeeze and slightly upward. The muscles that you feel are part of the core.

Sounds simple enough, right?

The problem is that most of the time people who try this stiffen their entire body. This is counter productive as a stiff body creates a stiff horse and unbalances both the horse and rider even more.

The trick is to learn how to engage these muscles without stiffening the rest of the body. You can practice this by sitting up tall in a chair. Don’t stiffen, just sit up. While seated pull your belly button in and up and then let it go. Repeat over and over. Notice what is happening in the rest of your body. Are you becoming rigid elsewhere? If so try to relax the rest of the body and try it again. With practice you will learn how to engage the core without inadvertently engaging another part.

So what are the next steps? Practice engaging your abdominal muscles on the horse without stiffening the rest of your body and then learn how to use them effectively. This brings us to one of the most important skills that we need to develop as a rider.

PAYING ATTENTION!

Your abdominal muscles can be thought of as any other aid. For example, you wouldn’t kick your horse as hard as you could every time you asked for the canter. If you did this your horse would start to be “immune” to your leg aid.

Less is more. How much you need to engage your abdominal muscles while riding depends on you and your horse. A sensitive horse will feel even a slight engagement of your abdominal muscles. On a horse like this engaging them too much might actually cause the horse to slow down or stop as most of the time when we bare down too much we also sit more which is a signal to the horse to slow or stop. This is great if that is what we want to accomplish, but it’s counter productive if our goal is to get the horse to move forward.

So the key is to notice how much is enough, not to just hold them in as tight as you can at all times. After paying attention to your body’s reaction and your horse’s response, you will begin to notice how much core engagement is necessary. The proof of your success will be a horse that response to you.

I hope this helps!

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January 2010 Newsletter

Jump Start Your Horsey Fitness in 2010

Here are some excerpts from the January 2010 newsletter. If you would like to receive the full newsletter each much then join my mailing list.

Stretching, Stretching and More Stretching
Take your riding to the next level and make it your new year’s resolution to stretch daily.

Below is just one stretch you can do while at the barn by putting your leg up on a fence. Check out the rest of my exercises in my e-books for even more stretches.

Hamstring Stretch on the Fence

Goal – To increase balance and stretch the hamstrings and calves.

Application to Riding – This is a warm-up stretch focusing on an area of the body that tends to get tight while riding. When your hamstrings and calves are too tight you loose some of the muscular control you need to effectively cue your horse. Tight legs also make it more difficult to move them without disturbing your seat and could cause unnecessary leg movement that might confuse or irritate your horse. Stretching the hamstrings and calves helps balance the front and back of the legs, relieving the tension and occasional soreness we experience there.

Movement
1. Inhale through the nose and lift your right leg up on the fence.
2. Exhale through the mouth as you hinge from the hips and bend your upper body forward. Place your hands on your right thigh.
3. Hold for a count of 10.
4. Return to start.
5. Repeat 3 times in three positions: parallel position of the leg (the first two pictures), external rotation of the leg (top picture of the foot). Internal rotation of the leg (bottom picture of the foot).

Step 1

Step 2

External Rotation

Internal Rotation

Repeat on the other leg.

Notice – As equestrians it is common for us to have tightness in this area of the body, and often we twist and turn our bodies to compensate. Pay careful attention to the rest of the body when you assume this position. Are you keeping your shoulders out of your ears? Are you keeping your hips parallel? Are you leaning too much to one side or do you have even weight throughout your body? Maximize the use of the core, pelvic floor, hamstrings and calves. Minimize the use of the shoulders.

The Importance of Flexibility for the Rider

Bottom line: flexible muscles and joints give the rider the ability to move freely on and off the horse.

One of the most important skills in riding is learning how to allow your body to flow with the movement of the horse. This gives the appearance that the rider is not moving at all!

Inflexible muscles and over all tension in the body can cause bouncing and gripping and prevents us from communicating clearly to our horses.

Make it part of your new year’s resolution to stretch 5 minutes before and after you ride. You’ll be amazed what a difference this commitment can make!

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Fit For Polo

One thing is for sure – we love our horses.  We spend countless hours taking the best care of them and often leave less time to take care of our own health and fitness.  Fitness for the polo player must do two main jobs.  It must improve performance and it must decrease the chance for injury.

To read the full article click on the link below.

Fit for Polo

This article was first published in Polo Players Edition, May 2005.

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Get Fit For Riding

Get Fit for Riding, Exercises for Everyone!

Cross training for riders is a relatively new idea in the horse world.  This article form the May 2008 issue of Horse Illustrated discusses the importance of cross training for riders and how it dramatically improves riding skill and endurance.

Elizabeth Hanson and EQUESTRIAN PILATES® are one of the training programs featured in this article.

To view the full article click on the link below:

Get Fit for Riding, Exercises for Everyone

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Finding the Sweet Spot

Every rider searches for that ideal moment when everything comes together and horse and rider are moving in perfect coordination and balance.  It is a magical place to be and it starts in the “sweet spot” on your horse’s back.

While this article is about gaited horses in particular, the “sweet spot” can be found on any kind of horse.  It is that perfect spot that allows us to maintain proper balance and posture in the saddle.  It allows us to move in tandem and grace with our horse!

To view this full article click on the link below:

Finding the Sweet Spot, by Elizabeth Hanson

This article was originally published in The Gaited Horse, Fall ’05.

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