“When you are young and fall off a horse, you might break something. When you’re my age and you fall off, you splatter.” So said Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys.

While every rider fears falling from a horse, any tumble anywhere at any age can be dangerous. While trips and falls are generally not a big worry for younger people, the risk increases dramatically as we get older.

Hazards of Falls

About 30 percent of Americans over the age of 65 fall each year. That equates to nearly three million emergency room visits. To be even more gloomy, complications from those falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths for that age group.

The normal changes in our bodies as we age set us up to lose balance and coordination. Weakening muscles and bones, poor posture, declining vision and hearing, and aching joints all conspire to throw us off balance. The result is often an unintended and disastrous collision with the ground.

Understanding how this happens and how to adapt to these physical changes improves your daily life and, as a happy additional benefit, improves your riding.

Balance & Posture

Balance dictates your coordination and ability to stand, walk, stoop, and turn without toppling. “Proprioception” is the scientific term for how we sense where we are in space.

Nerve endings throughout your body deliver an ongoing play-by-play to your brain of where your body is and what it’s doing. Your brain analyzes all the input as fast as a wizard kid solving a Rubik’s Cube and signals your muscles to react and keep you anchored.

For example, as you walk around the barn, you step on many different surfaces: the hard center of the barn aisle, the soft bedding in the stall, the rubber mats in the wash rack, the grass in the pasture, and the sand in the arena. You might be aware of the changes in the surfaces, but probably not of the changes your body makes to adjust your footing on each of them.

Balance depends on core, leg, and ankle strength. Strengthening muscles and developing good balance can slow the inevitable decline. If you already have balance troubles, exercises and behavioral changes help correct them.    

It starts with proper posture. The ideal posture is also what you want when sitting in the saddle: level shoulders and hips; ears, shoulders, elbows, hips, and ankles in a straight line; looking ahead, your toes and chest are pointed in the direction of travel. This lets you move easily and flexibly so you can react quickly to what is happening around you.

Maintaining that position depends on a strong core. You’re not looking for six pack abs, but deep inner muscles that create a steady support. Standing in the correct position automatically requires you to use your abdominal muscles so you’re essentially doing mild crunches all day.

Strong leg muscles and ankles add even more support. All this is great for riding, since it makes you more secure in the saddle.

Bone Density & Vision

Another factor is bone density. Bones regenerate somewhat when you’re younger, but once you hit 50, bone loss outpaces formation. This means a higher chance of breaking something.

Strength training and weight-bearing exercises both help to slow bone loss and increase bone density. Posting while you ride counts, as does walking after a horse that doesn’t want to come in from the pasture.

Vision is also vital. As you age, you lose your peripheral vision. It happens so slowly that you may not even realize it. As your range of vision becomes smaller, you unconsciously shift your focus to compensate. You look at the ground a yard or so in front of your feet when you walk, which means you tilt forward, shifting your center of gravity. If you stumble, you can’t immediately compensate and right yourself.

There are plenty of ways to improve balance, coordination, and peripheral vision. The simplest is training yourself to stand and move in the correct position. Instead of looking down, focus forward on where you want to go, like looking ahead when approaching a jump.

Develop ever better balance by walking on uneven terrain (chasing that horse again) or riding a bicycle. The gold standard for developing core strength, posture, strong muscles, and flexibility is Pilates. Gyms, the YMCA, and senior centers offer balance programs, while internet videos are good alternatives for home workouts.

Exercises That Help with Balance

Here are some simple exercises you can do on your own. Try doing them without holding out your arms for balance.

• One-leg balance: stand with your feet hip-width apart. Life one foot off the ground for 30 seconds. Switch sides.
• Tightrope walk: Walk in a straight line, placing one foot directly in front of the other, heel-to-toe, as though walking on a tightrope.
• Flamingo stand: Lift one leg to a 90-degree position. Hold for a count of 10. Repeat on the other leg.
• Ankle strengthener: While sitting, push your foot as though you are pressing on the gas pedal of your car. Do this 10 to 12 times, then rotate your foot in each direction 10 times. Finally, shift your heel 10 times in each direction.

This article about improving balance to prevent riding falls as you get older appeared in the October 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Improve Balance to Prevent Riding Falls As You Get Older appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

1. Push: Push-Up

The goal of the push-up is to improve upper body strength, shoulder mobility, and posture. This exercise incorporates upper-body postural control with core strength while improving shoulder stability, which adds more confidence and better control with your horse when mounted.

Start on your hands and your knees with your hands positioned under your shoulders. To begin the exercise, assume a high plank position (or modify with knees on the floor). While keeping your body straight, lower your chest and hips down toward the floor as far as you can. Push up to the starting position and repeat.

This should feel like an upper-body workout of your shoulders, chest, and triceps. You should also feel your core, glutes and quads working to maintain a stable position.

Form Tips

• Keep your body in a straight line with your neck neutral.
• Engage your core muscles throughout the movement to stabilize and protect your lower back.
• Stay evenly balanced through both arms as you lower down and push up.

2. Level Change: Bodyweight Stationary Lunge

The goal of this exercise improves the strength, balance, and stability every equestrian needs for effective riding. The unilateral nature of lunges mirrors the independent leg actions required in the saddle, ensuring precise cues. Strong and stable legs aid in maintaining a centered seat, especially during intricate movements or dynamic transitions.

Start standing upright with your feet together, then step forward with one leg, keeping the other leg stationary. Lower your body until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Ensure your front knee is directly above your ankle, and the other knee hovers just above the ground. Pushing through your front heel, return to the starting position. Repeat.

You should feel all the muscles in your legs working, especially the quad muscles. Your front leg should be doing most of the lifting.

Form Tips

• Refrain from pushing from your back leg.
• Maintain your balance by engaging your core.

3. Pull: Single Leg & Arm Row

The goal of the row is to improve your balance, position and shoulder mobility for better posture in the saddle.

This exercise offers numerous benefits that enhance riding performance. Rows improve your posture and stability in the shoulder girdle by strengthening your upper back and shoulder muscles, both of which are important for maintaining balance with your horse. This exercise helps correct body asymmetry, helping create more balanced aids.

Begin in a standing position on one leg and hold the dumbbell in your opposite hand. From this position, hinge forward at the hips, reaching down with the weight. At the bottom of the hip-hinge position, perform a row motion by starting with your arm straight. Initiate the row motion and pull your shoulder blade back while bending your elbow toward your ribcage.

You will feel the muscles of your leg working, including your quads, hamstring, glutes, and foot muscles. When performing the row, you work your shoulder muscles and the muscles surrounding your shoulder blade.

Form Tips

• Perform a hip-hinge by pushing your hips back and shifting your torso forward.
• Don’t lock your knee straight; instead, keep a slight bend in it.

4. Rotation: T-Roll

The T-roll is a fantastic exercise that combines elements of strength, balance, and mobility, all of which are important for riders.

This exercise strengthens your core, which is crucial for maintaining a stable seat and effective aids in the saddle. The rotational component also improves your shoulder stability and overall body awareness and control. These are factors that can contribute to better self-carriage and communication with your horse.

This exercise also engages your shoulder and back muscles, which promote better posture and upper-body strength for more effective rein control and pressure.

Begin in a high plank position, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from head to heels.

Engage your core and shift your weight onto one hand. Lift the opposite hand off the ground and rotate your torso, extending your arm toward the ceiling to make a “T.” Hold this position briefly before returning to the starting plank position. Repeat the movement on the other side, rotating and extending.

You’ll feel your core muscles engaging for stability. Your shoulder and arm muscles are stabilizing when holding the plank and during the rotation. Your obliques engage during the twisting motion, and your back muscles contribute to maintaining the “T” posture.

Form Tips

• Keep your body in a straight line when in the plank position; avoid letting your hips sag or lifting them too high.
• Maintain a strong, engaged core throughout the entire movement to stabilize your spine.
• Keep your weight-bearing arm straight (but not locked) to support your body during rotation.
• Choose a controlled, deliberate pace for the exercise to ensure proper form and maximum benefits.
• If balance is a challenge, you can widen your foot stance in the plank position for more stability.

5. Locomotion: Anterior Reach

The goal of the anterior reach exercise is to improve single leg stability, proprioception (sense of body position) and balance.

This is an effective single-leg exercise that engages your core, improves balance, and promotes functional mobility, all of which are crucial for maintaining a steady seat and effective aids when riding. By strengthening your lower body, this exercise will help improve your stability in the saddle, a fundamental component of good horsemanship.

Start by standing straight with your feet hip-width apart. Choose a leg to extend. Keep your toes lifted and foot flexed. While extending this leg, push your hips back and slightly bend the knee of your standing leg, keeping a flat back and an engaged core.

Gradually lower your torso, reaching your back leg parallel to the ground. Hold this position for a second, then return to a starting position. Repeat the same motion with the other leg.

This primarily engages your core and lower body, specifically the hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, and calf muscles. It also engages the stabilizing muscles of the foot and ankle.

Form Tips

• Keep a neutral spine and engage your core.
• Perform the exercise with slow, controlled movements to make it more effective.
• Focus on maintaining balance and form, not how far you can reach.
• If balance is a challenge, do this exercise near a wall or a stable object for light support.
• Begin with a smaller range of motion and gradually increase as your strength and balance improve.

More From Ifa Simmonds

• Core Strength for Equestrians
• Barn Banter – Episode 16, featuring Ifa Simmonds

Get more info on Ifa Simmond’s Equestrian Fitness Academy website, or message him to set up a clinic, workshop, or live training session.

This article about functional exercises for riding appeared in the September 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post 5 Functional Exercises to Improve Your Riding appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Modifications can be applied to make the poses more or less challenging. With the vast number of postures, if one doesn’t work for you, there’s likely another with similar benefits that will.

The physical postures have great value to equestrians when riding. Staying in shape also comes into play when working around the barn raking, shoveling, and lifting hay bales. It’s important to include postures that work on the following three physical traits: flexibility, strength, and balance.

Here are a few of my favorite yoga postures for equestrians.

Flexibility: Standing Forward Bend

Flexibility is an important component of equestrian fitness. Swinging a leg up and over a saddle requires flexibility. Having a flexible body also helps keep stiffness and soreness at bay. Additionally, if an unfavorable dismount were to occur, the flexible body typically sustains less injury.

There are lots of great yoga postures to improve flexibility, but I feel the most beneficial one is Standing Forward Bend. Not only do the legs get a great stretch, but so does the lower back. Also, inversions increase healthy blood flow to the head, brain, and thyroid. This pose is much more attainable than headstands, yet still garners the inversion benefits.

How-To:

◆ Stand with feet hip-width apart. Inhale and raise your arms overhead; with a flat back, exhale and swan dive forward, placing your hands on your shins, feet, or the floor, depending upon your level of flexibility.

◆ Drop your head so as not to create neck strain.

◆ Keep your knees relatively straight but not locked. You’ll want to feel some stretch on the backs of your legs.

◆ Hold the pose for five breaths or to your comfort level. If you feel there’s too much blood flow to the head, slowly come out of the stretch. 

◆ To exit, roll up slowly, stacking the vertebra, or take a reverse swan dive up.

◆ When finished, pause for a moment with hands in prayer position at the heart center; observe the blood flow redistributing, and allow the goodness of the posture to soak in.

◆ Standing Forward Bend can also be used as an entry point to other poses such as Plank, Lunges, Downward Dog, and Chair Pose.

Strength: Standing Goddess Pose

Physical strength is necessary as an equestrian, whether it’s being able to mount up easier, posting, or lifting a saddle.

There are many strengthening postures such as Chair Pose, Planks, and Warrior variations, but one of my favorites for riders is Standing Goddess Pose, which focuses on legs, inner thighs, quadriceps, and buttocks.

How-To:

◆ Stand with your feet wide apart and turn your toes out slightly; to avoid knee strain, your big toe should never be turned out past the knee.

◆ Begin with hands on your hips, then bend both knees equally, sinking your tailbone toward the floor.

◆ Don’t lean forward; the crown of your head should point toward the sky.

◆ After bending your knees, different arm variations can be added. Try prayer position in front of your chest (when palms are pressed together—this engages the pectoral/chest muscles). Bringing your arms overhead at shoulder width apart is another option.

◆ Hold the posture for five deep breaths, perhaps working up to a longer hold time as your strength increases. Three sets are recommended, taking short breaks between.

Balance: Tree Pose

Improve balance and focus both in and out of the saddle through balancing postures.

There’s an array of balancing yoga postures, but one of the most basic, yet effective, is Tree Pose, which can include variations to add challenge if the basic version is too easy. On the flip side, there are modifications to make Tree Pose simpler if you’re challenged by balancing poses.

Even though balance poses may not look like strengthening postures, many tiny muscles work to hold a balanced position. As muscles build, balance improves; work from where you are and enjoy the incremental improvements you’ll see from regular practice.

Mental focus also comes into play when mastering balance and is a means to developing concentration, which is helpful in horsemanship.

How-To:

◆ Begin with both feet solidly on the floor, with your weight placed symmetrically.

◆ Gently fix your gaze on something stationary ahead of you; hold your gaze there without wavering, regardless of what’s going on around you. In yoga, we call this focused intention, or drishti.

◆ Soften your standing knee; don’t bend it, but don’t lock it either.

◆ Shift your belly button over one foot, which equates to moving your center.

The following are foot placement options (based on your level of balance) for the leg that will be moving on to the standing leg:

◆ Keeping a big toe on the floor makes the pose easier. You can work up to placing your foot higher on the standing leg: ankle, knee, thigh, or crossed. The higher the placement, the harder the posture becomes.

◆ If challenged by Tree Pose, there’s no harm in using a wall, chair back, or windowsill to lightly place a hand if you feel wobbly.

◆ Hands are traditionally placed in front of the chest in a prayer position. For variety, arms could be extended upward or out to the sides.

◆ Keeping your arms in a stationary position is easiest, but to add more challenge, moving them while in Tree can be another option.

◆ If Tree Pose is too easy, try it with your eyes closed, which adds another dimension of difficulty.

Key Takeaway

Keep your yoga and fitness regimen interesting and doable. As you’ll see from some of these photos, practice can be done on the mat, on the trail, or in the ring! Consider committing to a regular practice and glean the many benefits you’ll notice in your riding and your overall physical and mental fitness.

Further Reading
◆ Groundwork for the Human
◆ Similarities Between Yoga and Horsemanship
◆ Your Equestrian Wellness & Fitness Journey

This article about yoga postures for equestrians appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Yoga Postures for Equestrians appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Pilates both strengthens and lengthens the muscles to improve core strength, posture, and flexibility, helping your overall position and ultimately allowing you to move with greater grace and agility.

Long, Lean Muscles

Trainers often advise you to “strengthen your core.” A stronger core means improved balance and stability in the saddle—but not at the expense of bulky muscles that can cause you to be stiff.

That’s why flexibility and suppleness are critical, too. The horse needs all of the following from you to move fluidly and efficiently underneath you: strength, stability, flexibility, and suppleness. These qualities also happen to be the focus of Pilates.

Pilates also helps to create an even balance of strength and flexibility through the right and left sides of your body. Just like horses, riders can become one-sided.

The Pilates Bridging Series

While some Pilates exercises are done with expensive specialty equipment, there are also several very effective ones that can be done at your home, barn, or anywhere.

The following series of exercises strengthens the glutes and hamstrings, which improves your stability while lengthening your hip flexors for greater suppleness in your hips and an improved seat. Strong glutes and hamstrings also mean less strain on your lower back. Many riders have found doing these exercises daily reduces their back pain.

Start with the first version, then try the single-leg versions. Assess evenness through the right and left sides of your body as you do it. Is one side more difficult than the other?

1. Glute Bridge

◆ Lie on your back with your feet hip-width apart.
◆ Tuck your pelvis under and roll up onto your shoulder blades.
◆ Don’t let your ribs pop or flare.
◆ Press into your feet to lift your hips a little higher.
◆ Start behind your heart and slowly roll down one vertebra at a time.

1 of 2

2. Single Leg Bridge: Marching

◆ Repeat Exercise 1, but keep your hips lifted.
◆ Alternate lifting one leg with a 90-degree bend in the knee while your press the opposite foot into the mat.
◆ Don’t let your hips drop or rock to the side as you move your leg.
◆ Do 5 repetitions on each side.
◆ To come down, start behind your heart and slowly roll down one vertebra at a time.

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3. Single Leg Bridge: Leg Lift and Lower

◆ Repeat Exercise 1, but keep your hips lifted.
◆ Lift one leg straight up to the sky and point your foot.
◆ Extend that leg until your thighs are aligned, then flex your foot and lift your leg back up to the sky.
◆ Don’t let your hips drop or rock to the side as you move your leg.
◆ Do 5 repetitions on each side.
◆ To come down, start behind your heart and slowly roll down one vertebra at a time.

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For more at-home Pilates exercises, featuring 20-minute workouts you can do anywhere, visit PilatesforEquestrians.com.

Further Reading
◆ Fit Rider: Pilates for Equestrians
◆ Pilates Winter Workout for Equestrians
◆ Improve Your Riding Through Your Everyday Life

This article about pilates for equestrians appeared in the October 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Pilates for Equestrians: Exercises for a Riding Breakthrough appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The instructor was Allie Baier of EquiPT, a physical therapy practice specializing in working with riders. She opened the class stating that even though we take 20,000 breaths per day, most of us are inefficient breathers.

By becoming better breathers, we become more effective riders, in addition to gaining other significant health benefits.

Why Breathing for Equestrians?

I scribbled six pages of notes during the session, and learned that by breathing correctly, we can be a role model for our horse’s performance. I have a horse with anxious tendencies. When he gets anxious, I hold my breath. I had never thought of myself as a breathing role model.

Better breathing improves mental focus, physical stamina, and core strength, which improves balance in the saddle. Breathing optimally improves our emotional and behavioral states, and nose breathing—as opposed to mouth breathing—even changes the pH in our blood, making us less prone to inflammation and infection. Nose breathing also improves our immunity and muscle recovery.

Stress, anxiety, and rounded posture from too much tech time all contribute to less-than-ideal breathing. In addition, riders with poor body image who attempt to flatten their bellies by “sucking in” cannot take optimal breaths.

Riders are not alone in mediocre breathing. Our horses might not breathe optimally for reasons such as improper saddle and/or girth fit, stiffness due to age or cold weather, or standing in a stall for too many hours.

Lower Ribcage Motility Exercise

360-Degree Breathing

Baier delivered a hands-on anatomy lesson related to a concept called “360-degree breathing.”

She had us place one hand on our sternum and one on our upper abdomen; we inhaled and exhaled to both observe and feel how our hands rose and fell together in harmony.

Next, we held our hands on our side, in an exaggerated “bossy” hands on hips position, but instead of our hips, our hands were on our rib cages to feel the lateral expansion.

The best breathing practice is to have movement in all three regions simultaneously: up and forward, with our sternum and belly, and right and left on our sides. When 360 breathing, there will also be a bit of movement in your lower back as your diaphragm drops down, which draws attention to the horse’s hind end during deceleration for better downward transitions.

Lateral Expansion Exercises

Pre-Ride Breathing Awareness

A practice you can employ before riding is to check in with your breath as you drive up the farm driveway. Turn off that podcast (hopefully you listen to Barn Banter by Horse Illustrated) and assess how you’re breathing. Are you holding your breath? Are you breathing from your chest, or breathing from your belly?

Then note the surroundings. Is it a windy day? Has the temperature outside just dropped? Are horses playing, or grazing peacefully? Are there tree trimmers on property or tractors operating nearby? Ask yourself, “Does the environment change my breathing?”

Before mounting, assess your breathing. Take deep inhales and exhales as you put a foot in the stirrup and swing up into the saddle.

Lower Ribcage Lateral Breathing

Breathing as a Riding Aide

During the class, we got down on our hands and knees to pretend we were a horse tracking right. As we mimicked the curved shape of the bend, Baier encouraged us to think about expanding our left lung as we breathed, filling it up. As we tracked left, we focused on filling up our right lung.

“The intentional ‘steering’ of air into the outside lung will soften the outer trunk muscles and contract inner trunk muscles,” says Baier. “But you’re not doing anything with your legs—it’s all your breath. The utility of the breath will help you go deeper into the corners and have the momentum to connect to the outside rein.”

For a lazy horse, take a breath in and push it out forcibly, followed by the seat aide. If your horse is eager to go, take a backward breath, trying to breathe in along the back of your spine.

Your voice pitch, pace and power can also elicit two different responses in your horse. By speaking in a high-pitched, quick or excited sing-songy voice, it will set an energetic tone for the horse.

In contrast, a low-pitched voice drops air into our abdomens, which will work to help us lower and slow our horse’s energy and pace.

“Talk to him in your ‘man voice.’ Slow and low,” my trainer once coached when my Thoroughbred was over-enthusiastic in a lesson. My encouraging, up-talky “good boys” were not helping.

If your horse is spooky or too amped, try breathing in for five seconds, then exhale for six to eight seconds.

A breathing awareness exercise you can try any time is to stand next to your untacked horse, placing one hand on his belly and one on your own. Feel your horse’s breathing and try to match it. Without the distraction of riding or treats, we can create a sense of connection with our horse.

By intentionally pausing for small moments like this to focus on improving breathing, we can also bond more deeply with our horse.

This article about breathing for equestrians appeared in the July 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Breathing for Equestrians appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

For many of us, squeezing in riding time between work, family, home and other commitments means we may have just an hour or two at a time to devote to our horse routine. And some days, we have much less. It’s frustrating, right? We want to continue to improve our horsemanship. But how do we do that with such a limited amount of time to ride? Luckily, there’s good news. By paying attention to the elements of good riding as we navigate our everyday life, we can improve our riding without spending more hours in the saddle. These can include:

◆ Balance
◆ Breathing
◆ Staying in the moment
◆ Relaxation

If you’re ready to leverage your non-riding hours to improve your horsemanship, here are a few ideas to start building daily habits that will translate to your riding.

Because our days are packed, each of these practices takes just a few minutes a day. You can do them anywhere, and all you need is a timer to get started.

Improving Balance

Balance is a key part of being a good rider. When we can balance in the saddle with our body aligned correctly, we can ride without gripping with our legs, shoving our feet forward in the stirrups, or hanging on with the reins.

Better balance means our aids—legs, hands, seat—become independent and precise, and it can help us ride with less pain, too.

Ideas to Try:

◆ Standing yoga poses. Try Mountain, Warrior, Triangle, Tree and Chair poses (visit Yoga Journal for tips).
◆ Stand on a BOSU ball or balance board for a few minutes a couple times a day.
◆ Use a saddle chair or yoga ball instead of a regular desk chair.
◆ Walk or hike on uneven ground.

Improving Breathing

The quality of our breathing impacts our everyday life and significantly affects our riding, and is a key factor to improve. When we hold our breath or our breathing is fast and shallow in our upper chest, it triggers the sympathetic nervous system and the fight or flight response. It also limits the amount of oxygen in our brain and body, which slows down decision making and reaction time.

Not only does shallow breathing create tension and stress in our body, it does the same for your horse. He may respond with tension, bracing, shying, bolting, or being fearful. When you change your breathing to deeper, slower, full breaths, you relax and your horse does, too.

Ideas to Try:

◆ Notice your breathing. Set a timer to ring every hour during the day. When it chimes, simply notice your breathing and how you’re feeling. Are you relaxed and breathing deeply? Are you tense and breathing shallowly? Don’t change anything—just bring awareness.
◆ If you discover your breathing has been shallow or quick, take a few minutes to use one of these tips to deepen your breath.
◆ Try box breathing. Inhale for five counts, hold for five counts, exhale for five counts, hold for five counts. Repeat for five cycles, then return to regular deep breathing.
◆ Try Pilates breathing. Take a long, slow inhale, expanding your lower rib cage as you inhale. Exhale slowly. Repeat three times. It can help to put your hands lightly on your lower ribs and feel the expansion.

Staying in the Moment

Our world doesn’t make it easy to stay present. With social media, games, texts, videos and music as close as our phone, it’s easy to get distracted. Horses, on the other hand, are always in this moment.

A key to good riding is staying present with our horse. If he stumbles, spooks or bucks and our mind is elsewhere—thinking about what to make for dinner, the big meeting tomorrow, our kid’s last report card—that minor blip in our ride can turn into a fall and a major injury for us or our horse. Staying in the moment during your everyday life can help you improve doing the same with your horse.

Ideas to Try:

◆ Practice doing one task a time. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Work only on that task until the timer goes off. Multitasking has been shown to greatly decrease productivity and efficiency.
◆ Take intentional tech breaks. Close email and social media or put your phone in another room for 15 minutes. Start a no-tech-at-dinner challenge.
◆ Go for an awareness walk. Set your timer for 10 minutes. During the walk, bring awareness to one thing, like the sounds you hear, the feeling of your right foot, or looking for the color yellow. When your mind wanders (and it will), come back to your focus area.
◆ Meditate. Focus on your breathing for 10 minutes. Inhale and exhale. When thoughts come up (and they will), notice them and return your focus to your breathing.

Relaxation & Softness

“Relax!” We’ve all heard this from our riding instructors, but forcing yourself to relax often has the opposite effect. Jamming your shoulders down and sitting up straight adds tension, not relaxation. Instead, bring awareness to how your body moves during your everyday to loosen habits of tension and use this to improve your riding.

Ideas to Try:

◆ Use less muscle to do a task. Let’s take driving as an example. Are you holding the steering wheel in a death grip? Are your arms locked, braced or rigid? Practice holding the steering wheel like a baby bird—using just enough pressure to be effective. Take that awareness to other tasks.
◆ Become aware of your posture. Set an hourly timer and notice how your body is positioned. Are you slouched, or are your shoulders raised up to your ears? Take a moment, stand up, move your body, and relax into better posture.
◆ Practice mental softness. Set an hourly timer and notice your inner dialogue. Is it critical, judgmental, stressed or negative, either to yourself or others? If you find this is a frequent mental habit, create a simple phrase to redirect your thoughts. Post it on your computer, bathroom mirror, car dashboard or anywhere else to remind you that you have a choice in how you respond to the day.

Your Turn to Practice in Everyday Life

Take a few minutes and think about which areas are most challenging for you. Pick one to start with and bring focus to it during the day.

Track your practice over several days. A month is even better to build new habits to improve your riding—and maybe everyday daily life!

By spending just a few minutes a day bringing awareness to the elements of good horsemanship, you can deepen your riding skills. No saddle needed.

This article about improving your riding through elements of everyday life appeared in the June 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Improve Your Riding Through Your Everyday Life appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Developing a strong core is a popular focus in fitness these days, for both horse and rider. The benefits touted are less back pain, better posture, greater mobility, and increased athleticism. Plus, who doesn’t want a whittled waist and six-pack abs?

As riders, we may also seek the Holy Grail of a strong core for other reasons. Maybe it will help us sit up straight, keep our heels down and stay magically glued to our saddle as our horse moves underneath us. For our horses, maybe it will help them carry us with ease on trail rides and perform the movements of our favorite discipline, from reining or dressage to show jumping.

And we know the drill to get there, right? Crunches, curls and planks for us humans. Belly lifts, carrot stretches and asking for collection and frequent transitions while riding our horses.

But what if becoming a better, more balanced rider and helping our horse develop athletically and stay sound was not about core strength, but rather about core stability?

Strength vs. Stability

Core strength is training the abdominal muscles to perform certain demands, like holding a static plank position for several minutes, doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups, or keeping your abs tight throughout the day.

The next time you go for a ride, tighten your core as much as you can. Likely you’ll feel unbalanced and unable to absorb your horse’s movement. Plus, how long can you hold that deep core contraction and still breathe and cue your horse? This is riding from core strength.

“We do need a certain level of core strength for everyday living,” explains Wendy Murdoch, renowned riding coach, author, and expert in human and equine biomechanics and connection.

“However, developing six-pack abs is not needed if our goal is to be better riders. In fact, if good riding were about the sheer strength of our abdominal muscles, then little kids couldn’t ride at all, and some ride extremely well.”

Core stability, on the other hand, involves dynamic movement.

“It’s the ability of the core muscles to work in an efficient and coordinated fashion to maintain correct alignment of the spine and pelvis while the limbs are moving,” Murdoch explains.

It’s this combination of dynamic strength and movement that are key to core stability—and good riding.

Signs of Instability

Here are some signs that you and your horse are not moving with core stability.

Human:
◆ Bracing against the stirrups or forcing the heels down
◆ Pushing the stirrup leather out of a plumb vertical line
◆ Pitching forward at the hips
◆ Not being able to stay with the motion of the horse
◆ Relying on the reins to maintain balance
◆ Gripping with the legs

All these result from bracing in the core muscles and elsewhere in an attempt to maintain balance, rather than from allowing soft joints to absorb the movement of the horse.

Horse:
◆ Out of balance
◆ High-headed
◆ Rushing
◆ Falling in on circles
◆ Difficulty controlling speed
◆ Stiff
◆ Resistant
◆ Fearful

These often occur because the horse is trying to negotiate the task but doesn’t have the flexibility in his joints or stability in his torso to carry the weight of a rider.

The key to building core stability is adding the element of instability in movement.

“Our ability to stay upright and in balance while riding is the result of our large and small muscles firing at the right time, while our joints are supple to allow and follow motion from our horse,” explains Murdoch.

To help us create a solid foundation of core stability, she offers these suggestions.

Core Stability Exercises

Because human and horse anatomy is so similar, we can both benefit from similar exercises and movements. One of the best, and most fun, activities that will benefit both you and your horse is going for walks on varied terrain: up and down hills, walking over logs, negotiating rocks on the trail, and so on.

“The instability under your feet allows the large and small muscles to work and become stronger,” says Murdoch. “At the same time, you’re developing your proprioception of knowing where your body is in space.”

Here are some additional options to try. For humans and horses, the key point is to start with small, slow movement and build in dynamic movement that challenges balance and activates the small postural muscles.

For the Human:
◆ Standing on a balance board, BOSU ball, or SURE FOOT pad (sold by Wendy Murdoch)
◆ Stand-up paddleboarding
◆ Hula hooping
◆ Jumping on a trampoline
◆ Doing yoga poses that challenge balance
◆ Using the Anywhere Saddle Chair instead of a desk chair (sold by Wendy Murdoch)

For the Horse:
◆ Try non-habitual movements, such as those from Linda Tellington-Jones, whose system of circular touches allow the nervous system to learn much more quickly than through repetition of movement.
◆ SURE FOOT Equine Stability Program and pads: These challenge proprioception and balance as the horse activates different muscles and learns new ways of maintaining stability.
◆ Dynamic stretches, such as those from Activate Your Horse’s Core, the book by Hilary Clayton, BVMS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVSMR, FRCVS.
◆ Groundwork: Explore slow, quiet ground work to become aware of how your horse is moving and his alignment. Start by walking over poles, allowing his neck to relax and lower, then try turns and more complex movements with your horse staying soft in his body. One approach is Peggy Cummings’ Connected Groundwork.

Get Set for Core Stability

Core stability is a gateway for you and your horse to learn to move freely, improve function and deepen your partnership.

“After all, the point of riding isn’t about overpowering your horse with rock-hard abs,” says Murdoch. “Rather, it’s guiding and signaling your horse as you move together in harmony, and helping your horse develop the athletic ability to carry you in dynamic movement.”

No crunches or belly lifts required.

This article about core stability for horse and rider appeared in the April 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Developing Core Stability for Horse and Rider appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

“Our bodies are our temples, and horses lead us to the altar.” ~ Beverley Kane, M.D.

What brings you that feeling of peace when you are around horses? Is it the moment when you step into the barn and smell all that is equine? The gentle rocking motion as you ride down the trail through the forest? Listening to horses peacefully munching hay as the day draws to a close? There’s no doubt: Horses bring us into the moment, engage our senses, and fill us with a soft sense of well-being.

Beverley Kane, M.D., Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, shares experiences from her “Equine-imity” stress-reduction course at Stanford Medical School. In Equine-imity, Kane explores the intersection of horses and mindfulness through somatic horsemanship.

“Somatic means ‘of the body,’” explains Kane. “Somatic horsemanship is body-mind rejuvenation through physical interaction with horses.”

This interaction with (and sometimes on) horses may include yoga, taiji, qigong, meditation, dance, and equine-assisted body-oriented psychotherapies. Don’t worry if these terms are new to you—all you need to take part is an open mind.

Also read – Parelli Natural Horsemanship: The Seven Games

Qigong

Whether you are taking time to quietly visit with your horse, grooming or doing chores, getting ready to ride, or are even at a show, taking a few moments to connect with your horse and connect with yourself provides powerful life-affirming balance. Kane shows us simple qigong techniques anyone can enjoy to practice somatic horsemanship.

Similar to tai chi, qigong is a traditional Chinese practice of body movement, breath, and meditation that brings emotional balance and mental centeredness, in addition to physical benefits, including improved strength, balance, coordination, and circulation. By practicing together with our equine partners, the horse’s energy can invigorate us and can also soothe us, as well as strengthening our horse-human bond.

“In conventional horsemanship, interaction with the horse is often very mechanical. That mechanical approach may also come with a relationship based on social dominance and an almost utilitarian approach to the horse,” notes Kane. “Somatic horsemanship focuses on breath and energy, and also a philosophy of compassion based on partnership. Horses are extremely sensitive. They notice our moods, our body language, our intentions, our consistency.”

“Qi is your vital life-force energy,” adds Kane, describing how qi, together with breath, body movement, and your horse’s energy, nurture the mind-body connection.

Kane walks us through some of qigong’s “Eight Brocades” practice, adapted for horses:

1. Center Yourself: First become grounded in your own body in the ‘bubbling springs’ energy center in your feet and the dan tien energy center in your belly—this energy center is used in tai chi practice. To do this, close your eyes, and become aware of your breath, your feelings, and your body.

2. Experience Peace: From there, come into a wu ji standing pose by stretching your spine up to the sky. Keep your shoulders down and relaxed and your arms heavy and long. Your knees stay softly bent and your feet connected to the earth through your ‘bubbling springs’ center.

3. Breathe: In this wu ji posture, breathe deep into your dan tien energy center with a soft, full belly; this means expanding your belly as you inhale deeply.

4. Harmonize: In the same stance, raise your arms up to the sky and imagine bringing the sun down and holding it in front of you. In your mind’s eye, see it as a ball of energy that you draw open as you inhale and press closed as you exhale in this pose, which harmonizes opposites. Then allow your arms to come down to your sides.

5. Join Energy Centers: Your horse’s dan tien energy center is in his barrel. Standing facing your horse’s side, place both of your hands at shoulder height on your horse’s barrel in a dan tien press. Feel your feet sink softly into the earth and breathe from your energy center in your belly. Feel your horse breathe into your hands.

6. Come Together: From there, turn facing forward and allow your arm to drape over your horse’s back. Draw close, melding your body with your horse’s side in a dan tien hug.

Become grounded with energy from the balls of your feet. Breathe from your belly center and feel your horse’s breath along your body. Enjoy the bond with your horse.

7. Take Somatic Horsemanship Even Further: If you’re comfortable and your horse is safe, take your breath and movement mounted.

Stress and Relaxation

“There’s not a magical formula,” remarks Kane. “There’s a lot of room for free-form interpretive motions. When you do deep breathing with synchronized muscle movement, the effect on relaxation is profound.”

Kane describes a 2019 Harvard University and Vanderbilt University study investigating the effect of stressful tasks on the parasympathetic nervous system, in which the data suggest the combination of muscle activity and deep breathing found in moving meditation facilitates significant stress reduction.

Allow the horse to share with you his groundedness.

“There’s a phenomenon called entrainment, in which one system comes into synchronicity with another system,” explains Kane. “When you put a horse with a resting heartrate of 40 beats a minute with an anxious person with a heartbeat of 100 or more beats a minute, that person’s heartrate comes down.”

Looking forward, Kane suggests as we segue out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we look to horses’ interactions within the herd as we think about moving back into our own world of social interactions.

This article about somatic horsemanship appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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As a lifelong equestrian and certified instructor at Club Pilates, I know firsthand that embracing Pilates as part of your fitness program can make a big difference in the quality of your riding. Pilates can improve your posture, thus preventing pain and soreness. This fosters a healthier relationship with your horse.

Here are five classic Pilates moves that focus on the key muscle groups that can elevate your performance in the saddle.

1. Leg Pull Front

This plank variation is a whole-body exercise that targets the abdominals, back muscles, hamstrings, glutes, and shoulder girdle, and as a bonus, it gets your heart rate up!

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◆ Start in a plank position on your hands and the balls of your feet. Check your plank position to ensure your navel is continuously pulling in toward your spine, your shoulders aren’t hiked up toward your ears, your hands are in line with your shoulders, and your pelvis is neutral (think of tucking your tailbone slightly to help maintain that neutral pelvis).

◆ Lift one leg off the mat to hip height, keeping your leg straight and pelvis stable. Point your toe, then rock forward a few inches, flex your foot, then rock back to the starting position, placing your foot back on the mat, always keeping that perfect plank position.

◆ Repeat on the other side. Do 8 reps of each set. Feel your whole body working here!

2. Kneeling Side Kick

Another key move in pilates for equestrians is the kneeling side kick. This series targets your glutes, core and hip flexors.

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◆ Start kneeling on the center of your mat, hands at your forehead (see photo). Extend your right hand to the side and tip your torso to the right side, reaching your hand to the mat in line with your shoulder.

◆ Lift your left leg to hip height; fully extend the leg and point your toe. Keep your core engaged by drawing your navel in. Kick your leg forward, flexing your foot, then kick the leg back behind your pelvis, pointing your toe. Try to keep your torso level and navel pulled in. No arching of the back here!

◆ Keeping your leg lifted, point your toe and lower the straight leg to the mat, then back to hip height.

◆ Keeping your leg lifted, circle it 5 times, repeating in the other direction.

◆ Do 8 reps of each variation. Repeat on the other side. Your glutes should be on fire!

3. Teaser

This is another classic move tailed to pilates for equestrians that develops core strength and has an added balance challenge.

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◆ Start out lying on your back on the mat with your arms and legs fully extended.

◆ Initiate by reaching your arms forward, lifting your head, then simultaneously lifting your torso and legs off the mat into a “V” position on your sit bones.

◆ Roll down by flexing your spine as you articulate each vertebra back to the mat, all while lowering your legs in unison.

Variations not only require tremendous core strength but also target balance and coordination.

◆ Variation 1: Start with your legs in table top, then extend your legs out to 45 degrees as your torso lifts off the mat.

◆ Variation 2: To increase the challenge, maintain your torso in teaser while your legs lower and lift.

◆ Variation 3: Now try maintaining your legs in teaser while your torso lowers and lifts.

◆ Do 8 reps. Now you’ve discovered your deep abdominals!

Regularly incorporating Pilates into your workout routines can make a big difference in the performance of your riding by achieving a more proper, secure, and effective posture. This helps build a trusting relationship with your horse and can take your riding to the next level.

Go to ClubPilates.com to try a free intro class and see and feel the difference in your body and riding.

The post Fit Rider: Pilates for Equestrians appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Some pain issues may need to be addressed by a doctor or chiropractor, or even better, a physical therapist who understands the specific injuries of equestrians.

Physical Therapy That Caters to Equestrians

Lindsay Whipple, PT, DPT, and founder of EquiPT, based in Queen Creek, Ariz., offers a local mobile physical therapy service for equestrians that also travels to equine facilities, clinics and shows. Her treatment methods and corrective exercise programs are designed to cater to the unique demands of any level of equestrian.

Whipple starts her assessment in the arena and watches her client ride, concentrating on the problems the rider is feeling while also looking for any minor subtle movements and body carriage that the rider may not even be aware of but that can contribute to discomfort and pain.

“My riders are either in active pain that is making their daily activities rough and harming performance for themselves or their horse, or [they] want to develop an independent seat,” says Whipple. “I love being able to connect all the movements and help riders modify their equitation and body mechanics to support a healthier and safer way of riding.”

Her sessions end with riders on the portable treatment table, where she will evaluate their complaints and injuries.

“I want to find the target areas, trigger points and any surprise discomforts in the exam, which feel like tight denseness in the soft tissue,” Whipple says. “This may be a little uncomfortable for my client, but it helps me identify the extent of the damage and arrange a treatment plan, exercises and stretches that will support healing.”

Body Awareness for Equestrians

Awareness of your own body is just as important as awareness of your horse.

“Taking a longeline lesson will help isolate which body parts are hurting without having to be 100 percent in charge of your horse,” says Whipple. “Make a mental list of what exactly is uncomfortable, and if it’s a new strain or lingering chronic pain. Remember not to leave anything unaddressed, as it usually will build into a worsening problem.”

Everybody responds to pain and injury differently, and each individual tolerates these and compensates in various ways by changing their body mechanics.

“Sometimes riders don’t notice this happening, and this type of overuse can delay recovery, which keeps you out of the saddle,” says Whipple. “Limiting your riding time as your body heals will actually prolong saddle time down the road. This needs to be a motivating process, as staying off your horse can be quite heartbreaking.”

Common Rider Complaints

Lucy Brochynski, PT, DPT, CERP, is owner of Horse and Rider Physical Therapy, a mobile concierge physical therapy service for equestrians based in Northern California. Brochynski’s horse passion started at a young age with showing on the Quarter Horse circuit.

“Two common areas where riders develop pain in are the lower back and hips,” says Brochynski. “We are often bending over, lifting heavy objects and sustaining the impact that riding causes on the lower back. To prevent these injuries, riders need to focus on good body mechanics on and off the horse to improve core strength.”

Riding position can also lead to inflammation and pain in the hips from the way the pelvis is positioned.

“Often I see riders with one tight hip muscle while the opposite side hip muscles are weak,” says Brochynski. “This causes riders to lean to one side or sit more on one seat bone than the other, throwing the rider and horse off balance. The best way to strengthen hip and pelvis muscles is to do correct glute exercises as explained by a doctor or physical therapist.”

Tips for Equestrians Needing Physical Therapy

Danielle Shugard, DPT, owns DCS Physical Therapy in Chesterfield, N.J., where she travels to homes, barns and events helping riders alleviate pain and improve their overall biomechanics.

“Being mindful of how you treat your body is key to maximize time spent in the saddle,” says Shugard. Warming up before you ride increases blood flow to your muscles, raises your heart rate, and mentally prepares you for what’s to come.

“I suggest jumping jacks, marching in place, gentle lunges to the front and side, and little squats,” Shugard continues. “Mentally preparing for how you want your body to work can have a dramatic effect when you’re in the saddle. This is a great time to take a few deep breaths and let go of any stress you don’t want in the saddle with you. It doesn’t have to take a long time, but both warm-up ideas can improve your entire ride.”

Stretching & Strengthening as an Equestrian

These are meant to be general guidelines, but make sure you speak with a medical professional prior to starting any new activities, or if you are having any pain.
The following exercises from Shugard address multiple muscle groups and work in functional patterns.

◆ Squats: Start with a chair behind you at first in case you lose balance and have to sit down. Place your feet hip-width apart and slowly push your hips back into a sitting position while bending your knees to increase activation of your glutes. Continue to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. To add difficulty and use more muscle groups, add a loop resistance band just above your knees.

◆ Hamstring stretch: While seated on the floor, place your leg out straight, then lean forward over it, feeling the stretch in the back of your leg, then switch legs.

◆ Single leg circles: Lying on your back, raise one leg up toward the ceiling and make controlled circles. Make as big of a circle as you comfortably can.

◆ External rotator stretches: Lying on your back with your legs bent, cross one leg over the other, then bring them both up toward your chest, feeling the stretch in the glute muscle of the top leg.

◆ Chest opener stretches: Roll up a towel or blanket and lay it on the floor or a bed along the length of your back. Lie face up on the roll—it should feel like a gentle stretch across the front of your chest.

◆ Coordination stretches: Raise one arm out in front of you and the opposite leg. Then raise the same side leg and arm, and switch. Is there one side that’s easier to do than the other?

Don’t let poor posture, weak or overworked muscles, inflamed joints, or the agony of an injury steal riding time unnecessarily. Finding a physical therapist who works with equestrians can make all the difference.

This article about physical therapy for equestrians appeared in the June 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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