Your balance is the first building block in identifying your needs as a rider, in terms of strength and flexibility. When you are well balanced over your horse's center of gravity, you still need to have a strong core and back, with flexible joints that can absorb motion. However, your body can be subtle because you do not need to resort to applying force or compensating patterns to correct imbalances in your own body. When you are in balanced alignment with your horse, you can achieve balance between flexibility and strength, softness and leadership in your own body. You can carry yourself appropriately, and bring your horse into the self-carriage you need of him.
Sitting straight and balanced is a must for quiet riding. Check out Kyra Kyrklund's recent article "Smaller Steps for Great Balance" for an excellent discussion about how your balance helps your horse, or throws him off.
While sitting straight does begin with the seat bones when you are in the saddle, your body and mind form a muscle memory of 'straight' in your everyday life on the ground. In the vast majority of cases, a rider's habitual posture on the ground is reflected almost exactly in their posture in the saddle, or else in the compensating patterns their body uses to appear straight in the saddle.
Finding a more true straight posture can begin on the ground where you can take time, undistracted from a moving horse under you, to re-educate your mind and body on straightness from head to heel. When you can find straightness standing on the ground, it will be easier to find in the saddle. True straightness can be maintained without a lot of effort, because your body is balanced and properly "stacked" over itself.
To help your body distinguish between straight and not quite straight, you can do some simple exercises that exaggerate lack of evenness on your feet. You know you are straight when you stand on your feet with weight evenly distributed in both feet, as well as from front to back, and side to side of each foot. It may be helpful to practice finding straightness at first with an observer or a mirror. However the exercises suggested this month could really be done anywhere.
Exercise 1
Step 1: Take note of your posture. Stand straight, and then look in a mirror or ask an observer what they see. Pay attention to where the pressure is most in the bottoms of your feet. You likely lean back, or forward, or have a tendency to roll your feet to the edges (in our out). This feedback from your feet is important. Even though you ride on your seat, not your feet, the angles of your legs affect your hips, then your back. You will notice logical and connected patterns from your feet to your head.
Step 2: Walk on the "four sides" of your feet: walk forward and backward a few steps on your heels, toes, insides and outsides of your feet.
Stand with your legs comfortably apart, knees soft and slightly bent, shoulders and ear aligned over hip and heel, and feel for even distribution of weight in your feet (front to back as well as side to side). Adjust your body until you feel even pressure with your feel well grounded. Observe the difference in your hip, torso and head posture.
Advanced Exercise
Once you can find balance on two feet, go for finding it on one foot. Stand on one leg while opening the other out to the side to open your hips.
Shift your weight by extending your foot while keeping balanced over the standing leg without poking a hip out or leaning with your shoulders.
Finally when you have mastered the exercise to that point, use your outward rotating thigh muscles to bring your leg around behind you while in the air, and while maintaining your balance and posture.
Call for topics: Over the past several months of Rider Fitness articles, we have covered many topics related to rider fitness. We would be interested in knowing more about the topics and issues you'd like to hear about. Please write to personaltraining@equifitt.com to suggest topics you'd like to see covered in future pieces.
