Heather Sansom is the author of rider fitness ebooks Complete Core Workout for Riders, and a regular columnist in several equestrian publications including Dressage Today. Equifitt.com offers personalized coaching through clinics and convenient online coaching available anywhere. Clinics available include fitness, yoga and fitness, and sport-psychology and fitness. You can get a free subscription to monthly rider fit tips, or download the ebooks at Equifitt.com.
If you are reaching the peak of your riding season, it may not be the time to engage in a seriously intense new strength and conditioning workout. However, you can improve your ability to move with your horse by taking a few moments each day to work on the suppleness of your own back.
We know that since your horse will reflect what you are doing with your body, tension or rigidity in your spine and back is likely to be mirrored in his. Without taking time to stretch and work out tension in your back, spending more time in the saddle may only contribute to the problem. The more time you spend in the saddle, the more you need to take time to stretch- but it doesn't need to take a long time. Everyday and often is a better rule of thumb in a busy season, because you are creating tension and making the muscles work every day.
The Rider's Spine
If you were looking at a rider's spine in motion, you would see over twenty small joints gently shifting to absorb the upward movement created by your horse's back coming up to meet your seatbones, going back down again, and also bending and turning. A rider that looks motionless is actually in constant motion. It makes more sense if you think of it in reverse: a rider who is rigid definitely has a lot of visible motion- usually jarring to the eye, their horse, and their own body.
Jarring feeds a vicious circle of physical reaction: the body tenses even more to try and stabilize you, and this increases the jarring because it further diminishes your ability to flow with the motion created by your horse. If you don't end up feel less balanced as a result, your horse will certainly notice the pressure on his back.
I have worked with many amateur riders, as well as some of our elite dressage riders and trainers. Interestingly, tension in the spine can be a problem at both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between.
Keeping a healthy, moveable spine is actually important for everyone in daily life and in other sports. Problems with mobility in your spine not only reduce motion in your hips, but contribute to muscle tension in your back and shoulders, and even affect other organs and parts of your body and movement. Nerves coming out of your spinal chord to the rest of your body can be impinged. Long term, lack of mobility can lead to disk degeneration and permanent damage. So, taking your riding needs as a good excuse to keep on top of suppleness in your back will actually help you generally.
-
- Emily Dexter of Franklands Farm. Emily trains with three-time Olympian Gina Smith.
- Photos by Heather Sansom
Stretching the Whole Spine
Depending on your body type and how you use your body riding, you may experience more stiffness in your lower or upper back. I like to suggest you do some stretches for both to cover all your bases. My rule of thumb is very simple: take your spine in all four directions and also in rotation.
Use gentle flowing motions when you stretch before riding, and stay in your stretches as long as you can later in the day for maximum gains. Most people do not stretch long enough, and so they never get past the first layer of muscles. When it comes to your spine, you have many muscles in your back and right up your spine. The smallest muscles will never even see the benefits of your stretch, unless you do it long enough, or repeat it enough.
Here are some effective stretches that can help you improve your riding:
Stretch #1: Rounding and Hollowing on All Fours
A really simple stretch, that is easy to do on the road, is simply rounding and hollowing your back on all fours. This stretch is also known as 'cat and dog' poses in yoga. It's important to repeat several times, integrating deep breathing to help your body relax.
