Posture and horse riding
By Tonia Bontjer
Your posture is crucial to horse riding, it is the corner stone of your influence on the horse. Your posture (riding position while on the horse), is the difference between being an active participant as a rider, and simply just sitting there as a passenger. Your body’s position and movement, when riding, also directly impacts upon your horse, meaning that your horse’s body will reflect what is going on in you. When you have good posture "on the ground" and in every day life, it will reflect in your riding, and on your horse's movement and performance.
To further understand why your posture and alignment is so important when riding, imagine (or even do this exercise for yourself) lifting a long pole from the middle, it isn't so heavy because the weight is equal on both ends. You can also balance fairly well due to the weight being evenly distributed. Then go right the way to one end and lift again, from the very end. By lifting all the way from one end, the same pole becomes a lot heavier than when you lifted it from the middle. It is also a lot harder for you to balance yourself due to the weight being unevenly displaced.
When you you ride your horse, if you sit evenly on both seat bones, with your center of gravity over, and in line with your horses' center of gravity, you have correct posture and alignment, and balanced - your weight evenly distributed. You are a much lighter weight and a far easier "load" for your horse to carry. Your horse is then able to move "anatomically correctly" underneath you, maximizing his/her body. If you become a "heavy", uncomfortable, or unbalanced "load" for your horse, she/he then is not as balanced, same as you finding it difficult to balance when you are holding the long pole on one end. When you ride with poor posture and alignment, your weight is uneven, your horse is forced to "compensate" for your incorrect position. While your horse is compensating for you, he/she can not move "anatomically correctly". This means their performance (and often behavior) will be negatively affected, and long term, causes stiffness, pain and even injuries in your horse's body. The same happens for you, as poor posture and alignment is renowned for being the underlying cause of many injuries. This is vital to understand.
Poor posture takes its toll on your body, health and overall wellbeing. It is a massive contributing factor in soreness, stiffness, pain, injuries, as well as long-term physical problems. Poor posture also has a negative impact on mental and emotional wellbeing. Given that your posture reflects in your horse, this means that if you have poor posture (especially while riding), it can have the same long term negative effects on the horses body, as it does on yours. This can lead to your horse having stiffness, pain, and other physical and emotional issues. You can have your horse treated with corrective exercise, remedial massage, chiropractor or osteopath, vet etc etc etc, but if you do not correct your posture and riding, your horse's issues may very well continue.
When riding a horse, your posture has a direct and profound impact upon:
- Your overall position on the horse
- Your seat
- Your balance
- Your co-ordination
- How well you are able to apply aids
- How well you are in sync with the rhythm of the horse’s movements
- How much your bounce
- Whether you fall off or not
- Whether you have stiffness, soreness or pain from riding
- How well you ride over all
- Your horse’s body and movements
Pilates for horse riders is the ideal exercise regime to correct posture and structural alignment. The principles and keys used in Pilates directly mirror those which are essential for horse riding.
Massage and stretching for horse riders - releases the muscles (and joints), that have are effected by poor posture, allowing your body to relax into its natural, and pain free alignment.
Mediation and Self Development for horse riders - provide tools and skills to give you the support required with any emotional issues that can derive from poor posture, or that poor posture can contribute to.
It is a good idea to get a professional postural assessment from a qualified health practitioner. They will assess your over all posture and alignment, show you where you have imbalances, where you have weaknesses, what areas are too tight and too long. It is beneficial to take front, side and back photo's of yourself in a "natural" position. Print these out (on paper you can easy write on) and take them to the appointment with the Health practitioner so that you (and the practitioner) can write notes of the above issues, personalized to you, on the photos. Ask the Practitioner to draw lines through your body (like the ones in the photo's in this article) to help you understand where your imbalances are.
With a postural assessment personalized to your particular body, you can then tailor your pilates, massage and stretching routines to your particular requirements. It will also help you understand where issues in your riding (and your horse) stem from. Remedial Equestrian Therapies provides you with the the tools; using Pilates, Massage, Stretching (as well as meditation and Self Development) to correct these.
Health care practitioner's who can do postural assessments:
- Osteopath
- Chiropractor
- physiotherapist
- myo-therapist
- Remedial Massage therapist (must have completed postural assessment as part of their Diploma or as a separate qualification).
It is best to contact a Health practitioner, and specifically ask for a detailed postural assessment when making an appointment. Take your photo's to the appointment.
From the article
Ingredients for Equestrians, a recipe for success –
Posture is the position you hold your body. Everyone has different posture types, a “natural” posture. Your natural posture is similar to a horse’s natural conformation.
Your every day activities, what you do with your body on a regular basis, including how you sit, stand, walk and move all effect your posture.
Every posture type has strengths and weakness. Your individual natural posture, combined with your every day activities, means that certain body areas are stronger or weaker, longer or shorter than other body parts. These natural imbalances effect your body, and subsequent performance abilities, even in riding. Imbalances often cause pain and discomfort, and can lead to injuries over time. Knowing your own natural posture means you can also understand where your imbalances are, and how they affect your individual body.
Alignment of your body refers to how your head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles relate and line up with each other. Your natural postural imbalances will put parts of your body out of alignment. Proper alignment of your body allows for good posture, and puts less stress on your body.
An easy way to understand postural, alignment (and straightness) imbalance is to visualize a tee-pee or circus tent. When there is equal appropriate tension on all sides, it will stand up straight and tall, not lean to one side or sag. If there is too much tension on one side it will lean over. If there is not enough tension or slackness on one side it will also cause it to lean over. These imbalances will put significant strain on other parts. Your muscles and bones work in a similar way. All too often, pain, stiffness, and even injuries you have in your body actually come from misalignment and postural imbalances. When one area of your body is out alignment, it can take the rest of the body with it.
Your body’s posture and alignment directly influences your balance, coordination and body control, and can also affect your thinking and emotions (via your mind-body connection). All this will have an effect on your riding, and therefore your horse. Horse riding requires all the posture and stabilizing muscles to work effectively. These muscles must be in balance in order for you to be able to ride well. These muscles must be in balance to function well. Good posture both on the ground and on the horse needs good alignment (a vertical line dropped down from the ear goes through the shoulder, hip, and heel).
When your body is in good alignment, you require minimum effort to stay in control and sit upright. Ideal static and dynamic posture have a balance between all the front, side and back muscles. Having good posture and alignment is an essential part of being able to ride a horse well.