The hips don’t lie
We asked British Equestrian Federation Elite recreational coach and consultant, Andrew Stennett, BHSM Cert Ed FE UKCC Level 4, to mull over the importance of a horse rider’s hips
Ah, the horse rider’s hips; one of the most important areas
of the human body, for improving feel with the horse, and creating stability
and strength in our lower body. Strong, mobile hips help us increase our
flexibility, potentially reducing lower back pain and helping us gain control
of our seat, and in turn, our aids. Believe it or not, our hips even influence
our upper back and torso, in terms of how well we can extend the lumbar spine,
‘carry’ the shoulders, and maintain rein contact.
When we are riding our horse or pony, our mid-section, while
strong, ideally ‘softens’ and follows the motion of the horse - as the horse’s
body rises and falls and swings laterally, our hips rise and rotate with its
motion. In turn, our legs should automatically adjust and absorb the movement
as the hip and pelvic area ‘softens’, while staying strong. As the horse's hip
lowers, our corresponding hip also lowers, and as the horse's hip raises, our
same hip also raises. What we’re aiming for as riders, on the flat at least, is
to rotate the pelvis downwards, so we’re extending the lumbar spine. This all sounds
great in practice - but in reality, many horse riders have quite tight hip
flexors, the muscles around the top of the thighs that connect the upper leg to
the hip, allowing us to bend at the waist, and raise our legs. (Remember the
riding school exercises - ‘knees up, out, back and down’? It’s the hip flexors
that this excellent exercise aims to improve and mobilise.)
Hippy, hippy shake
It would be easy to assume that elite horse riders, notably
those undertaking lots of flatwork and dressage, have strong and mobile hip
flexors - but that’s not strictly true. Those with strong and mobile hips are
very likely to undertake specific mobilising and stretching exercises regularly
- as horse riding alone may not be enough. “It
is no secret that a rider like Charlotte Dujardin works hard to ensure she has
a strong yet supple body, which allows her to relax in the saddle while
maintaining the correct position. She can balance while remaining relaxed,
thanks to strong core muscles and flexible hip joints, which in turn allow her
to follow her horse’s movements,” explains the Equicise team
at Wimbledon Village Stables.
So, what can we do to improve hip flexibility and mobility?
There are some key Pilates-based exercises and stretches that may help, based
on the Equipilates™ method. (Click HERE
for info). There are also many class-based exercises we can do, such as Yoga
and Pilates, and all-manner of strengthening exercises that improve core
strength and pelvic/hip mobility; these will all benefit the body’s ability to
increase flexibility. In fact, any regular exercise like walking, swimming and
cycling will help our riding fitness. Remember to equip yourself with some
comfy, supportive riding underwear - the Derriere Equestrian range, featuring
the DE Performance Padded Shorty and the Performance Seamless Shorty, is
designed for both men and women.
Andrew Stennett is a
registered instructor, NVQ/UKCC Assessor & Verifier, and BEF Elite
Recreational Coach. Andrew runs riding clinics from his base at Grove House Stables.
You can find Andrew on Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment