The hips don’t lie

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.

www.derriereequestrian.com