Are you a bee? Does your horse…..
- Hollow or duck their back away from you?
- Stiffen their back in response, making you bounce more?
- Show resistance, raising their head, putting their ears back swishing their tail?
- Would you rather float like a butterfly?
- Horse and rider move as one
- Sit in a balanced position that is effortless and rhythmical, easily remaining in the seat
- Have the ability to communicate with your horse using your seat
- Have your horse soften and use his back, come through from behind and really swing through?
Although this is a seemly basic move in riding terms, the body needs to have the capacity to:
- Stabilize the body so you can soften into the saddle
- Follow the horse’s movement through your lower back, absorbing the motion through your pelvis
- Be able to open and close the hip joints
- Keep your glutes and hamstrings relaxed
- Breathe rhythmically to avoid blocking and stiffening
- Stabilize through your core, allowing absorption through your hips and stable shoulders
How do you know if you have the capacity to absorb the movement during sitting trot, enabling you to make it look so graceful and easy? If you are unable to breath rhythmically, develop relaxation in any specific part of your body, or have the mobility in your joints, it doesn’t matter how hard you train, you still won’t function efficiently.
When working with a biomechanics coach like myself, we work together on a meaningful task to assess your capacity to achieve the task, in this example, sitting trot. Then we start on the journey as everyone’s body has a unique makeup and it will respond differently. Past injuries, current health and lifestyle all influence how we move differently. We peel back the layers and assess each potential issue in its own right.
As part of this assessment, we look at whether the muscles can actually perform the task at hand. If they can’t, we then perform very specific soft tissue work to improve its function. We also develop corrective exercises to assist the restoration of correct function. In some instances, a wellness log will be used to further support you returning to full function.
So why sting like a bee when you could make a few changes to your own biomechanics and improve your beautiful relationship with your horse. Book a Biomechanics assessment today.
