Words by Rebecca Ashton and Photos by Norma Ashton
Dressage Coach and Pilates Instructor Rebecca Ashton shows you how to sharpen body and mind to cope with the more extreme season.
Summer is upon us and it’s time to take off that puffa…external and internal! Let’s get our fitness up for those end of year championships and also just so we can cope better with the hot weather.
GOAL SETTING
To begin, set yourself some goals to remain on track. They really are the best way to keep focus. Remember, goals are the “guiding lights” to keep us on our path and help to manage our time. The actual path, or process, is what matters most. Be sure to write your goals down and make them realistic. This acts as your contract with yourself. Have goals of different time lengths. Short term targets keep you on track to reaching the bigger, long term goals. Make your goals SMART; specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timed.
SUPPLENESS
Suppleness is essential for healthy muscles and joints. We need a body that allows the movement of the horse to flow through it but still have tone. This not only allows for a more comfortable load for your horse to carry, but also less risk of injury to the rider. As riders, we tend not to experience a huge range of movement in our joints while participating in our sport. This can lead to stiff and even locked joints. We can reverse this process by taking our joints through a good range of movement when we’re off the horse, especially the hips. The following exercise will help.
HIP STRETCHES
Lie on your back with a neutral spine, legs straight. Lift one leg up and with the help of a theraband, stretch the hamstring (the back of the leg). Try and keep your tailbone on the ground. Your leg may not be able to come up as high, but your back will remain in alignment and you will still get a good stretch.
Next, take the leg out to the side, only as far as you can keep good alignment of the body. Try not to lift the opposite side of your pelvis of the ground and keep both shoulders flat to the floor.
The third position involves crossing the leg over the body. This time you can let the pelvis roll over, but both shoulders must remain anchored on the ground.
Repeat with other leg.
CORE STRENGTH AND BODY ALIGNMENT
A good core is essential for good riding and I’ll never stop talking about it because it’s just that important. The core will stabilise the pelvis, which is the foundation for both your upper body and also your legs. It’s the alpha and mega of a good position.
CORE EXERCISE
This exercise will not only strengthen your core but will also help with spinal mobility and stability and control of the pelvis.
Start by sitting with your knees bent, back tall and in a neutral position (each vertebrae stacked one upon the other) and arms stretched out in front, shoulder width apart, chest wide. Gently draw in your lower abdominal muscles towards your spine with your pelvic floor gently lifting up.
Before you move, breathe in through the nose and drop your shoulders lower over your hips creating a C-curve in your spine.
Breathe out through your mouth as you slowly roll back, one vertebrae at a time until you reach the base of your shoulder blades.
Hold this position as you breathe in and move your arms up over your head, testing that you can keep the torso still by switching on your core.
Roll back up to a to a sitting position one vertebrae at a time. If this is too difficult for now, just roll up as far as you can without losing your technique before returning to the base of your shoulder blades and repeating the exercise.
VISUALISATIONS
- Keep abs scooped in toward your spine and away from thigh as your reach forward
- Think about what the bones are doing even more than the muscles
- Feel like shoulders are connected to your hips to keep them drawn down
- Try and count each of the 33 vertebrae as you roll up and down
WATCH OUT FOR
- Executing movement too quickly
- Using momentum instead of muscles to roll up
- Lifting feet off ground and using as a leaver
- Not keeping enough of a c-curve in the spine
- Hitching shoulders
- Rolling off seatbones as you stretch forward
- Doming your stomach muscles
Core strength is the basis of good posture and correct body alignment. The quickest way to good posture in the saddle is mindfulness; be aware of where your body is and what it’s up to at all times. You can work on this off the horse in other ways as well. Be body aware as you walk around, poo pick, sweep and even brush your horse. Use alternate hands once in a while to help keep the body aligned and to limit one sidedness. When in the saddle, I always get riders to “body scan”. Mentally check in with your body, starting with the pelvis, going down the leg, up the torso and then with the shoulders. Are your seatbones in the deepest part of the saddle? Is your leg rotated inwards? Are your heels stretching back and down? Is your core on and your waist long? Is your chest wide and your shoulders relaxed with a soft, giving hand?
BALANCE
Stiffness and body alignment also affects balance. Oh to be a child again! Balance comes so naturally to pliable, young bodies. As adults, we sometime try to do things by force and strength rather than balance. When you ride, it’s often helpful to ask yourself, “What is the least amount of muscle usage I need to do what I need to do?”
An easy way to work on balance is to grab a jump pole and use it as a balance beam. Be sure to anchor it securely before you jump onboard! See if you can walk the length of the pole and even balance on each leg alternatively. Feel like your balance point is in your navel and that your skin and limbs are more relaxed. Take your awareness out of the frontal lobe of your brain and more to the centre back of your head. That way you don’t over think the process and it allows the body to sort things out for itself; it gets you out of your own way!
Another fun exercise is to kneel on a big fit ball. Once you feel secure in this position, get a friend to throw a ball at you that you have to catch. When first attempting to kneel on a fit ball, do it on a soft surface in case the ball “bucks you off”. It also helps to deflate the ball a little. Be sure to reinflate it though when you get the hang of it. We don’t want any cheating!
While on the horse, the best way to good balance is taking away your stirrups or getting someone to lunge you….or both at the same time. See if you can keep good balance centred in your pelvis while you pat the horse’s neck or reach around and pat his rump. Make sure your horse is trustworthy enough for the job.
HEART RATE
Cardiovascular exercise is anything that gets your heart rate up and therefore improves the delivery of oxygen to cells throughout your body. This is necessary for good performance of the muscles and also to help the brain remain focused for longer.
A lot of riders love to run, but if you choose this form, be aware that it can tighten up your leg muscles (not ideal for riding) so be very sure to stretch sufficiently. Why not try aqua aerobics or dance?
GOOD FOOD AND REST
It goes without saying that good nutrition will also play a huge part in your fitness and wellbeing. I’m not a nutritionist, but I can say that you want to cut out empty calories, for example white pasta and bread. Instead increase your nutrient and mineral intake by adding such foods as spirulina and seaweed. Also, the hot weather means you’ll be sweating a lot when you ride. Instead of grabbing an artificial electrolyte drink, try coconut water; natural, delicious and full of electrolytes.
Any exercise will get you better focused, but make sure you offset a high level of exercise with good quality and sufficient quantity of rest. Balance is always key.
Follow this simple guide and you will not only cope better with the hot weather when you ride, you’ll feel energized, function better as a rider…and look great for the onslaught of Christmas parties.
This article originally appeared in the November 2013 edition of The Horse Magazine.