Having a neutral pelvis and a neutral spine is something that is talked about frequently; whether in an article about how to ride, or in an article about our health. But what are they and why are they really so important? As horse riders, I suppose the main reason they are so important is because […]
Neutral Pelvis & Spine Read More »
As both a Rider Biomechanics coach and a Pilates Instructor I hear a lot of people complain about having tight hamstrings. But what causes tight hamstrings? Quite simply, most of us spend far too long sitting down and not enough time up and about stretching and lengthening our hamstrings. You’re particularly prone to tight hamstrings
I remember as a child thinking that being told that you had good hands as a rider was the ultimate compliment. It was certainly something I dreamed of being told. Of course, as riders we all want good hands, I mean who wants to be told that their hands are bad or harsh? But what
As horse riders we know that a huge emphasis is placed on our body’s alignment. From the moment we have our first riding lesson we will have been told to sit up tall, pull our shoulders back and balance on our seat bones. But what is alignment and why is it so important for our
Horse riders tend to be busy people by both necessity and nature. Trying to hold a job down, look after the horse and the house, do the shopping and exercise the horse all takes time. Riders are also creatures of habit, so that when we muck out we tend to always hold the broom the
Why riders need Pilates Read More »
Rider Biomechanics is not just about sitting in a pretty position it is about understanding the forces put on your body by your horse’s movement and the forces that your body put upon your horse’s body. Sitting well on a horse is much more difficult than a non-rider can possibly imagine. The most important thing
More and more middle-aged and older people ride now. In fact there are more of us than ever before, you only have to look on Facebook and see just how many groups are dedicated to women over a certain age (sorry guys) who ride horses! And although some of those ladies will have had horses
Riding for old crocs Read More »
Most riders will have heard trainers talking about the importance of core strength, but what do they really mean by this. Very often the expression core strength is taken to mean our rectus abdominal muscles (commonly known as a six pack) but this isn’t really right, just having a good 6 pack is not going
One of the most common problems I see with riders when I am doing Posture Assessment and Awareness Clinics are tight hips. This can manifest itself as an inability for the rider to turn their upper leg at the hip, toes turned out, problems with adjusting their pelvis to implement weight aids or just downright