Hopefully by now regular readers of this series will have a better understanding of what makes up our deep postural (or core) muscles and how improving the stability of these muscles is vital for riding improvement. In the last part of our series, we look at ways a lack of stability in the core can present itself in the upper body.

Classic text books and good riding instructors emphasize that to ride well means having an independent seat and effective leg aids with subtle rein aids. So my question was - why can’t I make this happen in the saddle? Why does it feel like I need to balance myself with a strong rein contact? Why do the reins keep getting ‘pulled’ out of my hands? Why is it that every time I do a half halt, my upper body moves forward as I give? Why is it that I can’t seem to get my elbows back by my sides and that sometimes my arms are too straight? Why does Larissa keep mentioning that my hands are moving up and down as I sit trot and my elbows seem too rigid? Oh, if only having the head knowledge would make my body cooperate!
One of the key issues Anna Louise identifies in many people, from riders to footballers, to sedentary workers, is that if you lack control at your base you will use muscles higher up the chain to compensate. For riders this means that if you lack stability in the saddle, you will try to gain control by making the upper body ‘stiffer’ or more stable. Her summary of this for riders is:

IDEAL COMMON COMPENSATION PATTERNS
Stable Seat 1. Unstable core
Good leg control 2. Overuse of legs
Soft arms 3. Rigid Arms
Relaxed breathing 4. Breath holding/elevated shoulders
My initial sessions with Anna Louise had focused very much on activating my core muscles and doing exercises to make my legs work more independently. Now it was time to work on the upper body. In fact, Anna Louise identified that the same thing was happening with my upper body as with my legs. I lacked the ability to move my arms independently and softly because I didn’t have the core stability to stay balanced in the saddle without a strong rein contact. Also, I was unable use my arms without compensatory movement in the rest of my body. Even with the heightened sense of core stability that I was developing, I still had some ingrained movement patterns that needed to be replaced with more effective patterns using my core as a basis of stability.
Remember: None of these stretches or exercises should be painful. You should feel a muscular stretching feeling, or a slight overload in the muscle, without pain. If you feel any pain or if you are uncertain if these exercises are appropriate for you, consult your local physiotherapist or general practitioner.

All of the exercises shown here were developed by Anna Louise Bouvier, creator of the Physiocise Exercise program.

STEP ONE - Learn Soft Control
So how do I let my arms go? The first exercise that Anna Louise recommended was the ‘soft arm’ exercise (Photo 1). The goal of this exercise is to move the arms in a soft, gentle swaying motion (making a figure 8 shape in the air) with an open, level shoulder position and without compensatory movement in the legs or torso. To do this, you must first activate your core by imagining the ‘pea drawing up the straw’ feeling with each out breath (see Part 1). I do this exercise sitting on a fitball, as you can tell much more accurately if there is compensatory movement in the rest of the body (but it can be done on a chair, when standing or even when riding). Anna Louise originally developed this exercise as a way to get the NSW Waratahs to use their arms more independently on the rugby field. I figured if it was working for the rugby players, maybe there was something in it for me! It was amazing how difficult it was to move my arm softly. At first I stiffened through the whole upper body and was holding my breath. I had to constantly remind myself to be soft through the shoulders and back and allow my body to feel stable through the core. Interestingly, it was easier to make a smooth rhythmical pattern with my right arm than my left. (This corresponded with one of my riding issues - I found riding on the right rein more comfortable than the left.)

STEP TWO – The Horse Simulator
Next, it was time to add some reins. Using a Thera-Band for resistance, Anna Louise had me anchor the band around a table leg then pretend I was riding. When I first used the reins as I would to ask for more bend, my opposite shoulder came forward to compensate (Photo 2). In Photo 3, you can see how this exact same pattern happens in an incorrectly ridden shoulder-in. In this photo, Larissa demonstrates that if you try to create the shoulder-in by pulling on the inside rein, the outside shoulder will often come forward and down and, to compensate, the inside leg will move too far back.

To improve upon this, I worked on keeping my shoulders level through activating my core muscles. It really helped to time the rein movements with my breath (‘exertion’ or ‘take’ timed with the out breath as we have discussed previously) which switched on my pelvic floor and transverse abdominus muscles. (Photo 4) Then, I combined the feeling I was developing through the soft arm exercise to soften the feeling of the ‘take’. In Photo 5 you can see how much more stable Larissa looks as she keeps her shoulders level which allows the inside leg to stay long and effective. Remember that the idea of doing this type of work off the horse is to create new feelings and new movement patterns that will eventually become automatic when you are riding. It takes patience and practice, but it really does pay off as you see your riding improve!

How is your natural posture affecting your riding?
Another common incorrect riding position is having slumped, rounded shoulders. If you are a Slumper* in your everyday life this will reflect in your riding position. In Photo 6, I demonstrate what a rounded shoulder position looks like from the back. Notice how much shorter through the body I am compared to the position in Photo 7 which is a more correct shoulder position.

* The terms Slumper, Swayback and Sideways Curver are terms to describe postures which are addressed in the Physiocise Program developed by Anna-Louise Bouvier. For more details refer to Anna-Louise’s book Fix your Back (ABC Books) Available in all good book stores. Details about these incorrect postural positions in relationship to riding were discussed in Part 1 of this series (April 2003).

Slumping, as well as other postural imbalances, cause thoracic (mid-back) spine stiffness. As your back stiffens, you will round your shoulders more or develop other compensatory patterns when you ride such as excessive leaning, dropping one shoulder more than the other, holding your upper body with too much rigidity, straightening your arms or dropping your head and chin forward. All of these incorrect riding habits can be improved by first stretching your stiff bits!
How can I stretch my stiff bits and improve my riding?
Start with the seated chair twist (Photo 8). Sit with your feet shoulder width apart towards the forward edge of a chair. Breathe in and as you breathe out, gently turn yourself to the right. Relax the shoulder rather than lifting it and keep your neck long. Keep your head in line with your sternum (breastbone). Breathe in again and push a little further as you breathe out again. Hold for 10-20 seconds, relax and then repeat to the other side.

In Photo 9, Larissa is doing the same stretch in the saddle. If you are a Slumper, or just stiff in the back, try doing this stretch several times to each side before you begin your ride.

When Larissa sees a student dropping the outside shoulder going into shoulder-in, she will have them stop riding shoulder-in and change to a leg yielding on the wall with outside flexion, moving the horse’s quarters to the inside. In essence, by changing the rider’s position to ride the leg yield, she is getting the rider to do the Saddle Twist stretch while riding. Another really effective stretch for a stiff thoracic spine is called the Table Stretch (Photo 10). Place your hands on a railing. Slowly walk back until you feel your armpits stretch and the sides of your waist extend. Keep your feet together. Move your bottom as far away from your hands as you can without letting your back arch. Imagine your spine is like a flat table top. Unlock your knees a little and hold for at least 20 seconds. Relax and breathe deeply as you feel a lovely stretch underneath your armpits.

Remember, the key to improving your riding ‘from the inside out’ is first to get in touch with your deep postural muscles, then stretch, strengthen and learn to control the other parts of your body around a stable and active core. Doing these exercises off the horse will teach your body new motor pathways that will become automatic when you are riding. The result will be better posture, beauty and balance both on and off the horse!
(A special thanks must go to Anna Louise Bouvier, the extraordinary physiotherapist and my amazing, patient riding coach Larissa Chadwick for their input and support in the production of these articles.)
Watch for future articles by our Horse Magazine exercise expert, Lisa Champion, in upcoming issues! Next month, Lisa looks at Pilates for the rider.

A thought from Larissa Chadwick……..
So much of what I see when teaching my students is a mirroring of the movement habits of the rider in the movement patterns of the horse. If a person is really stiff, the horse tends to be stiff. If a person is quite sloppy or slumping, the horse ends up moving similarly.
When I am riding, I am always searching for the balance between softness in my body with stability and correctness in my position. I then wait and encourage the horse to mould his body around my correct position.
I see many students trying to lean, push, pull, collapse, move excessively and then expect their horse to perform perfect school shapes.
By looking at the simplest lines – shoulder-hip-heel; elbow-wrist-bit; shoulders level; hips level; I can see how my students need to improve. I encourage them to think of how much their body position and stillness can influence the horse.
When working on these articles, it became increasingly clear that the exercises for us humans often mirror the exercises I get the horses to do under saddle. The suppling, correct positioning and degree to which I bend or straighten is all like doing active physiotherapy for the horse.
As you are trying to improve your own riding, my words of encouragement are: trust your body, work on getting honest feedback on what you can improve, do the exercises off the horse, and when you get in the saddle, believe that if your position is correct it will encourage your horse to be balanced and move correctly.