When horse riding and Pilates join forces
“I was fortunate. I began Pilates around the age of five years old. I was very fortunate in that my Mum, Kimberley, is a Pilates practitioner and so I was exposed to it from a very young age. Pilates has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and so naturally became something that I took for granted. I didn’t realise the full extent of the impact of Pilates on my riding until I left home at 16 to work at Rangeview Equestrian in Queensland, Australia. During the three years of being at Rangeview, I participated in only the occasional Pilates class when I returned home and found that this made me weaker as a rider. At the time I was also going through a growth spurt and found that the lack of core strength and the ability to isolate certain muscle groups meant that I had a lack of control over my body. One of the biggest things I struggled with was my upper body wanting to lean in either direction when I rode a horse. So when I moved home at the end of 2018 to start up my own business, I made the decision to treat myself as an athlete, as much as I treated my horses as athletes. I spent more time training out of the saddle through Pilates and other cardiovascular fitness and as a result, I became a stronger and more effective rider.
For those who have a love for or have ever tried horseriding, you’ll quickly understand consciously or not that riding a horse places a large amount of impact on our body as it is quite an unnatural position for us to sit in for a prolonged period.
I noticed I became quite tight through my ribcage and upper back from the constant compacting of my spine. I also discovered a lot of swelling through my lower leg due to the ‘heels down’ position that riders are in, and I get some neck and shoulder pain due to the position our arms are in, particularly if riding a stronger horse. These things while significant were not a deterrent to my riding but rather a problem to be solved, so I could enjoy my riding more and get more from the animal I am working with.
What you may not realise unless you’ve ridden extensively is that every horse is different and requires a different method of riding. It’s our job as riders to try and understand what each horse needs and how best to communicate with them. Pilates has given me the ability to isolate different body parts and use them effectively. Through isolating body parts I am able to try different aids to hopefully find the most effective means of communicating with the horse.
When in the saddle we need to be able to stay soft and relaxed through our hips, without our upper body or leg moving, I need to be able to take the leg back from the hip, I need to be able to open my shoulder whilst keeping my hips straight, I need to be able to close one knee without the other closing, and so much more. Every one of these specific aids requires training out of the saddle, just as much as in the saddle. It’s about training hip disassociation, spine flexibility, core strength, abductor strength, all of which I would argue are best achieved through Pilates. It is about being a strong rider but ‘Pilates strength’ not ‘brute strength’.
It also matters what I do once I get out of the saddle too. My post-riding Pilates routine helps to keep my spine supple and flexible, relieve neck pain which as a result reduces the amount of headaches that occur, and improves the circulation through to my lower leg. I have a small routine I do at the end of my day to stay on top of my own recovery post-riding that requires no equipment and can be done anywhere. I also then love to head into the studio to utilise the equipment and really target any niggling areas. By taking the time to utilise Pilates in my cool-down phase I reduce my risk of injury, allow my body to recover quicker so I can get onto my next horse and keep my body feeling flexible to make it more effective on the horse.
I’ve also become acutely aware that if I get tight through my back often I will hunch through my shoulders and become rigid on the horse rather than being soft and going with their movement. This makes the difference between how I connect with the horse and how we work together to make precise moves together.
It also matters greatly as to how I sit in the saddle. It is important for all riders to have symmetry through our bodies to allow us to distribute weight evenly in the saddle and down through both legs. A lack of symmetry will cause our horses to have a lack of balance. An example of this would be in a canter transition, if we lean either direction or distribute our weight unevenly the horse will counter balance by striking off on the wrong canter lead. So they effectively compensate for our lack of balance, stability and control.
There is a different sort of position I need to ride in for all three phases of eventing (dressage, cross-country and show jumping) however in each phase our posture needs to be strong, secure and in balance. It’s essential for a rider to sit in a good posture when on the horse to encourage the horse to sit and push from their hind leg, and carry themselves in an uphill frame, both of which create more power in the horses' movement and improve their balance.
Posture is also important for a rider’s safety. If we are hunched over or leaning in any direction we will not only put ourselves off balance but also our horse. As riders start to jump at a higher level, particularly when going cross country, it is incredibly important that riders sit with a good posture in the saddle to allow the horse to jump up to them, to recover quickly landing and to stay in a tall balanced position in case the horse misreads the fence and makes a mistake that may otherwise result in the rider falling.
Pilates assists with improving our posture firstly by giving us body awareness. Body awareness and control of where your body is in the saddle is one of the most crucial parts of riding effectively, it allows riders to make corrections as they feel their body move in the saddle or as their coach points out to them. Secondly, Pilates improves your posture by improving your spine's flexibility, allowing our posture to be tall and straight and allows for more absorption through the spine. Thirdly it improves our core strength, in particular, your inner core strength is what is going to allow you to maintain good posture once you find it.
As a horse rider, sure I’ve had my fair share of injuries. I’ve had many injuries including a sprained tailbone, a broken arm, surgery on one of my legs, pubic synthesis pain, neck pain from falls and a brain injury. And yes I still love what I do. In my opinion, Pilates is the headline in every instance where a rehabilitation program is required.
The most significant injury has been the brain injury which resulted in me needing to relearn to walk, talk, gain control in my arms for everyday necessities and eventually ride a horse. Pilates enabled me to regain control and understanding of my body and how to make it move. It also helped me in regaining strength, coordination and balance which were all essential in learning to ride again. My Pilates sessions post-brain injury began with just then minutes of work pushing the carriage in and out on the reformer, the spring system of the Pilates equipment provided my body and brain with feedback on where it was and how it was moving. As the sessions got longer and I returned to a normal level of brain function, we began to increase the difficulty and workload in my Pilates sessions. One of the most useful apparatuses in the Pilates studio for me has been the OOV as it has helped to reconnect the neurological pathways from my brain to my body and enabled me to regain body control and awareness.
Sure there have been challenges but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Horse riding and Pilates will always be a part of my life and a huge part in achieving my goals. In the future Pilates will continue to make me stronger through my core which will hopefully prevent falls and make me a more secure rider, it will keep my spine flexible to prevent injury and discomfort, and it will aid me in the recovery after any injuries I obtain in the future. My riding goals are to compete at the top level of eventing (a level 5) and represent Australia at a World Championship and Olympic games so Pilates helps me level up my game and get me ready for big events. At the end of the day if you want to be a strong, safe and effective rider you must do Pilates! It’s that simple!
Bridget Garlick rides as a professional rider for Tim and Jonelle Price at Chedington Equestrian in England.