Making Pilates skills second nature in the saddle
Photography: Pilates Anytime
We’re about to delve into the essential aspects that make horse riding stand apart from other sports. From building trust and non-verbal communication to dealing with unpredictability, empathy, and managing a unique power dynamic, equestrian sports offer a captivating journey into the world of human-animal collaboration and partnership.
Many sports require athletes to master the use of various apparatus to execute precise movements or actions. Think of sports like tennis, surfing, golf, and numerous others, where the interaction between the athlete and equipment is central to their performance. However, in equestrian sports, the dynamics are fundamentally different. Beyond physical skill, equestrians engage in a unique partnership with a living, breathing counterpart – the horse.
This distinctive connection necessitates not only a deep level of trust, communication, and understanding but also technical expertise.
If you have the pleasure of working with clients who ride you’ll understand just how much passion they have for their horses and their sport, whether they are a new to riding or an elite equestrian athlete.
As a rider and Pilates teacher I feel that it is my duty to be the best rider I can be. I need to be fit, have good balance and be responsive to my horse’s needs, this makes it easier for my horse to feel what I am asking them to do.
Over the last few years The idea of “riding to get fit” has begun to change into the concept of “being fit to ride” and riders are beginning to realise that their own fitness levels, health and wellness have a direct impact on their equine partner.
As more and more research is being done in this field, the evidence clearly points to the benefits of riders being more body-aware and balanced within themselves.
This is a complete change in the way of thinking across the industry and as a result, equestrian fitness is booming and Pilates teachers are in the perfect position to help riders because it develops better body awareness, balance, alignment and stamina.
It also gives them the clarity to self-correct their alignment and work with their horse to achieve their goals.
However, this thought begs the question… ‘Which comes first- the asymmetrical horse or the asymmetrical rider?’
“...the asymmetric rider position has an effect on thoracolumbar range of motion and limb kinematics. Riders should consider the effect that their position/asymmetries have on the locomotor system.”
- Russell McKechnie Guire
Studies where rider asymmetry was created by shortening one stirrup five centimetres showed that the horses’ spine movements were altered and they displayed an increased range of motion.
In addition, the horses’ limbs on the opposite side to the shortened stirrup showed increased extension in both hind and fore fetlock (the lower part of their leg) increasing the loading in those limbs.
In another study, thirty experienced riders who were all right-handed were asked to sit on a pressure mat and say when they believed they had even weight on the sitting bones. This was repeated three times, each time for a duration of five seconds.
Even though the riders had described themselves as sitting evenly the results from the pressure mat showed an increased weight distribution on one sitting bone (predominantly the left.)
So how can we help?
We need to acknowledge that we are all asymmetrical and so are our horses. Overtime we will have developed compensatory patterns that affect the way we move and ride; how we react to our horse and how our horse responds to us.
More importantly, our asymmetries can have a physical impact on our horse.
If our horse is constantly adjusting their body, balance and alignment to compensate for our imbalances, overtime they will develop compensatory patterns and their own imbalances.
This is when it can become a “chicken or the egg” situation. For example, imagine carrying a backpack filled unevenly with heavy books or giving a piggyback ride to a tired child.
We can all instantly understand how we would have to compensate for the uneven load. We may shift our hips more to one side, elevate one shoulder higher, lean our head away from the load, whatever makes carrying it more acceptable and “comfortable” for our body.
“The more unbalanced a rider, the greater the challenge for the horse to maintain their own sense of alignment, centre and balance.”
So to help your clients do you need to know how to ride?
We do not need to become experts in a particular sport or subject to help our clients.
However any additional knowledge, especially learning some equestrian sports-specific language can help you communicate how horse and rider work together as a team and build a deeper relationship with your client and get a clearer picture of your client's goals.
It can be useful for your client to take videos of their riding for you to watch together so they can explain to you what they need to do, what their goal is and how you can work on it together to help them achieve it.
I’ve worked with many different riders over the years and the challenges vary from rider to rider, discipline to discipline within the varying levels of riding ability and depend on age and previous injuries.
My aim for my riders is the same as I have for me - to become accountable for their own fitness and to be a partner for my horse not a liability and a negative impact on their well-being!
Whatever discipline riders chose to follow, whether it’s Pilates, Yoga, weights, Feldenkrais or hopefully a mixture of all the above.
My hope for the future is that all riders can help their horses well well-being by taking the time to look after themselves too.
As Pilates teachers, we can help them do this.
Julie Driver is based in North London and has been teaching for over 23 years both in the UK and Internationally.
Julie coaches equestrians of all levels from the weekend rider to the elite athlete and is currently the Pilates teacher for the Wesko Foundation three-day-eventing team. Julie considers Pilates to be the perfect way for riders to improve their technique and create a stronger and deeper relationship with their horse.
A serious ski accident in 2008 caused extensive damage to her left leg and surgeons predicted a year-long recovery and a permanent limp. With the support and skill of her physiotherapists along with her own knowledge of Pilates Julie was able to walk unaided without a limp in less than 9 months.
In 2014 Julie was awarded the title of “Pilates Anytime” International Instructor of the Year.