Why riders need to do more mobility work
“What if mobility was the key to becoming a more stable, balanced rider…”
Why as riders it is important to think about our mobility
Lack of flexibility and stability in the saddle is more common than you’d think. Who can openly say that they work on their mobility and stretch before mounting? Not many of us right…
But what if mobility was the key to becoming a more stable, balanced rider that is able to isolate and work body parts independently? Would you start including mobility work into your workout or daily routine?
Mobility is as important in humans as it is in our horses. We expect our horses to be soft and supple, but are we encouraging our horses to become tight as a result of our lack of flexibility and stability in the saddle.
A rigid, immobile rider will block and inhibit our horses natural movement. Our seat moves with the horse and transfers a huge amount of force through the riders body. Maintaining a healthy range of motion throughout the body will not only allow us to perform our daily activities in a more risk free and pain free way, but also allow us to continue to ride for longer as we age.
“A rigid, immobile rider will block and inhibit our horses natural movement … ”
Common mobility issues in riders
There are many possibilities for issues as a result of poor mobility. Injuries such as hip , back and knee pain can result as a lack of hip mobility, back and neck pain can be the result of poor shoulder mobility, and knee and hip pain can be a result of poor ankle mobility.
When looking to improve our mobility we can take a full body approach or identify our tighter areas that we need to isolate for more specific stretching.
Tight hips -
Probably the most common issue in riders with a lack of mobility. Having an independent seat will not only make riding more comfortable for you, but for the horse too. It will allow us to absorb the horses movement and flow with them.
Tight hips will result in poor posture in the saddle as well. It is so important to stretch your hips as it will have a huge impact on how you sit, how you absorb movement and how comfortable you are in the saddle. Some examples of hip stretches include:
-Pigeon pose
-Hip flexor lunge stretch
-Seated butterfly stretch
-Low lunge
-Bridge
-Frog pose
Other common areas riders need to improve their mobility on would include, shoulders, knee and ankle mobility. A full body approach to mobility work is recommended as well as targeting specific areas to improve. For more information on how to improve rider mobility and demonstrations on how to perform the stretches then join the members today…
A supple, and strong equal rider will be able to comfortably absorb the horses movement while allowing the horse forward into it’s natural rhythm.
Being able to identify the areas we need to target for extra mobility work as well as stretching daily will promote a more mobile, balanced rider.
Contact me about programs to help give you and your horse a more balanced ride!
X Lucy
