Improve Your Posture

The environment you put your body into each and every day has an impact on its The environment you put your body into each and every day has an impact on its biomechanics, which will in turn affect your posture and the way you ride your horse. biomechanics, which will in turn affect your posture and the way you ride your horse. For example if you sit a desk all day with rounded shoulders, this can not only affect your For example if you sit a desk all day with rounded shoulders, this can not only affect your shoulder girdle function but it can also have a direct impact on your pelvis. shoulder girdle function but it can also have a direct impact on your pelvis.

A tight, stiff and unbalanced pelvis is going to make it really tough to give clear efficient A tight, stiff and unbalanced pelvis is going to make it really tough to give clear efficient aids to the horse. It can also cause the horse to become heavy on one side, be difficult aids to the horse. It can also cause the horse to become heavy on one side, be difficult to bend and have problems understanding your aids. So if your goal is to improve your to bend and have problems understanding your aids. So if your goal is to improve your riding and your overall health, pay attention to how you spend your time off your horse riding and your overall health, pay attention to how you spend your time off your horse and the positions you put your body into each and every day. and the positions you put your body into each and every day.

Here are three simple ways to help improve youe posture off your horse: Here are three simple ways to help improve youe posture off your horse:

Can you spend 50% of your day standing or moving? The simple act of standing can burn 50 more calories than sitting and activates all your stabilizer muscles that are required for riding, plus improves your postural strength. So to avoid getting fatigued with sitting trot and during your schooling, start to improve your muscular endurance and your biomechanics by simply standing more throughout your day.

Some car seats cause you to sling back, drop your hip angle below 90 degrees and slouch your lower back. This is totally the case in my runaround Suzuki Swift, versus our tow vehicle. So I keep a cushion in the Swift to pop underneath my bottom when I’m driving. Then I can sit with good posture, square on both seat bones and my hip joint around 90 degrees which allows me to properly activate my stablizer muscles, create neutral spine and have better posture while driving. Often we also sling to one seat bone in the car and tilt our entire body to one side. Try to use your time in the car to balance your body and create a good neutral spine.

Walking is great for improving biomechanics and helping to balance out the body. The great thing about riding is that we generally have fairly active lifestyles to go along with it, so embrace walking more with a neutral spine and good posture. A good aim is to get 10,000 steps in each day (off your horse!). This will improve your fitness as well as help with your posture and overall muscular balance in the body.

Nicola Smith is a health and wellness expert, having been in the wellness industry since 2002. She runs a rider training programme through her website dressageridertraining.com, helping her members improve their health and fitness off their horse.

Nicola is a qualified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Check Practitioner, and has a Physical Education degree. Combining her exercise and nutrition knowledge with her passion for dressage riding allows Nicola to help riders improve their performance. C