Pilates for Equestrian

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PILATES EQUESTRIANS FOR

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Copyright Š 2010 Liza Randall First published in the UK in 2010

by Kenilworth Press, an imprint of Quiller Publishing Ltd British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 1 905693 34 4 The right of Liza Randall to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patent Act 1988.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.

All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

Studio photography by Simon Lusty; mounted and other outdoor photographs by the author and Karl Randall.

Line illustrations and cartoons by Dianne Breeze.

Book and cover design by Sharyn Troughton.

Printed in China

Kenilworth Press An imprint of Quiller Publishing Ltd

Wykey House, Wykey, Shrewsbury, SY4 1JA Tel: 01939 261616 Fax: 01939 261606 E-mail: info@quillerbooks.com Website: www.kenilworthpress.co.uk

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Contents Acknowledgements

11

Foreword

12

About the Author

14

Origins of Pilates

16

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Part One – Pilates Principles and Basic Considerations

18

Why Riders Should do Pilates

19

The Pilates Principles for Riders

23 24 24 24 25 25 26

Centring Breathing Flowing Movement Alignment, Co-ordination and Precision Relaxation and Concentration Stamina

Your Pilates Aids Zip-up Navel to Spine

Core Stability Pelvic Stability Lumbar Spine Stability Neutral Pelvis and Neutral Spine Shoulder (Scapular) Stability

27 27 28 29 30 30 31 31

Stabiliser and Mobiliser Muscles

32

Muscle Imbalances and Weaknesses

34 35 35 35 36 36 36

Tight One Side with Opposite Side Weak Weak on Both Sides Tight and Weak on Same Side Lumbar Spine Stiffness Tight Hip Flexors Tight Hamstrings

Common Rider Complaints Crookedness

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37 38

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Bracing and Tension Excessive Arm and Leg Movement Neck or Upper Body Stiffness

Directions of Movement Rotation Lateral Flexion Flexion Extension Combination Movements

Targeted Exercises Upper Body Lower Body/Pelvic Stability Leg and Bottom Rider Stretches

Your Posture Kyphosis Lordosis Sway Back Flat Back

39 39 40 40 41 41 41 41 41 42 42 42 42 42 43 45 45 46 46

Part Two – Studio Exercises

48

Key Pilates Starting Positions

49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56

Standing Correctly Pilates Stance Relaxation Position Front-lying or Prone Four-point Kneeling Side-lying Sitting

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Studio Exercise Programme

57

Exercises from Standing

59 60 61 62 63 64 66 68 69

Dumb Waiter Roll Down Tennis Ball Rising Squats Waist Twist Side Reach Standing on One Leg Roll Down to Plank to Push-up

Exercises from Relaxation Position Finding Neutral – The Compass Yes and No Neck Tucks and Rolls Backstroke Swimming Point and Flex and Ankle Circles Shoulder Drops Tree Hugging Knee Drop and Fold Combo Double Knee Folds Knee Stirs Leg Circles Adductor Stretch Hip Flexor Stretch Single Leg Stretch Ribcage Closure Hamstring Stretch Spine Curl Spine Curl with Arms Soldier Feet Knee Folds Curl-ups Curl-ups with Leg Extension Curl-ups with Arms

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72 73 76 78 80 82 84 85 86 87 88 90 91 92 94 96 98 100 102 103 104 105 106

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Oblique Curl-ups Gluteal and Priformis Stretch Battement Hip Rolls Hip Rolls with Double Knee Fold The Hundred Hundred Arm Beat The Hundred Plus The Ultimate Hundred

Exercises From Front-lying or Prone Diamond Press Dart Dart with Arms Single Leg Kick Baby Cobra Cobra

Exercises From Four-point Kneeling Thread the Needle Table Top Cat Rest Position

Exercises From Side-lying Oyster Arm Openings Arm Openings with Chest Release Leg Lifts Flex Forward Leg Circles Torpedo Inner Thigh Lifts

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108 110 112 114 116 118 120 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 130 132 134 136 138 140 142 144 145 146 148 149 150 152

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Exercises From Sitting Studio Stretch with Hamstring Stretch Spine Stretch Forward The Saw Roll Backs (Halfway) Roll Backs with a Band Roll-ups Rolling Like a Ball

Using the Physio Ball Pelvic Tilts and Rolls Dumb Waiter Knee Folds Lumbar Stretch Diamond Press

153 154 156 158 160 162 164 166 169 170 172 173 174 175

Part Three – The Horse/Rider Partnership

176

Your Equine Partner

177 178 178 180 181 183 183

Checklist Your Seat Twenty Minute Mind-Body Warm-up The Gaits Jumping Warm-down

Ridden Exercises Dart Arms Diamond Press Shoulders Tree Hugging Leg Lifts Waist Twist Side Reach

Index

184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191

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About the Author I

first came to Pilates purely by accident – literally. I came a cropper showjumping in an indoor school when trying to jump-off faster than everyone else!

Liza and Deb

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After being shipped off to Shrewsbury hospital on a spinal board, I knew I had done a bit of damage. I remember pleading with the doctors, saying I had to get to an appointment the next day in the West Country so I would be grateful if they could give me some painkillers and I would be on my way – sadly, that was not to be. I had burst several vertebrae in my lumbar spine, an unstable injury, so I had to remain motionless on my back until a place came up at a specialist unit.

Three weeks later I got the call and was transferred for expert treatment at the wonderful Oswestry Orthopaedic.

So, a few months down the line and a pioneering metal body cage later, I was learning how to sit up, stand and take a few steps. Hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and then Pilates followed – I was one of the lucky ones to get back up on my feet.

My story is not dissimilar from that of many people who ride – backs and necks are at the root of many problems, purely because the spine is the longest ‘string’ of bones in the body, it means these areas are vulnerable to injury. And not as a result of falling, but just as

easily through incorrect posture, poor body awareness or incorrect muscle patterning.

Liza and Pilates Liza was trained by Lynne Robinson and her highly skilled Pilates teacher-trainers at the London Body Control Pilates Association (BCPA). She was then mentored by chartered physiotherapist and Pilates teacher Kate Fernyhough in Staffordshire – an inspirational teacher who first introduced Liza to Pilates following her accident. Liza then went on to teach at Pilates studios in London, Warwickshire, Cheshire and Northamptonshire and took her final exams to achieve her full qualifications as a Level 3 Pilates coach with the BCPA. With an interest in coaching sportsmen and women, particularly equestrians, Liza founded Panacea Pilates and now teaches Pilates to professional and amateur riders alike in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, as well as eventing her own horses in her spare time.

Liza and Rose

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Exercises from Standing

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PILATES FOR EQUESTRIANS

Dumb Waiter

6x

Equestrian advantage To achieve more openness in the front of the chest

Why? To open the upper body and collarbone area and strengthen the shoulder stabilisers and rotator muscles.

How? From Standing (see page 50), open your arms out in front of you with palms open, elbows under shoulders, as if carrying a justcleaned bridle. Your elbows are by your sides, but not forced or bracing. Stabilise, and as

you breathe in and lengthen through your spine, open your arms out to the side, feeling the movement start and rotate from your shoulders, not your elbows. As you breathe out, return to the starting position.

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EXERCISES FROM STANDING

Roll Down

8x

Why? To release tension in the upper body and create flexibility, whilst strengthening the back, bottom and legs.

Equestrian Advantage Mobilises the spine and hips and achieves segmental control of the spine

How? From Standing in a lengthened position, arms at your sides, on your out-breath stabilise and nod your head, soften through your breastbone and start to roll the body forwards, feeling the segmental movement through each vertebra. Bend or soften at the knee to avoid straining the muscles at the

back of your legs (hamstrings). Allow the arms to hang. Take a wide, deep breath into the sides of your ribcage, then, initiating the movement with your pelvis, on your outbreath, start to re-stack the body, bone by bone, until you are back at the starting position.

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PILATES FOR EQUESTRIANS

Tennis Ball Rising

8x

Why? Strengthens the bottom, thigh and calf muscles and mobilises ankles and feet.

Equestrian advantage Strengthens the calf (soleus) and thigh (quadriceps) muscles, so ideal for event riders to aid the two-point seat. Builds balance.

How? Place a tennis ball between your ankles, just below the inside ankle bones. From Standing, inhale and lengthen then, as you breathe out, stabilise and go onto tiptoes. Breathe in and lengthen your spine in this position, working the tiny stablisers in your back and tummy to balance yourself. Imagine the ceiling is a magnet so, as you place your heels back

down onto the floor as you breathe out, you still feel as if your head is lengthening away, drawing towards the ceiling. Bend your knees directly over your feet as you squat down slightly, taking care not to stick your bottom out. As you breathe in, straighten your legs and return to the starting position.

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EXERCISES FROM STANDING

Squats

8x

Why? To increase strength and balance in the legs, and mobilise the hips, knees and ankles.

How? From Standing, breathe in and lengthen throughout the spine, stabilise, and almost brush your thighs with your open palms as your arms swing forwards and upwards to shoulder height, simultaneously bending your knees. Be careful not to stick your bottom out too far, but keep your torso lengthened. As you breathe out, press your feet squarely and evenly into the floor as you straighten your legs and return your arms to the starting position.

Equestrian advantage Practise squatting down to your own riding leg length to strengthen your position in the saddle – especially useful for eventing and point-topointing.

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PILATES FOR EQUESTRIANS

Waist Twist

6x

Why? Strengthens the waist muscles whilst increasing spinal length and mobility.

How? From Standing, cross your arms in front of you, ensuring your elbows are below your shoulders. (If you hold the arms too high, it increases tension around your neck.) Breathe in as you lengthen your back and stretch your waist upwards, imagining the spine is a bungee then, as you breathe out, twist the upper body, head and neck around to one side. Ensure that your pelvis remains still, squarely facing forwards. Breathe out as your upper body comes back to the starting position, and then prepare to twist around to the opposite side.

Alternative Try the same exercise from Sitting to better simulate the movement on your horse.

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EXERCISES FROM STANDING

Optional Extra –

6x

Try the same exercise but with both arms out wide.

Equestrian advantage Helps isolate the hips from the upper torso, so that the upper body can rotate easily around the spine when, for example, asking the horse for travers or shoulder-in, so you do not collapse through the hips or lose balance.

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PILATES FOR EQUESTRIANS

Side Reach

6x

Why? To lengthen and stabilise the spine sideways.

How? From Standing, move the toes out, then the heels, then the toes again, until you are standing with legs slightly wider than hipwidth. Breathe in as you lengthen your spine upwards and your arm up above your head, stretching your fingers up towards the ceiling or sky, then reach the arm over your head and

towards the opposite side of the room or arena, being careful not to fall forwards or back. Your hips should remain still and level, not pushed out or dropping to the side. Enjoy the stretch along the side of your ribcage as you breathe in. Then return on the next outbreath and prepare to bend to the other side.

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EXERCISES FROM STANDING

Alternative Try the same exercise from Sitting, or mounted.

Equestrian advantage This stretches the quadratus lumborum in the waist, a mobilising muscle. This can often overwork in equestrians and so wrongly takes over the stabilising role of the gluteus medius muscle, if this has become weak, either through ill-use, overuse or injury. Riders can carry a lot of stiffness and tension in this area. Side reach helps to produce a torso that is more independent of the pelvis.

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