20 • THE PLAID HORSE
Fit to Ride: Pilates by Kim Harries This month’s article features the benefits of Pilates for the rider. No matter what style of riding you prefer, having a strong core, and balanced muscles will benefit both you and your horse. What happens when your horse spooks? Are you able to stay in the middle of the tack or are you suddenly scrambling to try to stay mounted? When you see pictures of yourself riding is one shoulder or hip consistently lower or higher than the other? Do you have one heel that comes up while the other stays down? All of these things affect our horse’s balance and thereby the ability to perform the job that we are asking of them. Strengthening the correct muscles and keeping them long is a must for any rider who wants to sink down into the saddle a little deeper, stretch up a little taller or wrap that calf around their horse, with more weight in their heels. If you are a rider who would like to be more independent with their hands and increase your connection to your horse while in the saddle, Pilates may be for you. Pilates can be practiced on the floor, using a thick mat for comfort, and also on various apparatus such as the Reformer and Cadillac. Pilates Mat work is generally done in a group class and can range from using body weight only, with no props, to the use of bands, magic circles and light hand weights.
The figure above illustrates the many muscles used during one such Pilates Mat exercise called the “Single Leg Stretch”. This is a great body-weight only exercise that can be done anywhere, with no additional equipment needed. When properly executed, this exercise strengthens the entire core from front to back while lengthening and strengthening the legs from the top of the thigh down through the calf muscle. A one-hour mat class will get your heart pumping and your body moving, working arms, legs, back and abs. Whichever equestrian discipline you prefer, the condition of your core can mean the difference between ability to stay connected and in balance with your horse or being something that your horse has to “work around”. The Pilates Reformer is one of the more popular pieces of Pilates apparatus due to its ease of use and ever-evolving repertoire of work that is able to be accomplished. The reformer boasts straps and pulleys, a spring-loaded carriage and a padded foot bar. A one-hour session will challenge you from head to toe, working and stretching your body to be more flexible and vibrant than you may have thought possible. Both group PHOTOS © RITA GOOD