RIDER HEALTH & WELLBEING
Spring Is In The Air... RETURNING TO FITNESS
H
ow are you feeling after a period of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions? Have you eaten, drunk and been merry more or less than you might normally would? After such a strange 2020 we can be forgiven for wanting to dive headfirst into a tin of Quality Street but now, as the seasons change, it might be high time to start undoing some of that damage. We’re all hoping that as we go further into 2021, we will be able to socialise, compete and just get out and about again, so why not put in the work on your fitness now? Rider fitness has a huge impact on horse wellbeing and the efficacy of your partnership, so it will be time well spent. In the second article in this series, Clare Gangadeen from RiderCise focuses on three exercises designed to improve rider fitness and aid those of us who may have indulged a little too much during the mostrecent lockdown. These three exercises will help you give clearer aids and increase your stability in the saddle. 1. Single Leg Swing – Abduction / Adduction This exercise is deceiving. It looks simple enough, but it gives us excellent insight into
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how our body produces movement. Often, we collapse laterally to produce this movement, dropping the shoulder to meet the hip, which is a compensatory action we do subconsciously, instead of activating the glutes to move the leg. By performing this exercise correctly, you will be able to provide clear effective leg aids whilst sitting straight and neutrally. Main Muscles used: Adductor Muscles: Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL), Gluteus – Medius and Minimus (bum)
lifting your leg to the side (abducting) making sure that you are not bringing your shoulders towards your hips, creating a small C - shape • Hold the ‘squeeze’ in the bum muscles throughout the whole movement, they should be aching after 2-3 repetitions.
2. Squats Squats are one of the best exercises that you can do because they use a whole range of muscles and joints to perform, what we call a compound exercise in the fitness world. It doesn’t matter 1. Stand with your feet together how low you can go as long as and resting one leg. Keep your you really focus on maintaining standing knee soft, not locked your posture throughout. It out and your hips facing really is a simple but very forward effective exercise when 2. Keep your chest high and look performed correctly. straight ahead Main Muscles used: Quadriceps, 3. Bring your resting leg to the Hamstrings, Glutes, side of your body by squeezing Abdominals, Calves your bum and keeping the leg as straight as possible and without dropping your shoulder to meet your hip 4. Return the leg back towards your body in a controlled manner, squeezing your bum throughout the whole movement 5. This is one repetition Perform: 10 times on each leg and repeat. Notes: • Keep the movement small when
Wide Leg Squat 1
Clare Gangadeen is the founder of RiderCise, where she has combined her two passions, equestrianism and fitness (she’s a qualified PT and soft tissue therapist), to develop fitness programmes to help riders. The RiderCise programmes have been designed to develop a rider’s coordination, balance, control, strength, stamina and confidence unlocking your potential to work in harmony with your horse. www.ridercise.co.uk
1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart 2. Hips facing forward 3. Chest high and looking straight ahead 4. Push your bottom backwards and downwards as far as you can comfortably go in a slow controlled manner without
Wide Leg Squat 2
