Before we take another step into the world of on-the-ground training for riders, it is absolutely essential to take a deep breath. Not just one in fact, but many throughout the course of your day and your life. Breathing not only sustains life, but also contributes greatly to stress or lack of stress, tension or relaxation in the body, focus, digestion, and all around well-being.
Our horses are incredibly sensitive to our breathing or lack there-of, responding in kind when our body unknowingly decides to stop, breathing that is. The next time you are in the saddle, preferably on your horse, try this experiment.
Stop breathing and count to 10. What happens to your horse? Now try this. Lock your eye on an object like a jump or your horse’s head for 10 seconds. Notice anything strange? As a general rule, when you harden your eye by staring at an object with intense focus, you forget to breathe.
When we stop breathing it is inevitable that our bodies become tense, a response often related to fear. Our legs tighten, our chest constricts, our weight shifts, causing us to feel remarkably like a large hungry cat holding on for the kill. Remember, fear is an emotion your horse know very well. It warns of impending doom, of monsters, and of being eaten by the large cat you have just become.
The point of these exercises is this…
As riders we need to become fantastic breathers! In every situation we need to breathe, not short, shallow, fast breathes, but right-down-into-the-belly breathes.
There is no “correct” way to breathe, as every individual will be nourished by breathing differently. Generally, it is best for the body and mind to bring the breathe into the belly area, so that on the in-breath our belly moves outwards, filling with air. This provides the most oxygen to the body, nourishing every single cell and releasing tension and stress.
Try this: Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, keeping the shoulders and neck relaxed and bringing the breath into your belly. Imagine filling the entire ribcage with this breath, even into the back. On the out-breath, breath out through the mouth, pushing all the used air out of the belly and lungs.
Try exaggerating several times to get used to it, imagining that you are pushing every molecule of air out of your lungs. As we are trying to create a positive habit, it is important to practice this breathing technique as much as possible, reinforcing the new and more beneficial motor pattern.
Notice the difference in your horse when you incorporate this new breathing technique in your riding. Also, try it out in any stressful situations. You will be amazed at how much more relaxed you will begin to feel.
As well as becoming wonderful breathers we need to develop outstanding body awareness. This is the ability to know if your right shoulder is hiked up to your ear, if your left knee is gripping or if you have stopped breathing. This is also known as kinesthetic awareness and is a learned skill. Riding with an instructor is one great way to improve this skill because they are able to let you know how your body is behaving. More often than not, our perception of our bodies in space is severely skewed.
To demonstrate the sensation of kinesthetic awareness begin by lacing your fingers together in front of your body. Begin with your dominant grip, the one which feels most comfortable. Now switch to your less dominant grip. Does is feel comfortable? This is just one example of our body getting very used to a certain motor pattern and neglecting others.
When it comes to riding, our horses respond to these often disruptful and unconscious body patterns, with tension, soreness and unwillingness. An increased awareness brings comfort not only to the horse but also to the rider.
Try the following exercise to bring increased kinesthetic awareness into your body.
Lie on your back on a mat/towel/blanket on the floor, starting out with the breathing exercise above to encourage relaxation. Begin at the top of your head and work through each part of the body slowly, paying close attention to any incongruence. Contract each muscle for 2-3 seconds and release. Notice any areas or muscles that are reluctant to relax. Are the sides of your body even? Concentrate on completely relaxing every single muscle in your body using your new breathing technique.
Now move one arm slowly. Notice the change in your body. What muscles are contracting? Do they need to? If not, they are what we call our compensating muscles. More often than not these are the muscles that get in the way when we ride. They are not really necessary for the movement, but contract anyways, often without our knowledge. The core stabilization exercise discussed in our last article can be a great help in discovering and releasing compensating muscle groups and reviving the muscles that need to be working, the core.
Body awareness is not a skill that can be learned in one day, or even a lifetime perhaps. But, practice will bring you closer to your horse and the secret workings of your own muscular system. Breathing will be a major key in improving your awareness and increasing your relaxation in and out of the saddle. Kinesthetic awareness and proper breathing techniques are also the mainstays of an on-the-ground training program for you, the rider.
Keep your eyes open for the next article – the beginning of your rider-specific conditioning program and another step to a more connected, happy and healthy partnership with your horse. Happy Trails.
Copyright © 2009 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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