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Focus on the Rider - Riding from the Core
by Alexa Linton, Kinesiologist & Equine Sport Therapist
July 1, 2006

Are you ready to find more balance, stability and precision in the saddle? How about reducing your risk of injury or even imbalance in your horse?

An on-the-ground conditioning program may just be the perfect adjunct to your training time in the saddle. This is a rider-specific program, cultivating flexibility, overall strength and endurance, mind-body connection and awareness and core conditioning. In this column, you can look forward to fun and easy exercises and great advice covering these facets of equestrian fitness. First, we begin “riding from the core”

Core stability training, once thought to be just another fitness fad, is actually one of the most sport-specific conditioning methods for the rider. Core is the innermost part of anything; the central or most important part. Stability is the capacity of an object to return to equilibrium. Essentially, the ‘core’ is made up of several muscles and muscle groups in the torso and pelvis area, or the inner unit. These muscles are the transverse abdominal, the multifidus, the muscles of the pelvic floor and the diaphragm. These muscles work together to stabilize the lumbar spine, an inherently instable structure, as well as the pelvis. They are integral to correct posture, balance and stability, alignment of the spine as well as injury prevention.

It is important to remember that unlike the major movers (hip flexors, upper abdominals or biceps) which fatigue quickly, the inner unit is very difficult to fatigue. It is designed to activate prior to every movement. However, it is very common for someone to have no idea how to activate these muscles! This puts stress on the major movers of the body, which were not built for stabilization. In compensating for the malfunctioning stabilizer muscles, the major movers become tight and weak, often pulling the structural system out of balance, or placing the lumbar spine under stress.



So why is core stability training so important for riders? First, it improves the ability of the rider to maintain a neutral spine, where every joint is held in the optimal position, allowing an equal distribution of force and preventing injury. This not only increases your ease, but also that of your horse. Remember the role of the core in the development of effective posture. Many riders suffer from poor posture in the form of a forward pelvic tilt, commonly caused by an imbalance in the musculature surrounding the pelvis and the lumbar spine. This leads to two common riding errors (1) commonly termed the “toilet seat” position, where the legs are in front of the centre of gravity and (2) a hollow back, caused by attempting to bring the leg back onto the plumb line. Both errors place you and your horse in an uncomfortable and often very unbalanced position.

Core stability training can help you. By training the inner unit to correctly activate, you can correct or prevent these uncomfortable errors. It will also help you become a more balanced, stable, and quiet rider. To begin, we must learn to activate the stabilizers of the core correctly.

Getting to Know Our Core – Activating the Stabilizers



Exercise 1
Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your fingers inside your hips as shown in figure 1. Try to cough or laugh. Try it again. Did you feel the muscle come up under your fingers? It should feel like trying to zip up a really tight pair of jeans. Meet your transverse abdominal (TVA). This muscle acts like a stabilizing belt around your centre. The activation of the TVA will start a chain reaction which activates the remainder of the core, and brings the pelvis into neutral position. Try it again, seeing this time if you can hold this contraction for several seconds. How about 10 seconds? Don’t forget to breathe! This time try to relax every other muscle in your body except for the TVA. How did you do?


Next roll a towel up and place it on the floor with a pillow at one end for your head. Lie with your spine on the towel as shown in Figure 2. Find your TVA and activate for 10 seconds, remembering to relax and breathe. Once you have mastered this exercise, activate TVA and slowly lift one leg off the floor as demonstrated in Figure 3. Hold the leg for 10 second, lower, and repeat on the other side. Perform this exercise at least one time per day, with 4 repetitions on each leg.



Progress slowly to lifting both legs up at the same time, staying activated in the TVA throughout the entire movement.

It is my recommendation that you practice using the muscles of the inner unit in all aspects of your life, especially in the saddle. This increases the chance of your body choosing these muscles to work, rather than the easily fatigued mover muscles. Don’t be surprised if you feel taller, stronger, more balanced and more at ease from this one exercise. Have fun getting to know your core. Join us next time, for the an exciting new step of your new rider-specific conditioning program!

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