Have I FINALLY Found the Key to "Unlocking" My Hips?

Have I FINALLY Found the Key to “Unlocking” My Hips?

This had been a wonderful week for my riding! Last Wednesday I started doing the “rider's push-up” exercise and I had mad and wild fantasies about jumping again, so I did not immediately notice all the other good things that this exercise is doing for my seat on horseback. The “rider's push-up” is very simple and it does not cost a penny for extra tack. I get up into a two-point position, with all of my seat out of the saddle and making sure to push out with my diaphragm (to bring my shoulders back and to straighten my spine), keep my feet under me and my heels down, and being VERY sure to look up and forwards instead of down to the horse. Then, folding at my hip joints, I lower my chest down to the horse's neck, trying to touch the horse's neck with my chest while still looking forward and keeping my back straight. I do not have the energy to do more than one “rider's push-up” at a time, but I try to do it three to five times each ride.

Wednesday I had my lesson on Bingo. As I started riding Bingo around the ring Debbie started getting after me for my side-to-side balance, my seat and weight were drifting to the left. Making sure to center the saddle, I went up into two-point because Bingo's back was stiff. It took a few minutes of two-point and alternating lower legs to get Bingo to relax his back muscles enough so his back felt like it was “swinging”. At our first halt I proceeded to do one “rider's sit-up”, teetering in my stirrups while I concentrated on keeping my feet below me and my heels down. I did not quite get down far enough so my chest hit Bingo's neck, but then Bingo has a very low set neck with a tendency toward inversion. When we went back to walking around Bingo wanted me to get up into two-point for a minute or so, then he graciously accepted my weight when I sat down, exhausted.

After a few more minutes of walking and turning I halted Bingo. Debbie told me that my side-to-side balance had improved greatly! I got up into two-point and did another “rider's push-up”, this time getting my chest further down, just touching Bingo's neck. To do this I had to REALLY fold my hip joints, with my buttocks going even further back. Pushing out with my diaphragm I got back up into two-point and I went into the vertical far position, back down into two-point, then back to sitting in the saddle. I started trotting Bingo around the ring, posting, and after my usual turn with a change in direction and changing the diagonal I posted on I sat down on Bingo because I was tired. USUALLY, when I sit down from the posting trot Bingo immediately does his downward transition into the walk. This is what I expected him to do, he has been taking me sitting down during the trot as an aid to slow down and transition into the walk for MONTHS unless I apply my legs to keep him in the trot.

On Wednesday, Bingo continued trotting, well it was a jog-trot so there was no suspension. I made sure to get my seat as far forward as I could, I sat his trot, waiting for him to slow down on his own, and I kept my lower legs passive. But Bingo did not slow down into the walk, he seemed perfectly happy to go on trotting with me sitting in the saddle. Finally, tired, I asked for the walk with my reins and I got to rest. Before when I sat Bingo's trot it was obvious that he really did not like me doing it, taking every opportunity and excuse to get back to walking.

On Friday, as the far fringes of Hurricane Harvey threatened rain, I rode Mia. She was obviously affected by the low pressure system and the strong breezes, and she did not want to stay at the halt long enough for me to practice my “rider's push-ups”. So I decided to try it at the walk, teetering even more in my stirrups as she moved. I did not get down far the first time, but the next time I tried I did touch her neck with my chest. Then when I sat down again I noticed something different, I felt like my pelvis was “melting” and my seat went down DEEP into the saddle. I spent several minutes walking her, enjoying this new feeling! Usually I have to consciously move my pelvis enough not to irritate the horse's back, on Friday Mia's back was moving my relaxed pelvis without any extra effort on my part.

Later on, thinking about my rides, I realized that I had “unlocked” something in my hip joints that had prevented me from sinking properly into the saddle. Since I had no problems feeling centered in this new deep seat, I am beginning to believe that one of my hip joints was “locked up” more than the other one, making it much harder for me to keep my side-to-side balance in the saddle. With my hip joints “unlocked' I can FEEL when my seat is centered as each seat-bone feels like it is down further into the saddle, with my seat from my pubic bone back feeling the center of the saddle instead of feeling like it is floating above the center of the saddle. This is a subtle difference, but the horses seem to appreciate it, otherwise would Bingo have continued trotting on when he had a perfectly valid excuse to walk?

Bingo is VERY sway backed and his back is weak. It takes several minutes of walking with me up in two-point before his back is ready for me to sit down even at the walk. Bingo is very protective of his back! If his back is not comfortable he “sucks back” and moves as little as possible in response to my aids, and his back muscles freeze and do not move much at all. Before, when I sat down to his trot I HAD TO use constant leg aids to keep him in his trot, but on Wednesday he continued trotting when I sat down as if his back was completely comfortable, ignoring all excuses to slow down, and I did not have to use my legs at all! The only change I made was to start doing the “rider push-ups”, so it is obvious to me that this new exercise is improving my seat greatly.

I do not see any way I rider can do this exercise in a Western saddle with a horn or in any saddle with a high front. If a dressage saddle has a very high pommel in comparison to the seat of the saddle it might be more difficult for the rider to get her chest all the way down to the horse's neck without bending her back over the pommel. The key to “unlocking” the hips seems to be the rider keeping her back as straight as possible while looking up and forward, while keeping her feet under her instead of swinging back.

If you are having difficulties with your seat bouncing in the saddle at the sitting trot I recommend this exercise. At first it seemed counter-intuitive to me that an exercise aimed at improving the rider's position while off the saddle (jumping) can improve the seat so much when it is sitting in the saddle. But I cannot argue with my results, I have been riding for over 45 years and this simple exercise is improving my seat beyond all belief! I can feel that my neck, back, gut, buttock and upper thigh muscles are quickly getting stronger, and I have had sore muscles in my upper back, lower back and upper thighs while doing it and afterwards. At home I can sit down and get back up much better than I could a week and a half ago. On the days I do not ride I am practicing this exercise at home. I keep my feet apart like I am on a horse, bend my knees, fold my hip joints until I get into a two-point position, then I fold my hip joints even more until my chest is at the level of my pubic bone. I concentrate on keeping my diaphragm pushed out to keep my back straight and on keeping my eyes looking forward, not down. When I straighten up I push out with my diaphragm and I try not to use my back muscles to straighten up. I can do this only one time since my muscles get to trembling, hopefully my muscles will get strong enough so I can do some repetitions!

I FINALLY “unlocked” my hips and I am riding better.

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran

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Comment by B. G. Hearns on September 7, 2017 at 7:55pm

Good for you. I am going to try this tomorrow!

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