Hi,
I'm sitting in my training studio and it seems eerily quiet these days- except anywhere near horse show grounds. For some of you, the show season is in full swing with long days, and long weeks. It seems like the summer daylight hours just give us more time to work: more time to train, more time at the barn—and less time for other things, like off-horse exercise. And with the sun rising later and setting just a little sooner- it's like we're really trying to 'make hay while the sun shines' (quite literally) but with everything- leaving not much time for 'extras' like a fitness regime.

Did you know that tight muscles fatigue your body faster because it has to fight itself to maintain good posture? Did you know tight muscles are the first to strain, and tight joints most at risk for sprain? Did you know that flexibility is something you are either gaining day to day, or losing at the same rate? Moreover, every day you heave those haybales, get on your horse, or spend more than 2hrs driving your horse to a competition, you are creating muscle tightness which has a directly negative impact on your ability to use your body efficiently and correctly in the saddle.

In the midst of the season when your performance matters most, you are doing multiple activities every day to set up road blocks for the red ribbon.

While you don’t have a lot of spare time, you do owe it to yourself not to let a few easily preventable muscle tightness issues take your edge off, or place you at risk for injury.

By the way, tight muscles and fascial tissue can also pull your skeleton out, creating chiropractic issues, and other strains. Creating a daily habit of stretching will not only help your show season today, but extend your tomorrows in the saddle.

Let’s look at a typical show scenario: you trained hard for several weeks (tightening adductors or inner thigh, hamstrings, shoulders). You were up early loading equipment and horse onto the trailer (tightening trapezius, shoulders and chest), then you drive for several hours (tightens hamstrings, hip flexors and chest).

As mentioned, flexibility is gained and lost daily, so your best plan is to stretch daily, as well as giving yourself plenty of time when you arrive at the show for pre-ride stretching using fluid motions.

A good rule of thumb is to use fluid motion stretching before you ride (or any other sport/activity) and static stretching (holding the stretch) only afterwards when your warm muscles will not be asked to bear significant load. If you miss a day here or there, or manage just a few seconds of stretching after your ride, take at least 10 minutes a few times a week to get into some deep stretching.

You should be stretching all kinds of muscles in your body to benefit your riding posture and effective, efficient aids. However, when time gets short as it does when show season is in full swing, you may have to narrow your focus on the most crucial areas. These are: chest, hip flexors, hamstrings, adductors and calves.

No matter what discipline you practice, sitting in a saddle for long periods of time causes hip flexors to become less flexible. The hip flexor is at the top of the front of your leg, and connects up through the pelvic area. When this muscle is tight, it pulls your pelvis forward, creating a hollow in your lower back, and pitching you forward on your seat as well as causing your knee to ride up. Many people try to correct the issue by strengthening their stomach muscles in order to be able to sit up straight. What they end up with is lower back pain.

Your adductors (inside of thigh) are also hard at work every time you ride. When they are inflexible, they can cause your hips and thighs to squeeze in much like a clothes peg, pinching you up out of the saddle, and making free movement of your legs quite difficult.

Your pectoralis muscles (chest) naturally engage when you are barn choring, or working around your horse. If you ride with your arms, or do a lot of hard manual work, or hunch your shoulders while riding, the problem gets worse. When they are tight, they pull your shoulders into a rounded forward position- again, pitching your weight down on your horse’s forehand and throwing your self-carriage and balance off.

There are many stretches you can use. Some that I recommend you do daily are in this weeks rider fitness video. To perform dynamic or flowing motion stretches before riding, just do the stretch flowing into and out of it. This is different from bouncing. You do not want to throw your body into a big stretch. Just flow in and out, gradually increasing the range as your body adapts, warms up and becomes comfortable. A couple of seconds on each muscle area will do.

For pictures of some stretches, check out the video: http://www.barnmice.com/video/stretches-for-riders-some
For more stretches, you can download an ebook on stretching for riders on my website: Handy Stretching Guide for Riders.

As always, I love to hear from you, and you can post comments to this blog. I try and respond to comments and questions in the next blog. You an also post photos and specific questions if you would like to take advantage of the free 'online clinic' aspect this blog allows.

Until next time- happy riding!

Heather Sansom
www.equifitt.com