Stretching, for the Rider Intro

Everyone knows how important stretching is for our horses, and why flexibility is essential to achieve balance and efficiency of movement.  I give every client whose horse I work on stretches to do for homework, and these are reviewed and are added to at each visit.  But what about the rider??

Everyone who has ridden a horse for any considerable length of time understands just how athletic of an endeavor it truly is to ride well.  Why then do so few of us have stretching routines for ourselves?  I can guarantee you that in most other sports a solid warm up and cool down includes some stretching.  Why don't riders stretch then you may be wondering??Stretching daily is the very best way to improve your flexibility overall, throughout your body. This increased flexibility makes you much less prone to injury, and can also improve your riding technique.  Many riders lean forward while riding, which will close your hip joint and stress your shoulders.  It should be no surprise then that I treat shoulder, upper back and hip pain in almost all of my trail riders.  Much of this stiffness and pain can be considerably decreased by a proper warm up and stretching routine.

You should never stretch without warming up your muscles.  Usually just walking out to catch your horse will do it.  If you have an especially easy to catch horse, giving him a thorough grooming and/or hand walking around for five or ten minutes will warm you up a sufficient amount.  Also never stretch an injured area, and be careful to avoid overstretching.  Stretching should never cause pain anywhere.  If you notice persistent pain after stretching, please discontinue and consult with your doctor.  Hold all stretches for five to six seconds to begin with, but with proper technique you can hold stretches for several minutes once flexibility is increased. 

We will get into actual stretching technique tomorrow. 














 

Freedom!

Today I am thinking about how horses move naturally.  A loose horse has a freedom to it's gait that is beautiful, and to watch him flow between speeds can be breathtaking.  I'm not sure about anyone else, but I would love to feel more of this from my horse under saddle!

Clients who receive regular Chiropractic and bodywork care many times will notice an improvement in the fluidity of gaits of a horse after a treatment.  This is due to the lessening of restrictions within the muscles, which makes it easier for the horse to do his or her job.  This directly leads to a longer career by decreasing the normal wear and tear on joints from competition and training.

BENEFITS OF CARE

Now that I have been practicing for "a few" years, I'm starting to really see the benefits of consistent chiropractic and bodywork care.  This is true for both the horse and the rider.  Chiropractic adjustments and bodywork usually improves a horse’s disposition.  These are the horses who always seem to be cranky, or are easily upset.  These are often the horses who are not pleased with me while I work on them, but who whinny and nicker when they see me for the next visit.  A horse with chronic pain will quite frankly not want to work.  This is a rare day for my endurance horses, and is definitely a sign that something is up with them!  

This is also true for riders, I often hear complaints from trail riders with constant pain.  They think that I'm "nuts" for riding 50 miles in a day.  While I can't testify to my mental soundness, as I do think that the pain from riding all day isn't even close to the fun benefit, I know that when I am well adjusted I come through a ride much easier.  Granted, it does help that my husband is a great chiropractor who can (and does) adjust me mid-ride :)  

The key here appears to be consistency.  Horses don't seem to need nearly as much care as people do, but of course they live much more naturally than most of us do.  I've been playing with my horses own treatment schedule but this appears to be a case of the shoemaker's kids not having any shoes....

Spring IS coming!

Another day that was colder than it was supposed to be, but at least the sun came out.  The sun shining does a lot to improve my mood, and hopefully it will start to really melt that ice out there.  This gets me thinking about conditioning myself to begin spring conditioning and riding.

Horse riding, especially long distances at moderate speed, requires excellent core strength.  This includes back and stomach strength, as well as lower body and upper body strength and balance.  A rider must have strong muscles, combined with a supple and flexible spine.  The best way to increase core strength is to stretch and exercise.  Balancing on an exercise ball while working is an easy way to begin to increase core strength, as long as the ball is stable.  An easy way to increase stability is to place a rolled up towel under/around the base of the ball to prevent excess rolling.

Another good exercise is laying on your stomach over an exercise ball, and then raise your torso off of it while preventing the ball from rolling.  Again make sure that you are strong enough to control the movements without falling off!  Then follow this exercise up with the mermaid stretch.  To do this stretch, stand with your feet shoulder width apart in a relaxed frame.  Then slowly lift your hands above your head and stretch.  Finish the stretch by leaning first left then right, and then slowly lowering your hands.

Spring may actually be coming, so it may be time for me to jump start my fitness program!!

After an injury

I had a little incident last night.  Alice, my three year old daughter, woke me up a little after midnight.  She had to go downstairs, to the bathroom.  I was carrying her down our very steep, wooden steps, when I slipped.  Down the stairs I bounced, holding Ali.  I landed a little bit on her leg, and it scared her a lot, but she's mostly unharmed.  However I am bruised all over, and very sore!  Let's just say that it is difficult to sit on a hard chair right now...

So this brings me to my topic today, fighting inflammation after an injury.  I have been icing steady all morning.  Ice applied for ten to fifteen minutes every hour can help to decrease swelling.  I also had my husband put some kinesiology tape on me in a fan formation.  This will help to fight inflammation by increasing oxygenation to the muscles and tissue in the area.  I then used a liberal dose of biofreeze to block some of the pain.  Picture is fromwww.healthandcare.co.uk

Avoiding over the counter NSAID's or pain relivers (aka aspirin) will also help to decrease healing time significantly.  There has been some very interesting research published recently that shows some new information.  Not taking NSAIDS for pain will help to increase healing speed by as much as six weeks, after a major injury. 

So I will spend the day sitting on an ice pack and drinking a lot of water so I can heal as fast as possible.  I am convinced that spring will come back, eventually, so I need to be ready for it!

 

Hoof trimming

It's time for my horses to get their feet trimmed again, so this gets me thinking about just how important it is to have someone skilled to work with.  Most good farriers are more than willing to work with us bodyworkers, but of course not all hoof trimmers are created equal.  I have been very interested in barefoot trimming for the past six or seven years.  I compete totally barefoot with both of my endurance horses, for most rides.  If there is a particular part of a ride that is very rocky, I will boot with Easyboot Gloves.  When I move up to further distances (75 and 100 mile rides), I am playing with the idea of using Easyboot glue-ons.  I train totally barefoot, and my horses are turned out on hilly/rocky pasture twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  Granted I don't have that many endurance miles, but it's working for me so far.  Don't fix what isn't broken, I guess...

My horses are trimmed by Autumn Chronister.  She is a Degreed Applied Equine Podiatrist and MIAEP (Member of the Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry).  She has been trimming my horses feet for almost a year now, and everyone is looking great.  More information can be found here: www.appliedequinepodiatry.org.

 Happy Friday!!

Stretches for Riders

After another weekend with no riding, I sit here on this Monday morning and think about summer.  There is so much ice here in SE WI, I can barely walk through the pasture without slipping on ice.  SO, my thoughts turn to what I can do now to prepare for next ride season.

If you are like me, then you rarely stretch.  Especially not before or after a ride.  So I'm going to talk about a few easy stretches that will help to improve your riding.

Hamstrings: these are the muscles that run down the back of your legs.  (Picture from: www.davidrobertsphysio.co.uk)

 For riders, the most important job these muscles do is to extend the hip and to flex the knee.  This means that they help to straighten the hip joint, and to bend the knee joint.  This is pretty important while posting and using a jump seat!

To stretch these muscles, the most common method is to sit on the ground with your legs stretched out in front of you.  Fold one leg in and stretch the other leg out in front of you.  Then lean your upper body forward and slowly try to touch your toes with your fingertips. (Picture from: http://www.bicyclekingdom.com/healthy/Cycling_Stretches.htm)   Hold this pose for 3-4 seconds, then switch legs and repeat for 3-4 repetitions.


Another great stretch is to lay on your back, and pull one leg up at a time.  Keep the knee as straight as possible, and bring the leg up past 90 degrees slowly.  Again hold for 3-4 seconds, then switch legs and repeat for 3-4 repetitions.



Now before you stretch, or exercise, please remember that these recommendations assume that you are healthy with an average fitness base.  If you have past low back, knee, hip or other leg injuries, please consult with a doctor before you begin any stretching regime. 

More stretches to come, please let me know if there are any specific stretches that you are interested in!!