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Dressage Today: April 2000 Issue
Ask The Expert
Question: "I am a middle-aged rider who has come back to
riding after about 15 years. I have an 8-year-old Thoroughbred cross gelding
that I work at First Level, hoping to do some showing eventually. I find I
am not as flexible as I used to be and have recently heard about "biomechanics"
and how it might help me. I'm not sure what is meant by the term as it refers
to riding horses. Can you explain what it is and why it is important to dressage
riders like me?"
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Answer:
Biomechanics can be defined as the study of biological systems (such the
human spine and extremities) in terms of their physical properties, structure
and function. As a rider, an understanding of biomechanics can help you to
correct alignment problems in your body which affect your riding. To achieve
the best possible connection with your horse, you need to be flexible in your
spine and extremities as well as having a full range of motion in your joints.
Correcting misalignments will improve your body awareness and your overall
performance. Using your body correctly also decreases the risk of injury.
In order
to develop full control of the human frame and center of gravity, your body
needs to be correctly aligned. To do this, your weight must be placed over
the center of your feet. As you bend or straighten your legs, your
ankle
and knee caps should track over the center of the foot. Hip rotation also
should coincide with the correct alignment of your knee, ankle and foot.
Now, think about your shoulder alignment; hold your shoulders back and down.
Hold your head back so that your ear is aligned over your shoulder. Your
abdominal strength is the key support system stabilizing your movements
in the upper as well as lower extremities.
To define
alignment problems, the first thing I do in my rider clinics is to assess
each rider’s posture. Then, specific stretch and flexibility exercises you
need can be incorporated into your riding program. The following two exercises
are examples of ones used to help assess and improve how your body moves (your
postural mechanics).
First,
with the assistance of a partner, your shoulder alignment is compared to
the ideal alignment. This is accomplished by pulling the shoulders back and
down, so that the top of the upper arm (humerous bone) is pulled as far behind
the end of your collar bone (clavicle) as possible. This opens the line of
your upper body, which is the opposite of collapsing the shoulders forward.
Then a stretch exercise is introduced, which pinpoints any restriction that
keeps you from reaching the ideal alignment of your shoulders, neck and
head. I recommend to riders that they use this shoulder stretch prior to
riding.
In another
exercise, this time for the lower body, begin by standing with your feet 2
and 1/2 feet apart with toes pointing at approximately a 30 degree angle outward.
From this position, bend your knees while your partner drops a plum line
(a string with a weight at the end) to the floor. As you move, you can evaluate
your knee tracking mechanics. The mechanical ideal is for the kneecap to
track directly over the centerline of the foot during movement. If your knees
track to the inside of the foot, your partner moves your knee into the correct
alignment and continues to check it against the plum line, so you are weight
bearing over the centerline of your foot. While maintaining the correct alignment,
continue to straighten your leg to a standing position. Use this as an exercise
to increase flexibility and improve the alignment of your foot, ankle and
knee. The assessment and exercises are all done on the ground so you can
work on establishing correct alignment and muscle control without the additional
challenges of riding your horse.
During
group work, riders work on the ground with their partners. In a private
consultation, I carefully analyze postural alignment and incorporate very
specific work to increase spine and extremity flexibility. Then we place
the
the rider
on a stationary apparatus--a specially designed padded barrel, which simulates
the horse’s body. This is where I fine tune the seat and legs to the correct
position. I adjust and evaluate the rider’s posting, turning and halt
mechanics,
until a new awareness of the way the body moves is achieved.
Once
riders can successfully control their newly aligned bodies in a static environment,
they are ready to apply these skills on horseback. As riders experience how
it feels to use muscles correctly and understand the objective,
they demonstrate
an immediate improvement in technical riding ability. Results can be immediate
and surprising.
Repetition
and practice will reinforce the body’s memory of this work. Of course, there
are challenges for older riders, but over the years, while working with hundreds
of riders, I’ve seen that each one can improve and
develop
to his or her own highest potential.
A biomechanical
approach can help you achieve a higher level of expertise than you could acquire
after decades of dressage training alone. As one German trainer stated, "In
almost 15 years of training, this is the first time I have
experienced
the correct muscle control in my seat." To learn more about biomechanics
visit my Web site at www.sportballet.com.
Stephen
M. Apatow, is a biomechanics specialist who works with international level
athletes and dancers. He has developed an analysis, correction and retraining
system that specifically enhances the technical performance of both riders
and horses. He has given presentations at USDF adult camps since 1997.
For questions or additional information,
contact:
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