The Rider's Shoulders

17.     KINESTHETIC TRAINING:  Improving Feel

There are now so many great ways to improve "feel" - Pilates, Yoga & Feldenkrais just among a few.  And, as we've seen, our shoulders are often the cause of some pretty big problems!

1. Round Shouldered (on the forehand)

2. One lower (horse cutting corners)

3. One more forward  (horse twisted, or halts crooked)

4. Tipping forward  (even MORE on the forehand)

 Start riding like an athlete 

Athletes train in the gym, and they get tested, and watch their diet, yet often the simplest of measurements for riding we're not prepared to do!

So, here's some great tests to get you started!

 Quick test...

When one thing changes, lots of other things do too!  Here's a quick example.  Stand up and raise your chest with your shoulders back, then "slump".

See what affect it has on your vision!   Imagine you were wearing glasses...what happens to the glasses when you slump?  Every part of the rider's body affects something else.

 Are you right or wrong?

As you're sitting there reading this, try to GUESS which shoulder you carry closer to the ground (it will probably be the same on the horse).   Then, get up and have a look in a mirror!

Were you right or wrong?   LOTS of people, especially adults, are wrong!  Never trust your "feel" when it comes to your riding position. 

 Help is often FREE!

Often riders don't realise that a non-horsie friend can still help you a LOT!

Get them to come out for coffee & watch you ride.  Ask them questions like "which shoulder is closer to the ground", "which foot turns out most", "when I'm riding away from you...is the seam of my jodphurs to the left or right of the horse's spine".

Children under 18 years (or legal age in your area) should never ride alone for insurance & legal reasons, so it's a great opportunity to help the rider all the time.

 WHAT'S THE FASTEST FIX?    Do it WRONG 

One of the fastest ways to feel something is to make it worse.  Go "round shouldered" on your horse and feel the horse's weight go on the two front feet (on the forehand). 

Hold one shoulder lower and feel the horse go crooked or drift off the wall.  Put one shoulder deliberately more forward, and feel the horse go crooked.  The SLIGHTEST changes make all the difference!

Do it WRONG so you can feel what it does to your horse.  It's one of the fastest ways to learn.

 BE SPECIFIC

It has taken a very long time for me to find a description to stop the rider "slumping through the torso" (and being round shouldered), without the rider arching their back too much.

Saying things like "sit up tall" & "raise your chest" can run the risk of making riders arch their waist too much.

Be more SPECIFIC::

1. See the heart monitor strap on the runner to the right?  It must be LEVEL, not "sagging" at the front.

2. In the skeleton on the right - it's the TOP DOT that has to raise.  It's those ribs up near the neck that sag first!

3. Imagine you had a blue jewel piercing in your belly button.  make sure you don't "slump" and hide it.  Make sure you don't stick it out in front of your chest either.

4. FEEL YOUR CLOTHES.  Do you "crumple" in front in your jumping safety vest, or pull the shoulders at the back of your show jacket?  Does your spine touch the back of the show jacket, or do you raise your spine off the seam of the jacket.

It affects performance.  Your spine should never touch the back of your jacket.  You need to raise the front of your chest so that you are not round shouldered, otherwise you will put more weight on the forehand of the horse, and when we test your position, you are far less stable.

And, honestly, there's nothing uglier than a round shouldered rider with the jacket pulling at the back.   But...nothing more beautiful than a rider with a "raised red dot", sitting elegantly on their horse!

Copyright © 2005
[Colleen Kelly. Improve Your Riding ABN 76799531257].

Often riders are wrong!

Often riders are WRONG when asked :

"which shoulder is lower?"

Here Dr. Liz Owens demonstrates for Colleen Kelly at Equitana Asia Pacific what happens to the horse's head position when the rider carries one shoulder lower.