Sway_Backs_&_Horse

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How to "SIT ON YOUR BUTT"
and help for the famous SWAY BACK...

This article dedicated to
Kerry Campbell, Spring, TX, USA for the great idea!

Sway backs are very common both in young riders with super-flexible spines, and also women who have had babies and have sort of STAYED in a sway back (lordosis) position after the birth.

Years ago a quite young mother came to me and said she had lost her confidence riding. She had gone to her local doctor who told her that it was just the natural mothering instinct protecting her and that's why her subconscious wouldn't let her ride anymore. However, that didn't explain how she drove into our farm in a 4WD like a HOOLIGAN at 100kph, and still went and partied with all her friends. The doctor's explanation of the new-found fear which ONLY presented in riding just didn't add up.

She was a very respected eventer in the past, and the only change was pregnancy and child birth. After a few minor adjustments, she soon gained her confidence back (and I even slowed her driving down!).

A big problem to the rider...

Sway backs are a huge problem to the rider. It is often not just the excess curve in the lumbar (waist) area, but often the rider sits on their pubic bone as well.

It can be VERY painful if you are an endurance rider or dressage rider who rides a lot of horses, and for jumpers it even tends to put the horse "on the forehand", and certainly is a far less stable position, often lowering the person's confidence level.

But, the guys don't sit on their pubic bones....you can put a beginner male on a horse and they learn to sit on their tailbone within minutes!! I wonder why? *smile*.

Some things to look for:

Your pelvis is a ring of bone with the pubic bone at the front and the coccyx at the back.

You might think of your pelvis it as a "clock face". This would mean your pubic bone is 12 o'clock, and your coccyx or tail bone would be 6 o'clock.

That means that your left seatbone would be at about 9 o'clock, and the right seatbone would be at about 3 o'clock.

What is very important is that the rider learns to sit on 6 o'clock and not at 12 o'clock on their pubic bone. This is the first half (the "bottom half") of fixing the sway back problem.
The second half (the "top half") of fixing the sway back problem relates to the height of the chest.

If you look at the photo of our skeleton on the right: Imagine the red circle was actually a little red bow on the front of your bra (men seem to have no problem imagining this one either!). And, imagine the blue dot is a blue jewel stuck in your belly button...

Sway back people most often hold their "red circle" too high and up away from their "blue jewel".

The opposite, slumping (and often round shoulders), is caused when the red circle is held too low, dropping down towards the belly button.
Now, have a look at our runner's photo here where the lady is wearing a heart monitor.

See the little box/buckle at the front of the strap that is the thing that measures the heart or measurements of the runner.

Sway back people lift that little box or buckle too far away from their belly button or from the waistband of their jodhpurs or riding pants. Therefore, from side-on, the black heart rate monitor would strap is not LEVEL TO THE GROUND. The sway back person's black strap, or the bottom of their bra is higher than the back.

And, often if you look at the rider's jodphurs or belt, the belt buckle at the front is LOWER than the back.
Or, you might think of it this way...

Imagine that you are riding at the Spanish School of Riding, and wearing one of their magnificent black jackets.

They have ten gold buttons down the front, and nearly always the sway back rider raises the buttons too far apart.

Although the Spanish School riders always have their chest up correctly and elegantly, it is never at the expensive of sitting on the pubic bone (they're all men remember!), or having the buttons stretched too far apart creating a sway back.
Or, if you held a pen underneath your armpit

Sway back is TWO PROBLEMS in one:

Therefore, having a sway back is normally two problems in one:

The chest (or red circle) too high away from the belly button (blue jewel), and

The rider sitting on their pubic bone.

This is why male horse riders rarely have sway backs, although men having a sway back in running is quite common.
(Perhaps the runners should come riding with us...that'll fix them!) *smile*

Quick Tips & Exercises:

With two major issues going on at the same time, we need at least two major fixes for it all to work together::

Getting the butt in the saddle
Firstly you really need a measurement to KNOW that you're really "sitting on your butt" and not on your fork in a "perchy pants" position on the pubic bone.

Imagine you're wearing a G-String (ouch!) and imagine that spot where the G-String comes out of your butt at the back....brrr!

Then, while you're in the saddle be silly for a moment and lean back way too far (do it just to "give it a go", but be safe!) until you can feel that spot of the "G-String" touch the saddle.

Then, lower the chest
Stay there for a moment leaning back way too far (OK you'll look a bit crazy, but it's worth it).

Then, the trick is to keep that "G-String spot in place as you lower your "red ring" again to a normal position so you're looking forward again.

Or, you might think of it another way: lowering your chest is as easy as lowering ring (b) and dropping so it sits closer to ring (c) on our diagram on the right.

Bringing the two together
Try this while you're sitting at your computer!
This should bring it all together for you: Lower your red circle at the front towards your "G-String" spot at the back, and your sway back should disappear...instantly