Becoming a Better Rider – Day 26 Rider Posture and Positioning

Becoming a Better Rider – Day 26 Rider Posture and Positioning

Welcome back to day 26 of our 31 day challenge! You already have completed half of this riding challenge, and we are continuing on improving our riding but today’s plan is out of the saddle.

One area of riding that I struggle with is my posture. I cannot tell you how many times I have videoed myself while riding and a catch myself slouching, or my shoulders are rounded. My head is consistently looking down instead of focusing on what is ahead of me. I am not sure if this is because I sit at a desk every day, or if it is just a bad habit I have never paid attention to over the years, but I do struggle with my posture while riding from time to time. I notice it especially if I am tired, or not really into what it is I am doing.

When we slouch, it effects our entire position, and if our position is bad, we won’t be as effective with our riding. But it isn’t as simple as sitting up and pushing our shoulders back.

To be effective as a rider, you need have a good position in the saddle. By doing core building exercises, you are giving yourself a helping hand in your position.

Your first instinct when someone tells you to stop slouching is to thrust your shoulders back which will probably cause you to arch your back, which in turn moves your seat and pushes your pelvis into the seat of the saddler and in turn, into your horse.  And when you thrust your shoulders back, it causes stiffness and tension which is the opposite of what we want when we are riding.

So we are going to dive a little bit deeper into  some different exercises you can do that will help to improve your posture and position in the saddle. I found these exercises on another website, at Dressage Rider Training. They show each exercise, and they also have a corresponding video to show you how to do the exercise correctly.

Bridge Glute Lifts

Great for strengthening your bottom, hamstrings and lower back. Really good to wake up the bottom, especially if you have been sitting on it to long!

Albatross

Great for upper body and improving posture through the shoulder girdle.

Horse Stance

Great for improving strength through the core, especially the stabilizer muscles that support the spine.

 

Lower Locust

Great for improving strength through the lower back and into the glutes.

 

Superman

Helps improve strength through the back, specially the stabilizer muscles that support the spine.

Not Always In The Saddle

I know, this isn’t riding, BUT it will help you to be a better rider. If you can, dedicate yourself to just 10 minutes a day doing these exercises to help yourself better in the saddle.

I believe if you do, you will see a great improvement in your overall positioning in the saddle. At least I hope so, because I am going to dedicate 10 minutes of my day to these exercises.

Incorporating these exercises into your routine with what you are working on in the saddle will make a difference. And you will become a better rider!

Now that you have completed these exercises, be sure to write down on your calendar how long you did your plank exercise and then cross the day off with a big red “X” and congratulate yourself on a job well done!