Balancing the Body: Neutral Pelvis

I don't think we can balance the lower part of our body if we aren't sitting correctly. We need to find our Neutral Pelvis, and sit on our seat bones.

The easiest way to do this is to lift one leg up and bring it up to the pommel. Slowly drop it and pick up the stirrup/iron. Repeat with the other leg.

IF your horse is very calm, or if you have someone holding the horse, you can do both legs at one time, first putting one leg on the pommel, then the other. Slowly drop each leg and pick up stirrups/irons.

Another way to find your neutral pelvis is to rock your pelvis forward and backward, each time rocking a little less and find that neutral area. I like todo this first, then lift my leg up and down, on and off the pommel.

Once you can do this, and walk your horse, remaining comfortable in this position, than we can balance your legs and feet. If it gets uncomfortable sitting on your seat bones, rock a little way, back or forward, and don't sit where your seat bones are sore. You have a 1/4-1/2" area where your seat bones can be. It doesn't seem like much, but it is.

As your sitting on your chair, trying these 2 exercises now. Be comfortable with how to find your Neutral Pelvis before you're on your horse!

Let me know how this feels for you!

Balancing the Body: Legs and Arms

After you Stretch out the legs joints - ankle, knee and hip - from the previous post, are your legs even?

Day 4

First, you have to move your legs back... from the hip joint. Let's exercise the leg joints first.

There are a few leg exercises. First, start with the ankle. Move it up anddown. Move it in circles. Stretch it down. Stretch it up. Each stretch should be done slowly.

Next, stretch the knee. Move the lower leg. Swinging it slowly.

Than, move the hip joint. March in place. First with one leg, than the otherleg. With the leg straight, swing the leg back and forth. Slowly.

Finally, move the hip back. Grab the back of your breeches or jeans, and pullthe leg back, slowly. Once the legs are balanced, you will stay balanced.

Day 5

Do you have even weight on each stirrup? Are you sitting square where you have the same length of leg on each side of the horse?

Try leaning a little heavy on one side, putting more weight into that stirrup. Then lean the other way, putting more weight into the other stirrup.

Now, don't lean with the body. Sit square and straight. If you have to balance the upper body, do this know. First lean forward, with your back straight, than backward, leaning a little less each time until you rock into neutral position. Then lean a little sideways, each direction, until you rock your body into neutral position from the side.

Now sit square and balanced, and with only putting more weight into your legs, push down into the stirrup a little with one leg, than the other. Push down a little less each time, until you find that neutral area where you are holding equal weight with each foot in the stirrups. You shouldn't be pushing down with either leg.

Day 6

Now your arms need balanced the same way. Lift them over your head than out to the side. Slowly drop your arms down to your side, with your palms down.

Lift your arms straight out in front of you, than straight over head again. Stretch up slightly with one arm, than the other. Stretch until both arms seem even. Turn your palms out, and slowly drop your arms down to your side.

Now your body is balanced? How do you feel?

Try it now, sitting in a chair. Are you sitting taller? Do you feel even?

If you ride this weekend, try these exercises on your horse and let me know how you feel. Try to keep the feeling of balanced body parts. If you feel a body part isn't even, stop and rebalance.

You may just want to stretch and ride balanced for 15 minutes. Add time slowly each day so
that you aren't sore the next day. Build your time up slowly until you can ride balanced during your whole ride.

Let me know how your riding is going! I'm anxious to hear from you!
Brenda

Balancing the Body: Head, Shoulders and Middle

Day 1

Balancing the Body: Head

As I continue to move boxes to reopen my tack store for 2 months, I am a little sore today. My neck is a little stiff and my shoulders hurt a little last night. As I laid in bed last night, trying to find a comfortable spot, I thought about how I could balance my body. Centered Riding exercises can help in all areas of your life, not just riding.I decided to lay on my back, so there was equal pressure on both shoulders, with my head straight on the pillow.

I balanced my head, tipping it back and forth a little, trying to find that balance spot where my neck wasn't as sore. and it worked. I found a comfortable spot and went to sleep. This morning, I'm constantly rebalancing my head to find that spot where my neck isn't sore.

So as you're sitting there, or go ahead and stand up, what body area feels a little off?

Can you rebalance it by tipping back and forth or putting more weight there,then go back and forth, from too much tipping or weight to too little, trying to find that neutral place? How does it feel after you rebalance?When you go back to continue to do whatever you were doing, does your rebalancing of your body make a difference? Play with this and let me know. Next time you ride, take the time to rebalance each body part and let me know how you feel. Start with your head, and it will make a difference! You will be looking up at least 2" higher. Even stop and do your head now. Look at a spot, remember that spot, then rebalance your head by tipping it back and forth, less and less, to find that neutral spot. Remember to go sideways also. I usually start sideways, then do the chin up and down last.

Let me know!

Day 2

Balancing the Body: Shoulders

hmmmm... does this sound hard? Think about how stiff our shoulders get? If I'm tense, my shoulders are always tense. When I'm tense, I may roll my shoulders back to loosen them, but I have never balanced them. Until now. Once again,with moving tack store boxes, my joints are letting me know that I'm not as young as I used to be, and I keep doing the things I always used to do - bymyself. So after the 3rd day of loading boxes by myself, and having a little bit of help unloading, my knees and shoulders are letting me know that I'm older. Thank you very much!

So today, I balanced my shoulders. I move them forward and backward, finding that neutral spot. I lift them up and down, finding that neutral spot. I roll them backward and forward, finding that neutral spot. Moving those shoulders help to loosen them up. Moving them into the neutral position keeps them from being stiff. When I go to bed, I'll be moving my shoulders, finding both that neutral spot, and that comfortable spot! What area of your body stiffens up when you ride, and what do you do to loosen that area?

Day 3

Balancing the Body: Middle

Head, shoulders, now our middle. Acutally, it's the whole body! Where is our upper body when we ride. Forward? and over the horse's shoulders? Making the shoulders sore? Backwards? and over the horse's loins? Making the back sore?

Or in the middle? Over the horse's center of gravity?

To balance the middle, lean forward and then leaned backward. Lean a little less each time, until you settle into neutral. You are balanced. Relax. No really, relax your whole body. Sink down into the saddle, into the stirrups or irons. Relax your head, your shoulders, your middle, your thighs, your legs, your feet, your arms, your hands. Enjoy the feeling of being totally balanced with your body.

Embrace this feeling.

Embrace the feel!

Then enjoy the ride!

Are you a Balanced Rider

Why do you think you are not a balanced rider? What is not in balance? Your upper body? Your lower body? Or an individual part of your body? Your legs? Your head? Your right or left shoulder?

One of the Centered Riding Basics is Building Blocks. The alignment, that we were all taught in 4-H or basic riding lessons, still applies. Back of ear, through your shoulders and hips, to the back of the heel. A straight line from your shoulder, hip to your heel. But what is also just as important is the ear.

How much do you think your head weighs? 2#? 5#? 10#? How about 10-12# for an adult! That is a lot of weight that can throw your whole upper body off balance. And where do most people go when they are thrown off balance? Forward, over the horse’s neck.

Even if you are not thrown off balance, but you are constantly looking down, where did the weight go? Forward. And down. Down onto your horses withers and shoulders to the front legs.

As I’ve been doing lessons the past few weeks, I have concentrated on balancing the head of the rider, as well as the rest of the body. It is amazing how much more you look UP after you have balanced your head. First, look straight ahead, and look at a point on the wall. Remember where this point is, because we will come back to that point to see if we are still looking at it.

We start to balance our head by tipping the head side to side, first one way than the other, slowly. Each time we go from side to side with out head, we tip our head a little less each time, until we settle into the middle. Then we balance our head from front to back. First touching our chin to our chest, than slowly leaning our head back. We tip our head a little less each time, until we settle into the middle.

Where are you looking now? Every time I do this myself, I am always looking a few inches higher. Another thing that I have realized this past month, as I’m doing the exercises along with the lesson people, is that I’m not as stiff in the neck and shoulder area as I used to be. I still am a little tight behind one shoulder blade, but as I do the stretches, I can tell that my body is starting to relax and to stay in proper alignment.

Another exercise that I feel has been helping with the head alignment is a vertical stretch of our arms. First, let’s get our soft eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. As we stretch, we will breathe deep. Breathe in through your nose, fill up your lungs, so that the air pushes down onto the diaphragm and your stomach moves. Exhale through your mouth. Breathe deep a couple of times.

Now, with your hands on top of your shoulders, and your eyes soft, breathe in deeply. Try this now, sitting in your chair. First put both feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart. Look straight ahead and see where you are looking.

Now, as you breathe in deeply, slowly straighten your arms upward, then as your breathe out slowly through your mouth, turn your palms out, with palms down as you slowly lower your arms to the sides of your body. (Turning your palms down as you lower your arms is important so there is no twist on the bones in your arms.) Repeat 2 more times, slowly, deep breathing and with soft eyes. Where are you looking? I am looking about 2” higher than I was looking before doing the exercise. On a horse, looking at the arena wall, I may look 6” higher, depending on how far the wall is.

We always want to move our joints slowly, to allow the tight muscles and ligaments to stretch without causing them any harm. And as always, if you feel any pain or discomfort, stop stretching. If the pain or discomfort continues, please see a doctor (I almost said vet! Lol).

I am interested in what you are thinking so I can help you. Do you tend to lean one way? Do you feel like you're not sitting straight? Where are your muscles tight? What gets sore when you ride?

I’ll move on to balancing the shoulders and more upper body exercises next.

Come along on the journey!