Whether your bad posture is the result of a lack of practice or a medical condition, Pilates can help improve your riding. We find out how...
As a rider, you can take the Pilates principles into the saddle and develop a more effective way of riding
In the final part of our series, Pilates instructor and rider Clare Hoddinott emphasises the all-round benefits of her approach to riding. With most forms of exercise – even in your riding lessons sometimes – you may hear the phrase, ‘No pain, no gain’. But this is a rather old-fashioned and outdated approach to exercise, and there are more therapeutic ways to achieve results.
Pilates follows the mantra ‘No pain, plenty of gain’. It is a non-impact form of exercise that provides a refreshing mind and body workout, develops a strong core, and helps with coordination and flexibility, and much more.
Having discovered how effective the application of the Pilates principles are for me and my horse, I urge riders to spend more time off their horses to develop their riding skills.
Practising good posture is self perpetuating – the more you do it, the more automatic it will become. Having pain for any length of time, like Nicola does, changes the neural stimulation and often the joint stabilisers become deactivated, allowing the strong movement muscles to take over. This exacerbates the problem and pain can become worse. At the very least, there may be adaptive posture changes as the person ‘copes’ with their daily activities.
However, you can have poor posture without being in pain. Many riders will have adapted their bodies in a way that feels comfortable to them, but in reality failing to address the postural issues can lead to pain in the long term. This pain is likely to manifest itself in the horse and lead to resistance in your training