HORSE RIDING BIOMECHANICS
If you want to ensure that your body is functioning to the best of its ability so that you can reach your riding potential, Optimal Movement can help.
Intrinsic Biomechanics
Biomechanical restrictions can cause poor posture, reduce your ability to absorb the shock of the horse’s movement, and affect your “loading,” or weight distribution. This means that your body will be giving signals to the horse to move in a certain way, even if you aren’t aware of it. Even tiny deviations have an impact on how you and your horse work together.
Intrinsic biomechanics is the study of how the body moves and functions. It looks at how the muscles, nerves, and joints work together to create movement.
We can evaluate your intrinsic biomechanics with specific screens (tests) to assess the pelvis, spine, and shoulders. We can then prescribe a program of anti-spasm exercises to improve function and performance.
Muscle Spasms
Biomechanical restrictions can be caused by muscle spasm, this isn’t the type of spasm where you bend over and get intense pain. It’s a gradual muscle spasm that builds up in a muscle that is protecting a vulnerable joint/area and it’s not something that you may feel.
Muscles that are stuck in a state of spasm, neither ‘fully on’ or ‘fully off’, become dysfunctional because they struggle to relax and can’t use their full power capacity either. If muscles around your pelvis and hip joint go into spasm it can have a huge impact on your riding position such as; making your legs appear to be different lengths, causing you to slip to one side, effecting how central you are in the saddle and even influencing your shoulders and in-turn your ability to maintain an elastic contact. Anti-spasm or ‘normalise’ exercises restore function by re-programming the muscles to switch on and off effectively.
Benefits of Biomechanics Assessments
- Improve your riding position and balance
- Reduce your risk of injuries
- Increase your power and efficiency
- Improve your communication with your horse
- Benefits the maintaining functional movement in the body and allows further progressions in training
Biomechanics Session
75minsInitial assessment (1.5 hours):
Initial assessment of standing posture
Intrinsic biomechanics screening of the spine and pelvis – a series of mobility tests to establish if the body is functioning optimally
Dynamic assessment on the stability ball
Exercise prescription for muscle release and mobility
Summary sheet and homework exercise sheets
Biomechanics Gold Package
4 x SessionsInitial assessment (75mins):
Initial assessment of standing posture
Intrinsic biomechanics screening of the spine and pelvis – a series of mobility tests to establish if the body is functioning optimally
Dynamic assessment on the stability ball
Exercise prescription for muscle release and mobility
Summary sheet and homework exercise sheets
Three x 50 minute follow-up sessions (approximately one to two weeks apart):
Repeat of biomechanics screening to assess progress
Further prescription of relevant muscle release exercises and Equipilates™ exercises
Personalized exercise program to continue practicing at home
Book your biomechanics assessment today and start riding better than ever!
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