Rider biomechanics – 13 issues to recollect if you wish to be a great rider

Mary Wanless, an internationally famend dressage coach and rider biomechanics specialist, shares some helpful recommendation on how appropriate biomechanics can positively have an effect on efficiency.

1. The best way wherein you place your limbs, how steady you might be and the way you’ll be able to affect your horse is finished by means of the biomechanics of your physique. The extra sturdy and steady, but supple you might be in your physique, (i.e the place the rider has good biomechanics), the extra they will positively affect their horse.

2. As you might be sitting in your horse, your shoulder, hip and heel ought to all align. Take into consideration whether or not you’d land in your toes, in stability in case your horse was taken from beneath you.

3. Your thigh bone must be 45 levels to the vertical for optimum effectiveness.

4. Most riders fall into one in all two classes — they’re both hole or spherical backed. Riders must be impartial and vertical of their again positions, the place the space from seat to neck is identical quantity on each the entrance and rear of a rider’s higher physique.

5. It’s also widespread for riders to both fall into the up or down class of their seat. “Up” riders are likely to trip just like the saddle may be very scorching, and can sit very tall, whereas “down” riders plonk within the saddle with a heavier seat. Riders with good biomechanics will match in-between these two classes.

6. Riders must have the identical quantity of weight by means of each seatbones.

7. The “up” motion of a rider in rising trot ought to match the ahead thrust of their horse.

8. There must be no motion from the knee down within the rider’s leg in rising trot. Equally, riders shouldn’t hole their backs on the prime of the rise.

9. The contact space between horse and rider must be the equal of the world of a full-seated pair of breeches. The rider’s weight must be distributed over the horse’s ribcage

10. Good rider biomechanics isn’t essentially about how relaxed they’re, however is extra about good use of their muscle tissue and power (which isn’t at all times that enjoyable!) to stabilise themselves on the horse.

11. To trip successfully, riders want to have interaction their core muscle tissue — take into consideration sucking your tummy in to make a wall after which push your core out in opposition to that wall.

12. Riders have to be equally nicely “stuffed” with power by means of their our bodies.

13. There must be extra weight by means of your thigh than in your foot.

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Gemma is an skilled journalist, having been a part of the H&H crew since 2014, who’s keen about all equestrian sports activities, together with racing and point-to-pointing. She has loved driving out for prime trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took half in a charity Flat race at in August 2018. Gemma’s reporting abilities have taken her to quite a few five-star occasions round Britain and Europe, in addition to European championships.