and pilates for · pdf file“pilates is a conditioning system that increases the core...

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www.horsesandpeople.com.au • HORSES and PEOPLE • Page 53 Page 52 • HORSES and PEOPLE • Phone: 07 5467 9796 [email protected] Cold connective tissues which have low blood saturation can be more susceptible to injury. Therefore, it is abolutely vital that your horse is warm. Never attempt to stretch cold muscles. If your horse is unsound, for instance your horse has recently sustained an injury, stretching may be inappropriate. Seek professional advice before commencing a stretching program with your horse. If in doubt during any of these exercises, seek assurance from your vet and take advice from a therapist. They will assess your horse’s musculature and plan a suitable program of stretches. They can also show you how to perform stretches safely without risk to either yourself or your horse. All horses may kick or bite if they don’t like the exercise. Only perform a stretch if you have confidence in yourself and your horse. 1. Begin slowly. Unless otherwise stated, once the maximum stretch is reached hold it there for 5-15 seconds to allow the muscle fibres to relax before taking the stretch further. 2. Work a manageable programme into your daily routine. 3. Be patient. You will only see the benefits of stretching if you perform the stretches regularly and consistently. PILATEs for horses stretching exercises to improve core stability with Gillian Higgins HOW TO STRETCH Increase stride length, range of movement, engagement, flexibility, athleticism and suppleness. Reduce muscular soreness, tension and stiffness. Reduce the risk of injury to joints, muscles and tendons. Improve coordination. Maintain the current level of flexibility. Increase mental and physical relaxation. Increase circulation. Enhance body awareness. STRETCHING CAN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS G illian Higgins, a sports and remedial therapist and event rider based in the United Kingdom, works with horses and riders from all disciplines. After realising that many horse owners could benefit from a deeper understanding of how their horse works, Gillian developed Horses Inside Out, an organisation providing insight into equine locomotion, training and management from an anatomical perspective. Horses and People Magazine is pleased to offer this exciting new series, Pilates for Horses, which will detail new exercises each month that you can use at home with your horse or pony. “Pilates is a conditioning system that increases the core stability, strength and body awareness, re-dresses imbalances and re-aligns the body from the inside out,”Gillian says. “It can improve posture, achieve a balance between strength and flexibility, and relieve tension. “ Many principles of pilates can be applied to horses. Core stability and strength are as important to horses as they are to riders. “Maintaining stability, posture and balance can contribute to more effective training, improved performance and reduce the risk of injury,”Gillian says. Stimulating and strengthening your horse’s core muscles will come through correct work under saddle and skilful use of ridden movements. “There are, however, a number of exercises performed from the ground which can supplement ridden work to help improve your horse’s core stability,”Gillian says. By performing these specific exercises when your horse is warm, the core muscles that make for good posture, a strong back and assist in carrying the weight of the rider can be strengthened. These important muscles include the deep internal muscles of the abdomen, pelvis, thoracic sling and back, together with the more superficial muscles of the trunk. There are two main types of stretching, Gillian explains. ‘Passive’ stretches are performed by the handler. Your horse needs to feel relaxed and confident to achieve these stretches properly.‘Active’ stretches require active muscle contraction from the horse to move body parts and create the stretch himself. Active stretches can be performed during ridden or groundwork exercises, and also with food rewards, such as carrots. The most important thing to remember when stretching your horse or pony is that cold connective tissues which have low blood saturation can be more susceptible to injury. “Therefore, it is absolutely vital that your horse is warm before completing any of these exercises,”Gillian says. “Never attempt to stretch cold muscles.” Images © Horses Inside Out PILATES FOR HORSES and

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Page 1: and PILATEs for · PDF file“Pilates is a conditioning system that increases the core stability, ... “ Many principles of pilates can be ... This exercise is good for stretching

www.horsesandpeople.com.au • HORSES and PEOPLE • Page 53Page 52 • HORSES and PEOPLE • Phone: 07 5467 9796 • [email protected]

• Coldconnectivetissueswhichhavelowbloodsaturationcanbemoresusceptibletoinjury.Therefore,itisabolutelyvitalthatyourhorseiswarm.Neverattempttostretchcoldmuscles.

• Ifyourhorseisunsound,forinstanceyourhorsehasrecentlysustainedaninjury,stretchingmaybeinappropriate.Seekprofessionaladvicebeforecommencingastretchingprogramwithyourhorse.

• Ifindoubtduringanyoftheseexercises,seekassurancefromyourvetandtakeadvicefromatherapist.Theywillassessyourhorse’smusculatureandplanasuitableprogramofstretches.Theycanalsoshowyouhowtoperformstretchessafelywithoutrisktoeitheryourselforyourhorse.

• Allhorsesmaykickorbiteiftheydon’tliketheexercise.Onlyperformastretchifyouhaveconfidenceinyourselfandyourhorse.

1.Beginslowly.Unlessotherwisestated,oncethemaximumstretchisreachedholdittherefor5-15secondstoallowthemusclefibrestorelaxbeforetakingthestretchfurther.

2.Workamanageableprogrammeintoyourdailyroutine.

3.Bepatient.Youwillonlyseethebenefitsofstretchingifyouperformthestretchesregularlyandconsistently.

PILATEs for horsesstretching exercises to improve core stability

with Gil lian Higgins

HOW TO STRETCH

Increasestridelength,rangeofmovement,engagement,flexibility,athleticismandsuppleness.Reducemuscularsoreness,tensionandstiffness.Reducetheriskofinjurytojoints,musclesandtendons.Improvecoordination.Maintainthecurrentlevelofflexibility.Increasementalandphysicalrelaxation.Increasecirculation.Enhancebodyawareness.

STRETCHING CAN

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

GillianHiggins,asportsandremedialtherapistandeventriderbasedintheUnitedKingdom,workswithhorsesandridersfromalldisciplines.Afterrealisingthatmanyhorseownerscouldbenefitfromadeeperunderstanding

ofhowtheirhorseworks,GilliandevelopedHorses Inside Out,anorganisationprovidinginsightintoequinelocomotion,trainingandmanagementfromananatomicalperspective.

HorsesandPeopleMagazineispleasedtoofferthisexcitingnewseries,PilatesforHorses,whichwilldetailnewexerciseseachmonththatyoucanuseathomewithyourhorseorpony.

“Pilatesisaconditioningsystemthatincreasesthecorestability,strengthandbodyawareness,re-dressesimbalancesandre-alignsthebodyfromtheinsideout,”Gilliansays.“Itcanimproveposture,achieveabalancebetweenstrengthandflexibility,andrelievetension.“Manyprinciplesofpilatescanbeappliedtohorses.Corestabilityandstrengthareasimportanttohorsesastheyaretoriders.“Maintainingstability,postureandbalancecancontributetomoreeffectivetraining,improvedperformanceandreducetheriskofinjury,”Gilliansays.

Stimulatingandstrengtheningyourhorse’scoremuscleswillcomethroughcorrectworkundersaddleandskilfuluseofriddenmovements.“Thereare,however,anumberofexercisesperformedfromthegroundwhichcansupplementriddenworktohelpimproveyourhorse’scorestability,”Gilliansays.

Byperformingthesespecificexerciseswhenyourhorseiswarm,thecoremusclesthatmakeforgoodposture,astrongbackandassistincarryingtheweightoftheridercanbestrengthened.Theseimportantmusclesincludethedeepinternalmusclesoftheabdomen,pelvis,thoracicslingandback,togetherwiththemoresuperficialmusclesofthetrunk.

Therearetwomaintypesofstretching,Gillianexplains.‘Passive’stretchesareperformedbythehandler.Yourhorseneedstofeelrelaxedandconfidenttoachievethesestretchesproperly.‘Active’stretchesrequireactivemusclecontractionfromthehorsetomovebodypartsandcreatethestretchhimself.Activestretchescanbeperformedduringriddenorgroundworkexercises,andalsowithfoodrewards,suchascarrots.

Themostimportantthingtorememberwhenstretchingyourhorseorponyisthatcoldconnectivetissueswhichhavelowbloodsaturationcanbemoresusceptibletoinjury.“Therefore,itisabsolutelyvitalthatyourhorseiswarmbeforecompletinganyoftheseexercises,”Gilliansays.“Neverattempttostretchcoldmuscles.”

Images ©Horses Inside Out

PILATES FOR HORSES and

Page 2: and PILATEs for · PDF file“Pilates is a conditioning system that increases the core stability, ... “ Many principles of pilates can be ... This exercise is good for stretching

www.horsesandpeople.com.au • HORSES and PEOPLE • Page 55Page 54 • HORSES and PEOPLE • Phone: 07 5467 9796 • [email protected]

Trytokeephisnosevertical.Asonlyasmallamountofmovementisanatomicallypossibleatthepoll,onlysmallmovementsarenecessarytoachiveastretch.Largemovementswillonlystimulatethejointsandmusclesfurtherdownhisneck.

Thisexerciseisgoodforstimulatingthejointsandsmallmusclesthroughthepollregion.

1.Tostimulatethejointsinthemidregionoftheneckandstretchthelateralmidneckmuscles.

FLEXION OF THE POLL

AIM

HOW TO DO IT

TIP

1.Takethecarrottoyourhorse’schin,therebyencouraginglongitudinalflexionofthepoll.(SeeImage1)2.Takethecarrottothesideofthelipstoencouragelateralflexion.(SeeImages2&3)

Remembertokeepthecarrotincontactwithyourhorse’schinandlipsthroughouttheexercises,ashemaynotbeabletoseethecarrotinthesepositions.

1.Tostretchthemusclesatthepollandthetopoftheneck.2.Tostimulatetheatlanto-occipitalandtheatlanto-axialjoints.

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LATERAL FLEXION OFTHE MID NECK

AIM

HOW TO DO IT

TIP

1.Usingacarrot,encourageyourhorsetobendhisnecktotheside,sothathisnoseisapproximatelylevelwithhisshoulder.(SeeImage1)2.Thentakethecarrotback,sothathisnoseisapproximatelylevelwithhiselbow.(SeeImage2)

Remember,ifthecarrotistakentoofarback,thebaseoftheneckratherthanthemidneckwillbeinfluenced.Keepthecarrotclosetoyourhorse’slipstoensurehismovementissmoothandtoavoid‘bounce’.Repeat2-3timespersession.

Todiscourageyourhorsefromtwistinghisnose,placethecarrotatthecentreofhislipsratherthanatthecornerofhismouth.

Thisexerciseisgoodforstretchingandimprovingsupplenessintheneck.Thisexerciseisalsoparticularlyusefulforhorsesthatcarrytheirneckinasetposition.

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Longitudinalflexionoftheatlanto-axialjoint

Musclesthroughthepollandtoplinearestretched

Longitudinalflexionoftheatlanto-occipitaljoint

Lateralflexionoftheatlanto-occipitaljoint

Musclesstretchedonoutsideofbend

Musclescontractedoninsideofbend

Musclesstretchedonoutsideofbend

Thismusclewillincreasethestretchthetoplinemusclesontheoutsideofthebend

Foranothervariation,takethecarrotlowerjusttothesideofthekneejoint

PILATES FOR HORSES andPILATES FOR HORSESand

Page 3: and PILATEs for · PDF file“Pilates is a conditioning system that increases the core stability, ... “ Many principles of pilates can be ... This exercise is good for stretching

www.horsesandpeople.com.au • HORSES and PEOPLE • Page 57Page 56 • HORSES and PEOPLE • Phone: 07 5467 9796 • [email protected]

1.Tostretchtheneckmusclesandtheveterbraljointsatthebaseoftheneck.

1.Tostrechtheneckmusclesbytelescopingtheneckforwards.2.Tostimulatethecoremusclesasthehorseleansinandreachesforwards.

LATERAL REACH

AIM

HOW TO DO IT

TIP

1.Usingacarrot,encourageyourhorsetoreachouttotheside.(SeeImage1)2.Keeptheheadlowtoincreasethebenefitforcoremusclesandbackpostureasyourhorsebracestoreachforthecarrot.(SeeImage3)3.Ifneeded,performtheseexercisesoverarope,levelwiththehorse’ssternum,fixedacrossthestabledoor.

Remember,keepthecarrotclosetoyourhorse’slipstoensurehismovementissmoothandtoavoid‘bounce’.Repeat3-5timesoneachside.

Yourhorsewilloftenre-arrangehislegs,sothathecanbracehisbodymoreeffectivelytoenablehimtoreachforthecarrot.(SeeImage3)

Thisexerciseisgoodforimprovingsupplenessandflexibilityintheneck,stretchingneckmusclesparticularlyafteranintenseworksessionandstimulatingcoremuscles.

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Thethoracicslingandothercoremusclesarerecruitedtohelpstabilisethebodyastheneckreaches

Thebaseoftheneckisstimulatedandstretched

NECK EXTENSION

AIM

HOW TO DO IT

TIP

1.Usingacarrot,graduallyencourageyourhorsetoreachforwards.(SeeImage1)2.Keepthecarrotatorbelowthelevelofhissternum.Theheadneedstobekeptatthisleveltoachievetheoptimumstretchandcorrectbackposture.

Thisexerciseisbestperformedoveralowstabledoorwayorwithachainorropeacrossthedoorwayatsternumheight.Repeat3-5timeseachsession.

Performthisexerciseatthesamepointwithinyourhorse’sroutine,sohedoesnotcontinuallyexpectcarrots.

Thisexerciseisgoodforstretchingthenecktoreleasemusclesafterworking,promotingcorrectpostureandvertebralalignmentandforhorsesthattendtoworkshortandtightintheirneckordropbehindthecontact.

Thehorsewilloftenrearrangehislegssothathecanbracehisbodymoreeffectively

Musclesintheneckarestretched

Toplinebackmusclesarerelaxed,allowingthebacktoriseslightlyasthehorsereachesforward

NEXT MONTHDon’tmissnextmonth’sissueofHorsesandPeopleMagazinewhereGillianwillcontinuethisPilatesserieswithmorestretchingexercisestohelpstrengthenthecoremusclesthatmakeforgoodpostureandastrongback.

Keeptheheadatorbelowthelevelofthesternumtoencouragecorrectbackposture

Thoracicslingandabdominalmusclesarestimulatedasthehorsereachesforward

Musclesontheinsideoftheneckarestimulated,whilstthoseontheoutsidearestretched

Horses Inside Out AustralianTour 2014

QLD Contact: Kathy Saggers / 0413 054 182 / [email protected] Contact: Jessica Blackwell / 0407 850 033 / [email protected]

Gillian Higgins from Horses Inside Out (UK) is coming to Australia in 2014

QLD Dates7th - 13th April

WA Dates16th - 19th April

Workshops include: Applied Anatomy & Biomechanics, Live Painted Horse Evening Demonstration, Massage,

Anatomical Painting and more!!Find out more on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/horsesinsideoutaustralia

PILATES FOR HORSES andPILATES FOR HORSESand

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