German Dressage at the USDF Convention

USDF Convention
November 30, 2006

Equi-Stretch®: Strengthening and Stretching Techniques for the Rider

By Dan Weltner and Kristi Weltner Redd

Dan Weltner and Kristi Weltner Redd are the co-creators and producers of the Equi-Stretch® home workout video series. By combining Kristi's expertise in horse training and riding instruction with Dan's extensive knowledge of fitness and dance, their mission is to bring riders closer to the goal of functioning "as one" with their horses.

There are a group of problems common to many riders (knees creeping up during the sitting trot and/or having a stiff and rigid appearance), that are neither due to a lack of athleticism or enthusiasm, nor to a lack of fitness. Instead, the riders lack the ability to isolate specific body parts needed for riding either on or off the horse. The following exercises help the rider to recognize and isolate the appropriate muscles off the horse so that they can subsequently transfer the newfound awareness to their riding.

It all begins with the "S" curve, which means finding a BALANCED relationship between the upper back muscles, abdominals and the hamstrings. In the saddle, riders need to be able to engage the abdominals to sit tall, yet SIMULTANEOUSLY RELEASE THE HIP FLEXORS in order to allow the legs to drape long around the horse. Equally important is the ability to remain free and flexible in the lower back. Appropriate tension must be maintained in the upper back for a strong sense of center, but there must be increased flexibility in the back of the legs. Putting that all together isn't intuitive for most riders.

The beginning exercises:

Equestrian Crunches: Similar to the abdominal crunches done in high school, these are for strengthening the abs, but these are done slowly and in a controlled fashion, WITHOUT anyone sitting on your feet. The goal is to engage the abs WITHOUT involving the hip flexors. First you crunch part way up, then pelvic tilt (the pelvic tilt requires hip flexors--you are feeling here the muscles you DO NOT want to use) then RELEASE of the pelvic tilt, then completion of the crunch, then back down. Eventually, you should be able to do the full crunch without the tilt. If you put your hand on the top of your thigh, just below the crease, you should NOT feel any contraction of your hip flexors if you are doing the crunch part correctly using ONLY your abs. If you haven't been doing ab work, this may be VERY difficult at first. This will greatly help the sitting trot, particularly the ability to sit without the knees raising up.

Other exercises were demonstrated (and are impossible to describe without pictures/diagrams) that involved simple stretches, "walking" on the seatbones while seated on the floor, and leg lifts. It was not particularly strenuous--more like a very focussed combination of Pilates and Yoga.

The program is divided up into 3 levels. Level One isolation (beginning) is key in developing the sitting trot and canter, and improves control of the lower back for applying effective half halts from the seat. Level Two isolation is useful for focusing through turns and helps the rider better understand how to initiate thie action from the pelvis and also introduces the concept of spiral and opposition. The neutral pelcis exercise teaches the rider to nake adjustments in the leg from the hip socket without nmaking undesirable changes to the pelvis, ankle or foot.

A 5 minute pre-ride warm-up was also demonstrated, as was proper breathing technique while riding.

There is a web site (with program videos) for those interested in more information. http://www.equistretch.com/

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