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Horses can easily do pilates. Naturally, it does not take place on a mat, as is often the case for humans. The purpose of pilates, however, is the same whether the practitioner has two or four legs; to optimize strength, balance, coordination, and body awareness. Here you´ll find five excellent pilates exercises by Gillian Higgins that you can do with your horse.
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Gillian Higgins is the author of Pilates and Stretching. The exercises shown in this article are from the book. She specializes in assessing posture and movement, devising exercises for improving performance and educating horse owners.
When we get up on our horses, we involuntarily wear out their locomotor system. To ensure that our horses can actually endure what we ask of them, it's important that we optimize their physical shape. We can do this, among other things, through targeted exercises.
In pilates, you work with exercises that increase core stability and create strength, flexibility, and body awareness. Maintaining the horse's ability to perform and use their body without getting injured is important.
In other words, co-stability, balance, and strength are just as important for the horse as it is for the rider. In addition to a healthy posture, it can contribute to a more effective workout, improve performance, and can reduce the risk of injuries. Also, it's a nice and fun addition to riding, which can even help to strengthen the partnership between you and your horse.
Pilates exercises for horses work, among other things, to improve the horse's posture and movement. In addition, it can help the body to find a fine balance between resilience and flexibility. Here the horse's body has the opportunity to perform optimally and even with significantly less risk of injury, overload, or tension.
Stimulation and strengthening of the core muscles can be done, among other things, through proper work with the horse in riding. But there are also several exercises from the ground, which work very well with the core muscles without the load from the rider, for example, pilates.
Pilates strengthens the horse´s body and makes the muscles more flexible, which helps the general body posture. Things that we as riders are very interested in. Pilates can also be an important part of a rehabilitation program, where you can strengthen specific muscles or areas of the horse.
Make sure to perform the exercises at a leisurely pace and with a low head posture – this will optimize the result.
Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates, an expert in movement and biomechanics. He made a system of exercises and stretching techniques, where everything was based on the theory that a strong core system supports the back and minimizes the risk of muscle damage.
This exercise is good for increasing flexibility in the back. It also stimulates the thoracic sling and abdominal muscles, both are important in maintaining an appropriate posture.
The exercise stimulates the muscles around the thoracic sling and abdominal cavity. These muscles help optimize the position of the back and they are important in terms of carrying the rider's weight.
This exercise is good for lifting and bending the back. It strengthens the muscles and structures that help activate the hind legs and that help carry the rider's weight. You can also call the exercise reverse collection.
To lift and bend the back and strengthen the muscles that help carry the rider.
This exercise is good for increasing the flexibility of the back and the lower part of the neck. It contributes to a healthy back posture, and it increases the body's ability to bend sideways. In short, it's a thorough and effective stretching exercise.
To increase core stability, strength in abdominal muscles, mobility in the back and general agility.
Stretching exercises must be done when the horse is warmed up, for example after riding.
This exercise is good for increasing flexibility through the shoulder, elbow, hip joints, knees and hocks. It happens when the joints are bent and stretched, and the blood circulation increases in the surrounding soft tissue.
Strengthen the muscles and structures that assist in carrying the rider, such as hip flexion and stability around the pelvis. The exercise is also good for flexing the structures around the shoulder, hip, knee, and hock.
Walk diagonally over poles
This exercise is good for increasing agility and movement in the joints and muscles used for lateral movement.
In this exercise, the horse must lift and bend the back, hip joints, shoulder and elbow as well as the hocks and knees. Among other things, you also work on strengthening the muscles and structures that are involved in activating the hind knee, hip flexion and stabilization of the pelvis. The exercise also helps to strengthen the structures that the horse uses when making lateral work.
