12/16/2024
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Let's talk balance!
Every single run Kassie Mowry made at the NFR I commented on her balance. She remains so perfectly aligned with Jarvis's center of gravity that they just move together as a seamless team.
Now, that's not always a reality for all of us, so let's talk about center of gravity and how we can work toward remaining balanced over our equine athletes.
The center of gravity (CG) in humans is generally located slightly behind our bellybutton when standing. It typically lies around 54% to 56% of the body height from the ground, depending on factors such as gender and body composition. For men, it is usually higher (closer to 56%) than for women (closer to 54%) due to anatomical differences like muscle distribution and hip structure.
The horseโs COG is roughly located level with its heart, below the withers and centrally from a sagittal view. The COG shifts depending on the horse's conformation, head position, hoof angles, and motion.
Maintaining alignment with the horse's CG at all speeds and positions is key to effective riding and minimizing strain on both horse and rider.
This is particularly difficult in barrel racing with the rapid speed changes, direction changes, and acceleration around the barrel.
That's why Kassie's ability stands out so clearly- it seems effortless for her (even in the look on her face).
Developing body awareness of your own center of gravity comes first. That's why an athletic person is often a multi-sport athlete, or why athletes can often pick up horseback riding more naturally than those who don't do sports.
1) ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐จ. Build strength in your muscles and improve the communication between your brain and your muscles. Use it or lose it.
That way, when you horse moves forward, your core muscles can stabilize you to keep your center of Gravity over his. When he stops, your back muscles can stabilize you to do the same.
Sign up for our free Advent Calendar Challenge which features 23 days of easy deep core strengthening exercises at www.solidinthesaddle.com/advent .
2) ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐. The best way to improve your ability to affect your center of gravity is to practice it. Balance training shows improvements really quickly, so you won't have to wait long to see results. I have a webinar on balance training- if you comment " balance" I'll dig it up.
3) ๐ผ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐. This one is a no-brainer. The faster your muscles can react to compensate for a change in the horse's center of gravity (say, to the left, to the right, or forward), the faster you will regain your seat and be centered over your horse again. Comment "agility" for a free agility workout PDF.
4) ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง๐จ๐๐จ. Each horse has a slightly different COG and one of the fastest ways to get truly good at matching it is to ride a ton of different horses. Bonus hack- have someone video your riding! Notice if you put more weight to one side, if you look tipped forward, or if you're constantly riding in an "armchair" position.
Comment "balance" for a 4 exercise PDF you can do horseback to get a better feel for their center of gravity (leader required).
5) ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ. If your saddle is too small, your center of gravity will be too far forward and you'll feel pitched forward. You'll have difficulty transitioning downward in speed. If it's too big, your center of gravity will be too far backward and you'll feel like you're always getting left behind.
Kassie has been a career futurity trainer and has probably ridden thousands of horses at this point. We should each be striving for new opportunities to expand our riding horizons to tune in our own bodies at finding that perfect balance point.
I know this was a long post, but I am so inspired by Kassie as I know many of you are, and I wanted to give you some actionable tips to get started improving your riding balance.
If you found this valuable, feel free to share or tag a fellow horseback rider who may be able to use these tips too.
Sincerely,
Dr. Aleisha
Founder, Solid in the Saddle
Clayton, H.M., MacKechnie-Guire, R. and Hobbs, S.J. (2023). Ridersโ Effects on HorsesโBiomechanical Principles with Examples from the Literature. Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI, [online] 13(24), p.3854. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243854.
