Rider biomechanics
with Julie Malcolm
Vertical alignment-
In this issue Julie explains how having good
vertical alignment helps your stability on
the horse and also encourages a picture
perfect position in the saddle. The better
you sit, the better your horse can go so get
reading and then try putting it into practise
on your horse!
exercise one
One of the crucial building blocks of a good seat on a horse is vertical alignment. In dressage
or flatwork the alignment is an imaginary plumb-bob dropped from your ear to your ankle. On
the way the imaginary vertical line should bisect the rider’s shoulder, hip joint, and ankle joint.
In my coaching work I often see riders that are nowhere near lined up - in all codes and in all
levels from novice to advanced, amateurs to professionals. Why is it important? When your
body is correctly stacked up it is much more stable, and able to absorb the forces acting on
it. It helps our horses to carry us better, it helps us keep up with our horses and it can help
keep our back in better shape too.
When we are on board our horse we are in a sitting-standing position – it’s a bit of a compromise so that our weight is, in theory, distributed over the ribcage of the horse as well as its
long back muscles.
Put yourself in a sitting-standing position while standing on the ground. This is with your knees
bent and your legs apart as if straddling a horse. If you have a long mirror handy have a look
at your line up by standing sideways on to the mirror. What do you see? I bet your ankles are
almost directly in line with your hip joints (because if they are not you will have trouble keeping upright). If you don’t have a mirror that you can use enlist another pair of eyes to give
you feedback.
Now try this: While in your sitting-standing position get your ankles in front of your hips –
what do you notice? You’ll probably fall backwards! The extent to which you fall backwards will
depend on how well you are able to enlist your quad muscles (the big muscles at the front of
your thighs) and your core abdominal muscles. Either way you will notice its rather hard work
to stay upright! Now try the opposite and have your ankles behind your hips (or your hips in
front of your ankles) – you’ll notice your body will want to pitch forward.
The exact same forces will act on your body when you are on the horse. If on your horse your
ankle knobbles are in front of your hips your body will tend to tip backwards once the horse
gets in motion. If we magically disappear the horse out from underneath you, you might land
on your feet but you’d fall backwards. If your feet are a long way in front of the vertical line
from your hip you’d be at high risk of landing on your nether regions. Consequently if your feet
are too far back you will be more likely to pitch forward if the horse is taken out from under
you.