Equestrian Athlete Training

Riding shouldn't be painful, but often is. Physical discomfort is the main reason people seek out the services of Amika Ryan's Human Performance personal training. Pain relief, however, is just one of several life-changing benefits to working with an equestrian-focused personal trainer.

Addressing physical imbalances in the body and developing the core muscles critical in the sport have facilitated remarkable progress in my clients' riding. Many work-outs start with clients happily reporting more effective riding that results from being in better, more balanced shape.

It makes total sense. Everybody that I've seen has muscular imbalnces. That affects the way you ride. If your hip is tight, for example, you may be shifting that hip forward in the saddle. Horses are amazing in how they compensate for the imbalances of their riders, but imagine how much better they could perform if their riders were in balance.

Balance, strength and flexibility are attainable goals for anybody. My clientele ranges from 13 to 86, with the majority being females in their 50s. Pain in the sacroiliac (lower back), hip and back are common complaints and are easily remedied with some personalized stretches.

San Diego's environmentally friendly fitness center, the Greenasium, is my preferred environment in which to train riders. One-day clinics are also an option if you have a group of riders who want to learn to improve ther riding experience through better physical fitness. Movement and core strength of each paricipant is assessed and a custom proram is assigned. In addition to eliminating muscle pain, goals often include having more stamina in the saddle and even simply looking better in breeches. Whatever your goals, your ftiness program will incorporate three types of muscle work: stabilization, strengthening and power building.

The progression begins with isometric exercises that isolate and develop the pelvic and abdominal muscles. In this phase, the muscles contract and release without the body moving. Abdominal crunches are often one of the first steps in the strengthening phase. Next, power is developed through exercises that require counteracting a force, and/or creating momentum or velocity. Work with weighted balls and machines that provide weight resistance are typically part of this phase.

I work with most clients at the Greenasium in Encinitas. It's San Diego's first green fitness studio, and I prefer working out of here because they create such a phenomenal community around health and fitness. The environment is not at all intimidating and my clients always feel very comfortable there and enables clients to best maximize their results.

I usually work with clients for a finite period of time. I believe in educating my clients so they can maintain their program on their own. Some people come to me with chronic problems, which we can address and solve with exercises. And I have a lot of people who won't work out unless they have that appointment at the gym. It is "personal" training and thus each program is suited to each person's preferences and needs.

For more information, visit www.amikaryan.com or call 858-429-4049.

Fashion Designers Nicole Miller, Tre and Mister B will host a half-time fashion show. Tesla Motors, a California-based electric car company, will auction off 4 hour Roadster drive experience to raise funds for Kids Korps

July 18, 2010-Encinitas CA FINE Magazine continues to grow its support of the San Diego community through a renewed sponsorship of the 2010 San Diego Polo Club's USPA Rossmore Cup. John Winfield, Publisher of FINE Homes and Living Magazine comments, "We are proud to sponsor our second Rossmore Cup, formerly known as the Tiffany Cup," he says. "It's an important part of our mission to bring attention to local businesses and community organizations. In addition to our print and web publication efforts, we are actively involved in local events that celebrate and raise funds for organizations such as Kids Korps that serve our community." The Rossmore Cup is an international event with coverage from ESPN and other national medias. The semi-finals begin at 1:30 pm on Sunday, August 29th. Finals and trophy award presentations are held the following Sunday, Sept. 5th.

The Rossmore Cup is a USPA sanctioned event, assuring a competitive field for a prestigious trophy. This year's FINE Magazine sponsored tournament will surpass last year's festivities. Following the classic champagne divot stomp, attendees will enjoy a half-time fashion show including designer fashion from Nicole Miller, Tre' and Mister B. "Our community is our customer," says Sheree Vihoon-Bergthold, Owner of Tre' Clothing. "This is a great way to show off our fashions while helping Kids Korps USA, and having a fashion show at the polo grounds will make for an exciting event."

Attendees and sponsors alike will have an opportunity to view and experience the Tesla Roadster, an ultra-high performance, zero emission, 100% electric automobile. The Tesla Roadster Sport accelerates faster than nearly any other supercar -- 0 to 60 mph in a blazing 3.7 seconds -- yet it is twice as energy efficient as a hybrid resulting in guilt-free driving enjoyment. Guests will have the opportunity to bid on a 4-hour Roadster Sport drive experience. Other auction giveaways and announcements are planned with proceeds benefiting Kids Korps.

Equestrian or horse-related injuries are a serious but under-appreciated health problem and merit targeted prevention efforts.  Alongside motor sport injuries, equestrian sports have one of the highest rates of serious injury worldwide. Chances of being seriously injured is one in every 2,000 hours of riding and one in every 10,000 riders are fatally injured each year. Serious injury types include head injuries and fractures. Unmounted equestrians are also at risk of serious injury. Special populations are also considered.

Injuries

The most common types of serious injury caused to equestrians include fractures, dislocations, traumatic brain injuries, musculoskeletal injuries, orthopedic injuries, and spinal injuries. Serious injuries are most commonly sustained from the horse falling or the rider being thrown from the horse, though injuries can be caused by a number of different variables.

One study surveyed 85 patients who had been injured while riding or tending to horses while at a guest ranch or horse outfitter. Patients ranged in age from 2 to 77 years. More than half were inexperienced or beginner riders. The study noted that injuries were related to rider inexperience, equipment problems, or unpredictable horse behavior.

Head injuries account for approximately half of equestrian-related injuries and are the most common cause of admission to a hospital. Sixty percent of fatal injuries to riders are caused by head trauma. Fractures account for 30-40% of serious horse-related injuries.

Equestrians are also at risk of serious injury on the ground. Horse hoof kicks can cause contusions of the extremities, the back, and the trunk and are the most common. Isolated facial injury from a kick is not uncommon. Plastic surgery is often needed because of the complexity of the facial soft tissue wounds and broken bones.

Special Populations

Teenagers and children have a higher incidence of head injuries than the general rider population. Although equestrian injuries in children vary in their severity, these injuries are significant considering that nearly half of patients experience long-term disabilities. Additionally, serious foot injuries may occur in children during equestrian activities. Foot lesions and fractures that require hospital admission of pediatric patients can be inflicted by the horse falling on the patient with the child's foot caught in the stirrup between the animal and the ground.

Jockeys suffer a high incidence of injury as a consequence of their profession. The chance for horseracing personnel to be seriously injured is 160 times higher than recreational horseback riders. The majority of career-ending injuries to professional jockeys occur to the head, followed by the shoulder or torso, with fractures are the most common type of career-ending injury. In addition to direct spinal injury caused by a fall, equestrian sports can cause progressive spine degeneration as a result of repetitive trauma and increased physical stress on the spine. Older jockeys are particularly at risk of lumbar and cervical spine degeneration. 

Prevention

Nearly 40% of horse-related injuries are preventable. Effective methods to prevent equestrian-related injuries include education and passive protection equipment. Information is limited on other specific prevention strategies, though stretching, chiropractic adjustments, and physical conditioning may also be effective prevention measures for some types of injuries.

It is important to raise awareness of risks associated with recreational horseback riding among riders and service providers, such as guest ranches and outfitters. Educational lectures and the distribution of educational literature is an effective injury prevention measure. Providers may be able to decrease the number of horse-related injuries by enforcing rider screening procedures and procedural safety measures.

Head injuries and other serious injuries occur with equestrian activities and it is important for doctors, instructors, and parents to promote the use of appropriate safety equipment, including helmets, especially for children. Most professionals in the equine industry advocate the use of equestrian helmets to prevent head trauma. Foot and ankle injuries can be prevented by the use of safety stirrups and strengthened riding boots and limiting the use of spurs.

Alterative preventive and treatment methods include chiropractic adjustments, stretching and myofascial therapy, which have been shown to reduce pain and inflammation and promote normal biomechanical function. Additionally, horseback riders, when compared to athletes in other sports, exercise performance was found to be lower. Equestrian athletes need to supplement conventional sport activity with traditional aerobic and anaerobic training regimens. This lack of adequate physical conditioning of the rider may be a contributing factor to injuries.

Finally, riding with a partner or under supervision of an adult can lead to prompt medial attention if a serious injury is sustained, and the use of good judgment when handling and riding horses can prevent many accidents from taking place.

Sources

Balendra, G., M. Turner, and P. McCrory. 2008. "Career-ending injuries to professional jockeys in British horse racing (1991-2005)." British Journal of Sports Medicine 42, no. 1: 22-24. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Ceroni, D. 2007. "Support and safety features in preventing foot and ankle injuries in equestrian sports." International SportMed Journal 8, no. 3: 166-178. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Ceroni, D., V. De Rosa, G. De Coulon, and A. Kaelin. 2007. "The importance of proper shoe gear and safety stirrups in the prevention of equestrian foot injuries." Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery 46, no. 1: 32-39. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Dekker, R., CK, J. Kootstra, J.W. Groothoff, W.H. Eisma, and H.J. ten Duis. 2004. "Long-term outcome of equestrian injuries in children." Disability & Rehabilitation 26, no. 2: 91-96. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Desmarais, A., and M. Descarreaux. 2007. "Diagnosis and management of "an apparent mechanical" femoral mononeuropathy: a case study." Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 51, no. 4: 210-216. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Exadaktylos, A.K., S. Eggli, P. Inden, and H. Zimmermann. 2002. "Hoof kick injuries in unmounted equestrians. Improving accident analysis and prevention by introducing an accident and emergency based relational database." Emergency Medicine Journal 19, no. 6: 573-575. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Loder, RT. 2008. "The demographics of equestrian-related injuries in the United States: injury patterns, orthopedic specific injuries, and avenues for injury prevention." Journal of Trauma 65, no. 2: 447-460. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 5, 2009).

Meyers, M.C., and J.C. Sterling. 2000. "Physical, hematological, and exercise response of collegiate female equestrian athletes." Journal of Sports Medicine & Physical Fitness 40, no. 2: 131-138. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009)

Newton, A.M., and A.M. Nielsen. 2005. "A review of horse-related injuries in a rural Colorado hospital: implications for outreach education." JEN: Journal of Emergency Nursing 31, no. 5: 442-446. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Petridou, E., S. Kedikoglou, M. Belechri, E. Ntouvelis, N. Dessypris, and D. Trichopoulos. 2004. "The mosaic of equestrian-related injuries in Greece." Journal of Trauma 56, no. 3: 643-647. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Sorli, JM. 2000. "Equestrian injuries: a five year review of hospital admissions in British Columbia, Canada." Injury Prevention 6, no. 1: 59-61. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

Tsirikos, A., P.J. Papagelopoulos, P.N. Giannakopoulos, P.J. Boscainos, A.B. Zoubos, M. Kasseta, P.A. Nikiforidis, and D.S. Korres. 2001. "Degenerative spondyloarthropathy of the cervical and lumbar spine in jockeys." Orthopedics 24, no. 6: 561-564. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 4, 2009).

The goal of every rider is to achieve synergy with the horse. Moments when the rider and horse connect in seamless fluidity through movements are achievable with precise communication, balance, and coordination. Performance in this synergistic zone not only requires a fit horse, but also a rider who is physically, mentally, and emotionally conditioned. The horse is not the only athlete in this relationship. Equestrian-specific cross training for the rider is necessary for consistent optimal performance of the horse and rider team.

 

Cross training for the equestrian athlete is similar in principal to cross training for other sports. Training can increase a rider's flexibility, coordination, strength, stamina, relaxation, balance and over-all body tone while decreasing tension, pain, strain, injury, and frustration. In many cases, training the rider on the ground makes developing and reaching key performance goals quicker and safer than doing so on horseback. However, cross-training the equestrian athlete is unique from any other sport-specific training. The level of training and natural skill of a rider certainly influences the horse's performance, but general fitness of the rider is also a factor. A rider must move her arms and legs independent from one another and the trunk of the body, which takes tremendous body awareness, stamina, and muscular strength.

 

For example, when developing muscular strength in a rider, it is not for the purposes of overpowering the horse. The horse is larger and more powerful than a human and meeting a horse's force with force is a no-win situation. Instead, the increased strength a rider gains from cross training is applicable to many skills required for excellent riding. Developments in the neuromuscular system from strength training give the rider greater muscle control and accuracy in applying aids. Greater muscular performance through targeted training of the body's three energy systems will enable the rider to ride longer, react faster, and be less susceptible to injury. Proper strength training also balances muscles leading to a balanced seat and more effective use of aids.

 

Obstacles to fluid riding can be remedied through rider adherence to a comprehensive training program. The rider has the ability to tremendously influence the movements of the horse. When a rider is unfit, the horse must compensate in order to maintain his own balance. Sometimes the rider's tension, stiffness, weakness, immobility, lack of focus, or other imbalances compromise the horse's performance. For example, body awareness and simple breathing exercises decreases unnecessary muscle tension that creates blocks in communication between the rider and horse.

 

It is necessary that equestrian cross training programs be tailored to the individual needs of the rider. Each rider's fitness level varies and so too do the training programs designed for each rider. Some factors influencing the program elements include the rider's current fitness level, current and past injuries, riding discipline(s), skill level, ability to focus and take direction, body awareness, personal goals, and identified needs. The best way to develop a comprehensive training program is to start with a thorough assessment administered by a certified fitness professional with experience training equestrian athletes. The fitness professional then analyzes data gained from the assessment to determine the most effective and beneficial training program for the individual rider.

Please contact Amika Ryan Human Performance, specializing in training for the equestrian athlete, to get started on your cross-training program today!