Horse riding and core training with Kinesis and Wellness Ball

The core is a complex muscle system that includes: the pelvic floor muscles, the transverse abdominal muscle, the multiphydus, the internal and external oblique, the rectum of the abdomen, the sacrospinal muscle and the diaphragm. It is well known that training the core improves our overall balance and the strength of the upper and lower limbs with a result in an improvement in sporting performance.

Many sports performance, therefore, depends on the stability of the core muscles: horse riding is part of these. In particular, jockeys must train this musculature because good stability at the abdominal level helps to control the horse and to give it correct orders. The rider does not just "stand on the saddle": the horse responds to the stimuli that derive from the muscle commands given by the rider.

Exercises with Kinesis for horse riding

Which muscles are mainly involved? adductors, quadriceps, buttocks and core muscles.

The correct maintenance of the posture and the consequent set-up during the race depend, in fact, on the core that will have to work efficiently even for long periods of time. The athlete must therefore try to improve the strength and endurance of this muscle group if he is to succeed in giving perfect commands to his horse throughout the competition.

Hip hinge to alternated high pull

From the station in front of Kinesis, tilt your torso forward while maintaining its natural physiological curves. From here, grasp the lower handles with your arms outstretched.

Extend the torso until it returns to the upright station, then pull the right handle backward and upwards, with the passing elbow above the line joining the shoulders. Exhale in a slow and controlled manner throughout the extension of the torso and the traction of the arm. Return to the starting position by inhaling and repeating with the opposite limb.

Reverse Woodchop on ball

Sitting on the Wellness Ball lon the side of Kinesis, grasp the two lower handles with the arms outstretched by turning your torso in the direction of these.

Twist your torso while moving your arms upwards until you exceed the height of your shoulders. Breathe in slowly and controlled during the movement, then return to the starting position inhaling before repeating the movement. At the end of the exercise, sit 180° away from the starting position and repeat the exercise on the opposite side.

Crunch on ball

Lying on your back on a Wellness Ball with your feet firmly on the ground. Hold the two lower handles with your arms extended upwards.

Flex the trunk by raising your head and shoulders while keeping your arms outstretched in front of your torso. Breathe in during contraction and breathe in returning to the starting position before repeating the movement.

Squat jump

Grasp the two Kinesis lower handles, then stand upright with your shoulders to Kinesis and step between the feet equal to or slightly greater than the width of the shoulders.

Bend ankles, knees and maintaining the natural physiological curves of the back until the thighs are approximately parallel to the ground. Breathe in throughout the descent. Then, exhaling, perform a rapid extension of the lower limbs trying to jump as high as possible. Be careful to cushion the contact with the ground by keeping the lower limbs slightly flexible. After that, make sure that you have taken your starting position again before repeating the movement.

 Sunken

Grasp the two lower handles of Kinesis, then stand in a standing station in front of Kinesis.

Take a step towards Kinesis with your right leg while flexing your knee and hip. At the same time, bend your left knee to touch the ground. The width of the step must be such on get, at greatest flexion, angles of about 90° between the thighs and at the level of the right and left knees. Breathe in during this phase. Then, exhaling, return to the starting position by performing the opposite movement before repeating with the contralateral limb.

Exercises with ball and dumbbell

There are several valid exercises that jockeys can perform to improve core stability and thus performance. When preparing for the competitive season we recommend exercises with free weights performed standing on an unstable surface: this type of work is recommended to improve the strength and power of the core. Another simple but effective exercise that strengthens the oblique muscles is lifting the handlebar with lateral bending of the torso.

The specific training of jockeys is what reproduces the stimuli of horse riding. Using a tool like an exercise ball plays a key role. In fact, this tool allows you to create instability, forcing the contraction of the core muscles as a result as when riding. On Wellness Ball Active Sitting jockeys can perform three fundamental exercises that reproduce the position of the ride. The first, which is also the simplest, consists of sitting over the ball and alternately lifting the knees towards the chest.

The second is the "prone cobra" exercise performed on the Wellness Ball, which activates the abdominal muscles in a similar way to when the jockey is bent forward on the horse.

The last one is the "knee tuck". This exercise, which may seem apparently more difficult than it really is, activates the abdominal rectum, the transverse muscle and the muscles of the lumbar area, so it is also very useful in preventing some injuries.