Horse Riders
Body Stress Release helps the rider to use their bodies optimally, developing balance, rhythm and an independent seat.
RIDING PERFORMANCE
Riders strive to develop a specific muscle memory and use their bodies in a unique way. They strive to become one with their horses and move as a single unit.
Energy is transferred from the activity of the horse’s hind legs into the horse’s sacrum and from there into the sacrum of the rider.
If the rider is unable to maintain what they call an independent seat, their lack of body control will hinder the quality of the movement of the horse.
Body Stress Release helps the rider to use their bodies optimally, developing balance, rhythm and an independent seat.
Horse riders try to make either a 3 point contact with their saddle when riding on the flat (dressage, training riding) or a two point contact when jumping.
Both require a sense of balance and rhythm so that the rider restricts the horse’s natural movement as little as possible.
This requires constant practice, repetitive muscle actions which are easily achieved if the rider follows a regular Body Stress Release programme.
THE CAUSES OF BODY STRESS
Mechanical Causes
Jarring or jerking the neck as in a fall or a whiplash in car accident, a tumble off a horse, working or reading with the head titled downwards for lengthy periods; twisting the neck as in reversing a car.
Mental/Emotional Causes
Riders will often remark on how their mount will pick up their state of mind at the time of riding, often sensing suppressed emotions of grief, deep sadness or irritability. We know that intense anger, anxiety or shock, may cause a rider to the shoulders and tighten the neck muscles. A state of ongoing depression will also bring about postural distortions, which may hinder the riding experience, and often having an adverse effect on the animal. In addition, the physical discomfort, resulting from the body stress will reinforce the negative emotions and lead to a vicious cycle.
Chemical Causes
Exposure to harmful chemicals may severely irritate the nervous system and cause the neck muscles to tighten, e.g. chemicals which we inhale, such as car fumes and insecticides, substances which are absorbed through the skin, such as cleaning materials and certain cosmetics. Some people react adversely to certain foods and preservatives and colourants. Very often an infection, such as the flu and cold virus, will result in neck stress.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE NECK
In the cervical spine there are seven vertebrae, forming a natural forward curve. The vertebral bodies are joined by the inter-vertebral discs which have a tough outer rim of cartilage and a jelly-like centre. The discs act as shock absorbers. The spinal nerves exit from the spinal cord through openings (foramina) between the vertebrae, and supply the skin and muscles of the shoulders, arms and hands.
THE EFFECTS OF BODY STRESS
In horse riders, the head, shoulders and arms are the most vulnerable body parts in injury. The rider may sometimes fall on their shoulder or head, or even land heavily on their coccyx. Because body stress exerts pressure on nerves, it leads to a disturbance of the body’s communication system. So, it could be described as a disruption in the normal life energy flow in the body.
Not only can BSR assist the body in its recovery from and prevention of injury, but freedom from stored tension also allows increased energy and flexibility, enhancing performance potential.
TRUE CASES
A teenager excelling in vaulting has been a regular BSR client for several years. Competing both competitively and non-competitively, and sometimes taking a tumble, she has found BSR invaluable in finding relief from a stiff neck and shoulders and often a painful coccyx. Her BSR practitioner has always urged her to book a consultation as soon as possible after a fall, preventing stress and tension from locking in even more deeply. If caught in time, the superficial stress incurred after an injury, will clear (unlock) more readily.
A retired race horse owner in her 70’s, with a hip replacement sees her BSR practitioner a few times a year to ensure that her body remains stress free and she is able to maintain her daily riding experience.
A woman in her 40’s, having experienced severe emotional trauma, came for BSR because she felt that she had lost her rhythm and natural riding ability as a result. What a joy after a couple of sessions to receive a note from her saying “Thank you so much. I rode today and my body and lower back feel amazing”. She promptly requested sessions for her husband and her daughters!
A young SA horse enthusiast who was also involved in training the Lipizzaner’s, and after seeking employment on a working horse farm in Greyton, recently followed a calling to work with horses in the UK. This young lady has benefitted from numerous BSR sessions over the years since she was a child and aims to source a BSR practitioner to continue her maintenance sessions overseas.