How much is your horses bend impacted by your own one sidedness?

[Bonnie Allie]

Riding with my amazingly talented friend today who treated me like I was crazy when I was discussing my horses “good side” vs her stiff side and pondering whether my horse needed the physio or perhaps I did as my crookedness may be having an influence on horse.

My super talented friend can write with both left and right hands, surfs both goofy and true and her party trick is juggling after she has had a few cans of confidence. She declares her horse doesnt have a good side and a stiff side. She is of course an exceptional rider - waaaay better than I will ever be.

So how much of the way our horses bend is based on our own one sidedness?

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I guess that's why regular lessons are important; to make sure you have eyes on the ground to keep both you and the horse working even and straight.

 

[webble]

Yup I'm wonky and that helps to make him wonky

 

[JFTDWS]

I'm ambidextrous, do horse archery right and left handed and other sports too, but I'm definitely asymmetrical regardless, and all my horses have better sides, but they're not all the same side. If your friend is truly symmetrical in her position, movement, strength and flexibility in the saddle, she's very uncommon - most riders, even very good ones, are still asymmetrical on some level.

Rider asymmetry can definitely affect their horse's movement patterns, but the horse is usually also bringing their own strengths and weaknesses to the table. Better riders are more aware of their own asymmetry and the horse's asymmetry, and have more tools to work with to straighten the horse. I'd say there are probably three broad factors involved in being able to ride to improve one-sidedness, starting with awareness, as many people don't really know what a soft, supple and responsive horse feels like, or have great awareness of what their own bodies are doing, or the horse beneath them. Beyond that you also need to know how to straighten the horse - exercises you can use, back-up plans, how to teach the horse - and finally you need the will to do it. I know plenty of good riders who just don't want to do it enough to devote time to it, which isn't necessarily a problem if the horse is moving well enough for its life and work.

Your friend may be doing all those things, consciously or subconsciously, or she may just be incredibly lucky to be pretty straight herself and have found herself a nice, straight horse.

 

[ihatework]

They have their own one side ness naturally but yes on top of that our crookedness impacts them significantly too.

The more we are aware of the horses natural crookedness, and train to take account of that - combined with off (and on) horse training of our own bodies to be equal guess what - straighter horses with more ease of bend both ways

 

[SEL]

My Appy is a left banana. I had lessons with a RWYM instructor who said my wonkiness should be making her more right banana (& I do affect my youngster that way). It was more obvious on a schoolmaster who would offer me lateral moves unasked.

Unfortunately it was a sign of something wrong with the Appy rather than me using my wonkiness Vs her wonkiness to get straightness

 

[oldie48]

I go to an equi pilates teacher who has helped hugely with making me more aware of my body straightness. I tend to sit "right" which means I find it difficult to use my left seat bone effectively. My current ride is also stiffer on one side so I magnify the problem unless I think about how I am sitting. Most of us have some asymmetry as do most horses but the important thing is being aware of it. tbh I have never ridden a horse that didn't need some help with maintaining suppleness and straightness but I'm sure they must exist!

 

[scats]

Massively so! My slipping saddles were being caused by me, so I dread to think the impact on my poor horses.
Im aware I’m likely going to be wonky again as I rehab from my current injury, so I will get back to the chiropractor as soon as possible.

 

[sbloom]

It's hugely important. Centaur Biomechanics are focusing in on the horse as the main cause of saddle slip, one major indicator of one sidedness but this, even if correct, doesn't help us much. Horses can be crooked from birth, many (most?) are. So why are some horses straight in ridden work, and others not? Training (including groundwork, postural work), and the rider.

As a saddle fitter who specialises in rider fit I can assure everyone that so often if you work with the rider, in the right saddle for THEM as much as for the horse, saddle slip decreases. I can take two saddles that fit the horse identically but, because the flap design affects the rider's pelvis and legs, one will sit straighter than the other.

I like the "lens" of seeing the horse as being in rotation, correct, excessive, or counter rotation - and the better our bodies resist and therefore correct that, the straighter the horse can move.

Carrying a crooked rider long term WILL do harm and compound these issues and eventually cause lameness in many (most?) cases.

 

[catkin]

It's hugely important. Centaur Biomechanics are focusing in on the horse as the main cause of saddle slip, one major indicator of one sidedness but this, even if correct, doesn't help us much. Horses can be crooked from birth, many (most?) are. So why are some horses straight in ridden work, and others not? Training (including groundwork, postural work), and the rider.

As a saddle fitter who specialises in rider fit I can assure everyone that so often if you work with the rider, in the right saddle for THEM as much as for the horse, saddle slip decreases. I can take two saddles that fit the horse identically but, because the flap design affects the rider's pelvis and legs, one will sit straighter than the other.

I like the "lens" of seeing the horse as being in rotation, correct, excessive, or counter rotation - and the better our bodies resist and therefore correct that, the straighter the horse can move.

Carrying a crooked rider long term WILL do harm and compound these issues and eventually cause lameness in many (most?) cases.

Can I ask if there is ever a reason to shim up a saddle for a rider's asymmetry in the way that perhaps a shim pad is used for a horse?
Would the answer be " it depends" particularly if correction is either a work in progress or a permanent/old injury that needs accommodating.

 

[SEL]

I once watched a very experienced rider who had spent a great deal of time telling how wonderful and straight she was - except from behind it was very obvious that she was down one side. So your friend might just not be aware OP. I'm very aware because if I don't deal with my scrunched up side I end up with one stirrup shorter than the other. I feel perfectly balanced like that but obviously I'm not!

 

[sbloom]

Can I ask if there is ever a reason to shim up a saddle for a rider's asymmetry in the way that perhaps a shim pad is used for a horse?
Would the answer be " it depends" particularly if correction is either a work in progress or a permanent/old injury that needs accommodating.

It depends , as a temporary thing then it can really help but I always refer for off-horse work followed by ridden biomechanics. I don't think bodywork, or a weekly Pilates class, is usually enough. Personalised help, or at least guided experimentation with exercises in a class setting to find out what each person needs, and ongoing exercises to help progression are generally needed.

 

[blitznbobs]

If you put your back pack on one shoulder is your spine straight?
Why would a horse be any different

 

[YoLaTango]

Gosh! This is so interesting. I’m just starting to understand my own asymmetry… mainly since I saw a video of myself on a hack from the backside and realised I was leaning so much to the left side, my right leg looked significantly shorter.

Any advice on what I should do?

 

[Rusty Rider]

I have really bad scar adhesions from an appendicectomie when I was 6, so much so I could not sleep straight on my back for years - I can get clean changes left to right fairly easily, the other way is a different story - and that is on various horses with their own imbalances. So yes, it has a massive impact, but I am a fairly extreme case

 

[Rusty Rider]

Gosh! This is so interesting. I’m just starting to understand my own asymmetry… mainly since I saw a video of myself on a hack from the backside and realised I was leaning so much to the left side, my right leg looked significantly shorter.

Any advice on what I should do?

i had a session with a physio on a mechanical horse where she took loads of measurements/reference points and really highlighted quite how bad my imbalance was, then recommended strengthening exercises i could do to try and correct things - simple, 5-10min a day kind of stuff. I’m still not sticking to it mind, but that’s on me..!

 

[SadKen]

I have scoliosis and am most decidedly wonky with a 38 degree bend. It’s quite spectacular on x ray. I am weak through my right side, partly because I’m very left handed and footed and partly due to my hunched shoulder due to the scoliosis.

It definitely affects the horse’s way of going as I can’t weight properly to the right so we move off the track as she thinks that’s what I’m telling her to do. I’m very aware of my wonkiness and see a chiro, body work etc, and horse gets it too. My saddle has never slipped. I have to hold my core tight to keep myself straight, it’s doable, I get worse as I get tired.

It worries me greatly that I may be making my horse lame or otherwise sore. To the point where my previous mare had a severe issue with her panniculus reflex triggering constantly; I thought I might be causing it but have been assured that it wasn’t me.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I've always had a bad habit of collapsing over my right hip but since breaking my back I've been left with weakness on that side snd even more of a tendency to collapse.
As a result I actually push the saddle to the left and have given my horse a sore back.
Riding with arena mirrors has helped a lot and when I'm on the right rein I have to really focus on using my right leg and not collapsing and keeping my left hand still.
I can very easily put my horse onto the wrong bend and get left canter on right rein unless I really think about it.

 

[saddlesore]

I’m so conscious of how wonky I am and how it must affect my poor horse. I imagine those of us who have ridden for a considerable time will be carrying a number of injuries. I find my lovely boy hugely forgiving of my issues - thankfully. Oh to be young and flexible again

 

[sbloom]

Any advice on what I should do?

I mentioned a few generic options above, any advice won't address the root issue so best to get assessed individually. Riders should be seeing a bodyworker fairly regularly but the off horse work is critical, have a look at Rider Reboot.

 

[lynz88]

Huge impact on my horse. In fact, I use him as a definitive guage as to when I need to see my chiro (in addition to a few other things that I notice). When I am really out of alignment, he is like a banana....when I am straight he is generally straight-ish as he of course, has his own side-ed-ness.