Ideas to Strengthen Position with Dyspraxia/Hypermobility

[CobLover883]

Hi everyone, hoping this is the correct part of the forum to post this in,
I know there's surely lots of people here who are dyspraxic and/or hypermobile, and I'm wondering if ye would be able to share any exercises ye use to strengthen your muscles for riding? I'd also love youtuber recommendations or anything like that, I'm a novice rider and I just feel so unbalanced in the saddle and struggle keeping my position - as soon as I bring my legs back underneath me so my heels align with my hips and shoulders, my pelvis is tilted wrong, or immediately as I start to canter, my heels are up etc. I have been doing normal Pilates but sometimes my joints aren't very happy afterwards so I'd be interested to hear from people who have tried and tested different exercises! If anyone has any tips for riding with Dyspraxia/hypermobility in general either I'd welcome those too Thank you all.

 

[sbloom]

If you can afford it then working with someone like Equimech, or Pilates at Blue House, would be a great idea, at least the former has some free content on Youtube but it's not aimed a hypermobility per se. I follow these guys on FB but that's all I know:

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Bear in mind that the saddle is critical, you'll likely be fighting it if it's a riding school saddle, sadly as obviously they can't have the right basic geometry for everyone (bit like a bike) let alone the right shaped seat for the pelvis (just like a bike except with the convex shape!).

 

[Fransurrey]

Hello fellow bendy person. I also have a cob - are you me?

The best thing I can recommend is strength training, for core control. HM is a funny thing, as my core is very strong (I've had people thump me in the abs to test them!), but my brain just refuses to communicate effectively as the muscles don't engage, but doing more weights (there are lots of workouts on YouTube and also the Nike App has loads of free ones) and circuits has made them engage more. I also run and do lots of hills, which helps control my hypermobile coccyx. I used to do a lot of pilates. It helps, but wasn't enough for me. I haven't tried Reformer, though. If you've never done weights or gym, might be worth investing in a few sessions with a PT (many gym memberships also come with some free sessions).

Saddle wise, whilst I do have a very nice Black Country GP, I find my position is always best in my Thorn Pad, as I ride longer in the leg. Combining it with a Heather Moffett Hip Saver gives me a little more security and providing I focus on keeping a good alignment at the start of the ride, the memory foam shapes around me and I feel very secure, but not held in.