In a world that is moving fast many of us already feel overwhelmed with what we have to do in a day, but taking a minimum of 20 minutes out to stretch, strengthen and take of your body will make a world of difference not only to your mental and physical health, but to your horse. More local barns have joined the crusade to becoming painfree and symmetrical. I have been taking my rig and treating riders at their barns. Riders are realizing that their daily lifestyle is interfering more with the symmetry of their bodies than riding. Sitting correctly, using headsets and exercising regularly improve the chance of being symmetrical once aboard the horse.
Riding brings out the asymmetries that accumulate over the day.
This month's feature article is the neck. I treated many riders and trainers with pain radiating into the shoulder blade during the indoor circuit. Poor sitting posture in bleacher seats, poor sleeping posture in hotels and campers, travel, and inactivity between classes can cause pain in the shoulder. You will learn in this quarter's article that although the pain is in the shoulder region, the shoulder is rarely the culprit. The neck refers pain to the shoulder.