Opening The Hips

[hoofhearted]

Can anyone give me any advice on how to open my hips more when riding? Also, how can I stop gripping up with my knees, as although I don't feel as though I'm gripping I think I must be as I nearly always lose my stirrup (usually the right one) in trot and canter. And is it normal for your hips and knees to hurt?! Thanks.

[winterbalto]

Hey I lose my right stirrup a lot too! A couple times it was because it was too long. At first it feels better longer but when I start riding I realise it's better having the two stirrups the same length. Can't help with the grip thing since I just may have the same problem :rolleyes: But I do believe it's normal for anything to hurt after horseback. When I first started my ankles were in horrible pain during and after!

~Nicole

[makebelieve]

It depends on how long you have been riding. If you just started a few weeks ago, it's that you're using muscles you never knew you had. :)

The best advice I ever got from my previous instructor was to stretch (cardio) before you got on your horse, for 5 minutes or so. This makes you more flexible, and less prone to being so achy. Do exercises like touching your toes, arm circles, foot circles, pulling up your legs, rolling your head around or standing on one foot (while holding the other). I usually do it, and get better results than if I had not stretched.

Good luck! :)

[cvb]

the biggest thing is simply to relax..

you may be losing your stirrup because you are tightening your hip joint, which will shorten the leg and raise your foot...

I find the images and so on in Sally Swift's "centered riding" very useful ;)

[Susara]

I'm writing to add to the question, not the answer, of the original post. What on earth do people _mean_ when they say 'open the hips'? I've never figured that out.

And related to this; when people talk about tilting the pelvis 'forward', do they mean the top of the pelvis is in front of the bottom, or behind? Like in is the shape like \ or like / (with the horse facing to the left)? Perhaps I'm just built weird, but tilting my pelvis 'forward' like I understand it gets my pubic bone on the saddle, lifting the seat bones, but I understand it's supposed to do the exact opposite??

Sorry didn't intend to highjack the thread, just though to elaborate on the question.

[cvb]

By "open" we normally mean widen the angle. Of course as its in 3D, its an angle in more than one plane :rolleyes:

Often to "open" the hip joint we also mean soften - i.e. its more than just the angle, its also about its ability to absorb movement - tho' the two are linked.

If I sit here in my office chair and tense up - my knees move together. If I relax, they move apart again into a more relaxed position.

Its the same on a horse. And when you tense and "close" the hips, its as if you are "pinching" around the horse's rib-cage. This has more than one effect - to start with it tends to mean you are coming up out of the saddle. if you have reduced contact with the horse, you have reduced ability to communicate. So not good.

And also the horse remembers its bad old days being chased by lions etc, who clamp on around them to bite their spinal cord and paralyse them - and thinks "eeek - predator on top " and gets tense and worried. And you're going to bounce more as none of your joints are going to flex with the horse's movement :eek:

One final effect - should you be lucky enough to have a horse with a poor memory of lions ;) - imagine someone grips you hard around your ribs - how easy is it to breathe and move ? not easy is it ! So by clamping on you are also making life very hard for your horse.

Whereas, soft and relaxed keeps you in contact, able to absorb the movement, and "at one" with the horse :p

Susara - you are right about the "forward" thing - I try to avoid using that, and will use different language if I need to. Because normally its more than just the pelvis - you can't change the angle of the pelvis without affecting: the hip joint, the back, the balance and centre of gravity etc etc etc etc :rolleyes:

[RachelBraz]

As for *how* to open your hips, I spent my lesson today on the lunge minus reins and stirrups (eek I hadn't done that before and my balance and self trust isn't too good!) and my instructor got me to lift one knee to my chest, then point the knee towards her, then slowly let the leg move outwards and downwards until it was slightly too far back (but in perfect shoulder-hip-heel alignment, minus most of the bend in the knee as I was stretching down). Repeat with other leg. Then we moved on into trot and then canter (all minus stirrups and reins, also not holding the saddle) and I just about managed to hold the position. If I lost it, we went back to walk and started again. I'm certain that it worked though, as usually when I drive, my keys attached to the car key bang on my knee, but my hips were so open that I drove all the way home sitting... well, like a bloke!!! :D
So maybe give that a go? Just don't do it if you get cramp in your legs/hips like I did a few weeks ago... ouch!!!
Rachel