27 Jun ‘No foot, no horse’ rings true for riders too
Posted at 13:40h
in Riding Position
Your feet influence the alignment of your ankles, knees, hips, spine, and head. When your feet aren’t functioning properly (collapsed arches, limited mobility through the ankle, sole or toes), this causes compensations further up the body, like:
~Anterior pelvic tilt
~Posterior tilt
~Rounded shoulders
~Forward head posture
~Knee valgus (knees bow inward)
Although you don’t use your feet much whilst you actually ride, how you use your feet during the rest of the day will change your body. Good foot mechanics encourage a neutral pelvis and stacked posture, allowing you to sit well, absorb the horses movement and stay in balance. Your feet are your main sensory organ for the ground—rich in nerve endings (like your hands). Many of us neglect our wrists, ankles and feet, focusing on the rest of the body instead and this has a knock on effect through our whole body.
Do your feet look the same and have the same amount of movement? If not this could be contributing to your crookedness. We need to assess our own feet and symmetry as we do our horses!
What kind of footwear do you wear and does it promote functional feet? Your whole body is connected, if one joint isn’t moving through its full range of motion it will lead to compensations in other joints. Restrictive, rigid footwear, doesn’t help our feet.
Can you stand on one leg with your eyes closed, barefoot, for 30 seconds? You’ll feel the muscles around your foot and ankle having to work to stabilise you. Do it every day.
Have you looked at my ‘Functional Feet’ program? Can you do all the exercises in it with both feet?
