Yoga for Horse People

by Allison Trimble

At the NWRCHA show in Lynden, Washington last weekend I was reminded of how hard this sport is on a person’s body. For years I made countless trips to the chiropractor and massage therapists, crying and cringing the whole way. The daily act of simply riding a horse can be unsettling, but add to it the shimmies and shakes of working cattle and we get so used to feeling rigid and stiff that we think it is the only way to be. If you want to be able to play this game for the long term, it is important to take care of your body. We all hire equine chiropractors, equine massage therapists, and have the vet out if our horse seems even a little stiff, but we hobble around and forget about the care we need to take with our own bodies.

I am always willing to be a little unconventional, so just over a year ago I started going to private yoga lessons to see if I could get some relief. These days I am not pain free, but my flexibility and strength have improved so much that I haven’t been to the chiropractor but four times this past year. I was doing some poses last weekend before my cow horse class when someone actually said, “Wow, you are so flexible!” It was flattering and inspiring to hear someone say that about me, a person who has always considered herself rigid and terribly inflexible.

When I started my quest for freedom, I was fortunate enough to meet a fabulous yoga guide, Michal Retter of Inner Composure. I now take private lessons with her as often as three times a week and consider it a vital part of my cow horse training. Michal and her brother, Yohi, attended the recent NWRCHA show, so in addition to treating me, she has first-hand knowledge of the strain put on a horse person’s mind and body. I asked her if she could offer some information to start you on your journey.

Can you talk a little bit about what you think yoga can do for a horse person?

What is unique for a horse person is that they assume one or two positions on their horse for extended periods of time. Physically, this means that the same muscles, tendons, tissues, and bones are stretching, while others are contracting and tightening. For example, your thighs are open while the inner thigh muscles are working hard at contracting to stabilize your body, keeping you on the horse. Your lower back experiences compression from sitting and impact from bouncing. The neck and shoulders support the same arm position, bent and flexed forward, using the neck muscles to stabilize.

Yoga helps counter the negative side effects of spending many hours in positions that can be very strenuous for the body. For example, gently stretching the outer thighs, hips, and back of the legs can help to counter spine conditions and lower back pain, including sciatica. Increasing flexibility and range of motion and strengthening lesser-used muscles aids in the conditioning of the body as a whole. Yoga helps you develop an awareness of what is going on and how to relieve, release, and unwind the tightness of even chronic tensions and stresses accumulated over years. Yoga also helps with pain management. As I watched the horse show last weekend, I noticed some riders were in pain and am certain yoga can assist their bodies. Yoga is a way for you to actually enjoy the body you inhabit. It allows you to make peace with what limitations you have while fine-tuning the areas where change can be made so you can continue to enjoy riding for years to come.

Can you talk a bit about what the breathing and meditative aspects of yoga can do for a horse person?

In yoga, we invite our awareness to our breathing and notice it. Conscious breathing is a way to manage pain, worry, stress, and fear by calming our nervous system. Breath brings about an inner peacefulness and well-being that allows us to become more present, more attentive and alert. There are also breathing techniques that bring more vitality and increased energy into our being. All horse people can benefit by incorporating conscious breathing into their lives and using it to improve different activities like riding, showing, recovering, performing, and interacting with others. It gives us a chance to pause and become less reactive and more active, less defensive and more peaceful. This is especially valuable in competitive activities, such as horse shows.

Meditation develops a focused mind and cultivates a calm concentration. It helps you to remain alert in the present moment, which requires your attention. The practice of quieting the mind strengthens persistence, objectivity, humbleness, and responsibility, all the necessary qualities for good sportsmanship and real success. Most importantly, meditation will deepen the spiritual aspect of your passion for horses. You ultimately become more compassionate and more aligned in spirit, mind, and body.

Further Exploration
If you want to further investigate this--which I strongly encourage--there are great resources you can use. I would be more than happy to talk to any of you (and I know most of you are in some amount of pain, so don’t be shy!) about my experience and what I have found helpful. Also, you can go to Michal’s website at www.innercomposure.com to find articles, classes, and information links. There is even a search engine on her page for finding yoga practitioners in your area. Namaste!