2021 AERC Convention Notes: Dr. Stephanie Seheult on How Your Body Works with Your Horse

Was anybody else thrilled to see that both days of AERC’s 2021 Unconventional Convention start with a focus on rider fitness? It seems to me that interest in this topic has increased recently. Maybe it’s not my imagination!

Dr. Stephanie Seheult kicked things off with a session entitled “How Your Body Works with Your Horse." Dr. Seheult is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with a Bachelors in Health Science, as well as an active equestrian. Most of her clients at Advanced Physio are also riders.

In her presentation, Dr. Seheult focused on the importance of balance in the pelvis and its surrounding muscles. She noted that, in the saddle, many riders feel one seatbone more than the other. Riders may also sit off to one side.

These imbalances worsen as we fatigue – and that’s no small matter for those of us who ride 25, 50, or more miles at a stretch. Dr. Seheult's focus was on the rider, but of course our imbalances affect our horses as well.

Imbalances worsen as we fatigue ~ and that's no small matter for those of us who ride 25, 50, or more miles at a stretch.

Dr. Seheult described two, common causes of pelvic imbalance:
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• Pelvic Rotation, in which the top of one side of the pelvis rotates back (or down) and the top of the other side rotates forward (or up). If your right pelvis rotates down, you’ll feel your right seatbone more when you ride.

• Imbalanced Back Muscles, in which the back muscles on the right and left sides of the body differ in length, pulling the pelvis out of alignment.   

Dr. Seheult also emphasized the importance of the gluteus medius muscle for lateral stability in the saddle. She said one side is usually stronger than the other. On the weak side, your hip flexor must compensate for your inactive gluteus medius, forcing you to use your hamstring to lift your heel to get your leg on the horse. Whew!

My favorite part of the presentation was the self-evaluation exercises. Dr. Seheult encouraged us to try a few tests in real life as she talked:

• Hamstring Stretch: Standing up with one heel placed on the coffee table in front of me (leg straight), I followed the instructions to lean forward without slouching my shoulders or back. I paid attention to the stretch in my hamstring, then switched sides. I was not shocked to find that my right hamstring was tighter than my left. It seems like I’m always working on keeping that right side in line! 

• Hip Range of Motion: Lying on a mat on my back, with one leg out straight, I lifted my other heel off the floor, bending it to 90 degree angles and hip and knee. Then, I followed instructions to keep my knee in place while rotating my lower leg inward (toward my midline, resulting in external rotation of my hip) then outward, (away from my body, resulting in an internal rotation of my hip.) Having tried this with both legs, I noted that internal hip rotation is not my strong suit, especially on my right side. 

This was the moment when my cat decided to settle down on my belly and purr. Meanwhile, Mr. Sweaty's chihuahua amused herself by licking post-workout sweat off my forehead. At least I wasn’t lonely.

Anyway... Dr. Sehult had one more test:

• Gluteus Medius Strength: I gently boosted Kitty to the floor, then rolled to my side. With my bottom leg slightly bent for support and my top leg straight, I followed the instructions to roll my top hip forward and down toward the floor. I then slid my top leg a few inches backward and slowly lifted and lowered it to observe my glute strength. On this one, I didn’t feel much difference between my left and right sides – maybe because I work out a lot and my strength is generally better than my mobility. I noticed a slight tendency to dump tension into my lower back, though.

After the self-evaluation exercises, Dr. Seheult was joined by Jeanette Henry, owner of Positively Pilates. The two of them work together on Ride Advanced with Positively Pilates.

I won’t even attempt to recite the nuances of the gentle pilates session Ms. Henry talked us through. It focused on the neutral spine and a rider’s ability to keep the pelvis centered while rotating the legs outward. I found the pilates exercises easy and pleasant, and can definitely see the benefit of looking more into pilates as a way to further strengthen and balance my core. 
 
Access to the videos is closed during the duration of the convention (March 6-7, 2021), but my understanding is that AERC will reopen registration next week. If you didn't get a chance to catch this session the first time around, I highly recommend taking the time to watch the video and try the exercises.

Like strength work, mobility work is key to athletic longevity.

My biggest takeaway was a reminder that I really do need to put more time into mobility work. I always enjoy yoga, pilates, Feldenkrais, and form rolling (well, maybe not foam rolling), but I struggle to prioritize them. 

It always seems so much more productive to run, spin, lift, ride, or write. But I know that's short-sighted. Like strength work, mobility work is key to athletic longevity. ​

How about you? Did you watch Dr. Seheult's session? What did you get out of it?

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