My Part of the Equation

Lately I feel like I am holding Grace back. In the last 6 months she has become the horse I thought she could be the day I bought her. I’ve have seen more potential in that little mare in the last year than I have in the 12 years before it. She is starting to look like she belongs in the show pen, and is starting to place in the primary colors. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the last few weeks drinking in photos from 3 straight weekends of shows that all happened to have a professional photographer. I can’t help but see the stiffness and imbalance in the rider and I wonder just how much better the horse could be if the rider could become one with her. 

I ride 6 to 7 days a week in the summer and 4 to 5 days in the week all winter – all outside. I bust my ass to make myself better for my horse, but I still feel like I falll short. I’m never quite sure what the other riders at the shows are doing that I am not or maybe they are not doing something that I am? I’ve had some great lessons with Sarah lately that are creating some amazing body awareness. One lesson focused on breathing, pulling my breath up into my shoulders, filling my sternum with air before letting it out and melting into my horse. At last week’s lesson I had a moment at the jog that was downright magical; I could feel my horse’s joints bending through my seat and hips, and felt her place each hoof on the ground. The next day I became frustrated at home when I couldn’t capture the same feeling at the lope as I had at the lesson. Why is this so freaking hard?

I had an appointment at the Strength Lab today with James Bowman and I shared with him some of the body issues I’m having in the saddle. From my arched lower back to my tight hip flexors and hamstrings, I went through all the areas that I tense when riding. We discussed that I am not in pain like I was years ago, but my body is still guarding itself when I'm riding, preparing for the inevitable fall especially at the lope. The more I talked the more I could see the wheels in James head turning; he was quickly jotting notes down and calling out names of exercises. At one point there were 7 exercises on the list leading me to believe that this was not going to be one of those wonderful hour long body work sessions. 

James took me through each exercise first giving me a demo and then talking me through each move as I tried it. Each move was structured to build strength while increasing mobility, James explained that they are equally important in the saddle. Each exercise looked easy enough when he did it, but I found them to be both mentally and physically challenging, yet by the 3^rd or 4^th repetition my brain and body started to figure it out and my range of motion increased. My hips felt amazing by the end of the session and the tension in my low back was replaced by engagement from my abdominals. I have my homework laid out in front of me; 7 exercises that with a warm up should only take 30 minutes a day and I am only to do them 3 days a week. James said that if I am consistent I should see dramatic results in 6-8 weeks and if the exercises become too easy to let him know and he will step it up for me.  I promise to keep you updated and will even break down some of the exercises over the next few weeks. My goal is to be able to pull my weight in the partnership that I’ve built with that amazing little mare.

Integrative Neurosomatic Therapy - Results Part 1

I’ve had 2 sessions now with James Bowman at Strength lab since my initial measurements. I’ve been wearing the lift in my left shoe and sitting on a lift under my right seat bone for 2 weeks now. When I went back to the Strength Lab for my first follow up appointment I was fully expecting to be given a series of exercises that would involve pain and sweat. Much to my pleasant surprise that visit involved massage and simple stretches. I brought the saddle that I am currently riding in just to make sure I had the lift on the right side of the seat set up correctly. After measuring my saddle rack with a level and getting it just right, James had me sit in the saddle to check if I was now level. After more detailed measurements I was given the all clear on my seat lift.


At the beginning or our session James asked me where I was feeling any tension or pain since using the lifts. He then went to work on those spots, first getting the muscle into a relaxed state and then holding the neurological point of it for 90 seconds to get it to release. I was amazed on how he found areas that I didn’t know where holding. When he talked about addressing the muscle from a neurological standpoint I could not help but thing of Peggy’s work .The stretches he gave me were for my neck and scalenes which were adjusting to my ever decreasing head tilt and for my back, any time it was tight. He also recommended Epsom salt soaks to help the muscles. I had no problem complying with the rather relaxing protocol.


My next appointment was this last Wednesday; I couldn’t wait to tell James some of the changes I was experiencing. I knew he would understand what was going on, as I was just starting to grasp it. On my way home from the trail ride on Monday I could feel this strange sensation on the right side of my head. It felt like something releasing, a muscle – but it was spreading out along side my head like a fan. I was so fascinated by it that I looked up the muscles of the human head when I got home and sure enough I found the Temporalis Muscle which is shaped just like a fan! When I repeated this story to James along with the change I had seen in Grace since her dental work he said it was the perfect time for cranial sacral work. When James got to the Temporalis Muscle on the right side of my head I was amazed by how tender it was. Even with his light touch it felt like I had sustained a blow to the head. He had me follow his finger so I could feel the tight band running through the muscle. These are the same tight bands I look for when doing massage work on Grace. James continued on even doing muscle releases inside my mouth and tongue. That was quite the experience! I had no idea just how many muscles were inside the mouth, luckily they all released quickly. My jaw felt amazing, I don’t think I could clench or grind my teeth now if I tried.


When the session was finished I stood up slowly not knowing what to expect. James had explained to me how the cranial work relates to the hip joints; this explained why I kept getting chills in my quads while during the session. He had me stand square so he could take a hip measurement; only this time standing square did not feel foreign to me, it actually felt quite comfortable. The hip measurement confirmed that my pelvic tilt was now at 9 degrees, only 2 weeks before it had been at 14 degrees. When I stood at the front desk on my way out I could not help staring at my feet, they were underneath me and I was standing on both legs comfortably. This sounds elementary, but for years I have always stood with one hip cocked or a knee bent, standing on both legs at the same time is out right painful most of the time. I also noticed that my teeth were lined up. Gone was the offset position of my jaw. This lined up centered feeling was downright odd!


The next day I really started to notice the changes. I am in total awe of my feet. For the first time I can feel the ground under the arch of my foot when I walk. I even go out of my way to walk on uneven surfaces so I can feel the sensation. My foot lands heel first and almost all of my foot makes contact with the ground at some point in my step. My hips, knees and ankles are all relaxed and fluid. Standing is much easier now, I am able put the same amount of weight on both legs. Gone is my past stance of always having one hip cocked or one knee bent. I am starting to feel like I am for the first time starting to use my body in the way it was designed. The real magic happened two days after the session I climbed back into the saddle…….