The Grand Horizontals - 6 - Center Like A Blue Ribbon Equestrian
A beautiful young rider from Matthew Roy Stables heads into the ring. She and her mount are ready to compete.
The Grand Horizontals - 6 - Center Like A Blue Ribbon Equestrian
Connecting the Clavicles and Hips for Balance and Control
A variation on the “Four Corners” Lesson
In dance, it’s called ‘the frame.” For riders, it’s ‘the seat.” Golfers have their “tee off position.” Kayakers balance the paddle. New Englanders clinging to railings while trying to stay upright on ice-covered stairs call it ‘careful!’
Regardless of the application, getting into and holding position is about maintaining the core alignment as the torso/spine react to movement in the lower body. A key element: letting the ribs and spine manage the relationships between the collar bones and pelvis to maintain balance and poise.
Our previous lesson focused on the arm rotation and side-bending in the ribs. The grand finale required grounding the hip and shoulder to allow the ribs to lift and the bottom arm to slip under: the impossible possible, the possible easy, the easy elegant (as Moshe would say).
This lesson hones in on the same-side (homolateral) and opposite-corner (diagonal) connections between the collar bones and hips in the front-back plane. When the connections are clear, you don’t oversteer or fall off the horse, stay perfectly positioned with your dance partner’s feet (hips and shoulders), transmit the full impact of your backswing onto the ball, and hold a clean line in the water.
Try the imagery for this low impact, subtle lesson: bungee cords or energy lines pulling the clavicles and hips together and apart to tune attention on alignment. Can you feel when the shoulder extends further from the center than the hip? Can you sense the height of a lifted hip relative to its opposite shoulder? Is it possible to hold the center easily, yet compactly, and feel the connected energy flow from stirrup to reins - or club to ball?
The Voice-O-Meter sounds this week, chosen for their connection to corners:
Lung Sound - SSSSSSSSSSSS - the sound of wind in dried leaves - releasing grief and making space for courage
Kidney Sound - CHOOOOOO - the sound of breath echoing through a long tube - forcing out cold, fearful energy and making space for gentleness and generosity
A proud rider displays both her ribbon and elegant clavicle to pelvis alignment.
I searched hard for some Science Nerd Candy on the relative movements of the shoulders and hips to maintain balance. Apparently, I have yet to find the optimal search terms. This exercise animation that may appear unrelated, but actually demonstrates key movements in a different orientation:
Bird Dog Exercise | Improve Your Core and Balance, Muscle and Motion: (1:18) Shows the movement of the shoulder blade and pelvis as shoulder blades slide upward and low back curls. Try translating this movement to supine (lying on your back.)
How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Connected through the entire torso; Ribs open and flexible; Breath deep and wide; Arms resting easily in shoulder sockets; Shoulder girdle - shoulder blades, clavicles - resting comfortably over upper ribs; Torso supported by pelvis, chest free to adjust as needed; Ready to swing; Ready to reach; Regal posture with your beauty bones ready for viewing.
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