“Do you have a hard time getting your foot in the stirrup? What about getting your legs underneath you when in the saddle?”
To help with this struggle, Sara Ostrand at Riding Strong Ltd. has shared some of her best stretches to do before riding on her Instagram!
“For most of us, including myself, suffer from tight hips. And this can hinder our riding. Try these stretches at the trailer, in the arena or any time before you hop on your favorite hold.
Make sure you’re already ‘warm’ to some degree and spend a couple deep breaths in each position, for each leg. If one side is particularly tight, it’s ok to go back and revisit that stretch!
1. Couch stretch- lengthens the front of your leg (hip flexors, quads, and the other flexion muscles through our trunk). Good for if you spend a lot of time sitting or riding.
2. Also coach stretch but now with a more upright trunk and deeper stretch.
3. Pigeon stretch on a panel- this can be done on any surface about hip high. Lower that surface if it’s too tough/painful to get into position. Lean into it to get a deeper stretch. Will stretch out glutes and hip as well as low back.
4. Deep squat- gets the hips moving. Shift around in the squat position to get the femur to mobilize in the hip socket. Also will get abductors stretch (muscles on the inside of our legs- our riding muscles). Be slow coming up from this stretch.
5. Toe touch- take your time here. Will stretch hamstrings, low back and sometimes calves. Be slow coming up from this stretch.
Use these stretches to help get your hips to move more comfortably for your time in the saddle!”
