“Dressage is a synthesis of two very different skeletons,” began Jennifer Kotylo, kicking off the NDA Body Awareness clinic series. I signed up for the clinic knowing only that Jennifer was an accomplished dressage rider and pilates instructor and hoped that I would learn a little something to help me control my unwieldy body. Turns out, I learned a lot of somethings.
My mother always told me that we were all blessed in our own ways and while that’s certainly true, I suspect I was outright cursed with a lack of grace or coordination. I was blessed with long, strong legs and absolutely no ability to make them do what I’d like them to do in a given moment.
Sports have been a lifelong nightmare because while I’m more than physically capable of kicking a ball or running over short distances, the disconnect between hand and eyes and coordination means I’m often surprised by what my body is doing since it’s certainly not what I’m trying to do. (Two years ago I managed to knee myself in the face, give myself a black eye, and break my glasses all while reading a book). Indeed, the only reason I don’t look like a duck astride a horse is because I’ve been lucky enough to sit on horses since early childhood, blessing me with muscle memory.
So naturally, the appeal of combining dressage and body awareness spoke very directly to me and I signed up right away. And, right away, Jennifer’s lecture fascinated me. Jennifer is a USDF bronze, silver, and gold medalist and certified in Eckart Meyner's Balimo work, Core Dynamics Pilates, Equilates, and other movement modalities, making her as interesting to listen to as she is talented in the saddle.
Jennifer began by pointing out that if, in dressage, we ask our horses to lift their stomachs and lengthen their spines, we as riders must be able to do the same. And while I’ve always strongly believed that I should be as fit as I ask my horse to be (if I’m not fit enough to briskly walk my cross country course, I’m not fit enough to ask my horse to carry me through that course) it’s a whole other ballgame to hold myself to the same suppleness demands to which I hold my horse. Luckily, that’s where Jennifer comes in.
She explained the importance of a straight and supple back in all top athletes. Showing us photos of quarterbacks, soccer players, ice dancers, and dressage riders Jennifer pointed out a notable common thread: a very straight back. If you’d told me without showing the pictures that footballers have excellent posture, even as they’re leaping to catch a ball or tackle an opponent, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But lo and behold, there they were, as graceful as a very large ballerina. Considering the incredible abuse their bodies suffer, it’s impressive they maintain such strong spinal control, there could be no excuse for me, a low-level dressage rider. Time to get some body awareness.
But next came a different type of body awareness--human anatomy. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I believe my last anatomy class was sometime around fourth grade. I’m generally only aware of muscles when they hurt or bones when they break and otherwise assume everything is operating as it should in there. But, as Jennifer explained some of our critical pelvic muscles and anatomy, it became clear that really understanding how to control my body means also understanding how my body works. When I ask for a half halt from my seat, what muscles am I using? How do those muscles interact with other muscles? Perhaps most important, what can I do to strengthen those muscles and learn to use them like a fine instrument? These are all questions Jennifer helped us to consider and work through.
The clinic concluded with some light bodywork of our own. She walked us through gentle exercises to help improve our strength and coordination, including knee circles, ankle rocks, and hip windshields. We swung our arms, loosened our necks, and relieved tightness in our backs and by the end of the clinic, I was disappointed it wasn’t a riding day for me; I felt ready to sit on my horse in perfect balance (at a halt and on a level surface!) If you ever have the opportunity to clinic with Jennifer, or anyone else teaching similar practice, I really can’t recommend it enough!