42 June 2015 • USDF CONNECTION Our biomechanics expert shares her favorite new app BY HILARY M. CLAYTON, BVMS, PHD, DIPLOMATE ACVSMR, MRCVS JENNIFER BRYANT PRECISION: Core control makes for a good seat. Shelly Francis rides Danilo at the 2015 Succeed/USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conference. A SIMPLE AID TO ENHANCE CORE TRAINING FOR RIDERS
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ByhilaRy M. Clayton, BVMS,hD,iloateaCVSMR, MRCVS M. Clayton, BVMS,hD,iloateaCVSMR, MRCVS ... the lumbar spine, the pelvis, and the hipsT ability to control and stabilize this region
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42 June 2015 • USDF ConneCtion
Our biomechanics expert shares her favorite new app
By hilaRy M. Clayton, BVMS, PhD, DiPloMate aCVSMR, MRCVS
JEN
NIF
ER B
RYA
NT
PRECISION: Core control makes for a good seat. Shelly Francis rides Danilo at the 2015 Succeed/USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conference.
A Simple Aid to enhAnce core trAining for riderS
USDF ConneCtion • June 2015 43
i spent my career in academia using highly sophisticated
and very expensive equipment to study the movements
of athletic horses and riders. advances in technology
are now making it possible to measure certain aspects
of a rider’s performance and to evaluate the outcome of cor-
rections objectively. in this article, i’ll describe an easy-to-
use app that can help to improve your riding and training by
monitoring your pelvic stability to assist in core training.
Te Core and the Seatin the human body, the core consists of the region from
mid-chest to mid-thigh, which includes much of the tho-
racic spine, the lumbar spine, the pelvis, and the hips. Te
ability to control and stabilize this region is critically impor-
tant in dressage riders, who need to maintain correct spinal
alignment and core stability. Tese attributes constitute the
basis of what we refer to as “a good seat,” and they are some-
thing all dressage riders must work toward in order to im-
prove their ability to infuence the horse and also to reduce
the risk of back pain, in both themselves and their horses.
Te amount of tension in the muscles, tendons, and lig-
aments that attach to the vertebrae determines the position
and orientation of the spine. Te human spine normally has
a curved shape, with the curves helping to provide cushion-
ing and to protect the back from injury. Te neutral spine
and pelvis posture minimizes stress on spinal structures
and requires the least amount of energy to maintain.
Many equestrians use cross-training techniques, such as
Pilates, to strengthen their core muscles. however, strong
muscles alone are not a guarantee that the core will remain
stable during exercise. Te ability to sit on a horse with good
posture and to maintain core stability during diferent gaits
and movements is a skill that has to be learned while riding.
Until this skill is developed, it is not possible to sit in harmo-
ny with the horse’s movements or to give precise aids. Good
core stability is thus a critical element of a rider’s dressage
education, and having good core strength reduces of the risk
of back pain associated with riding or other daily activities.
An App Tat Assesses Core StabilityPerfect Practice inc. (PerfectPracticeUSa.com) markets two
apps for iPhone or iPod touch—level Belt lite and level
Belt Pro—whose purpose is to enhance the user’s pelvic-
stability awareness and to improve control of pelvic move-
ments. Tese apps can be used in the gym, such as while do-
ing Pilates exercises, or while you’re riding. With the iPhone
or iPod touch secured around the user’s hips, the app mea-
sures pelvic movements relative to a neutral or zero position
and provides immediate feedback when pelvic orientation
changes by more than a predetermined amount.
Te level Belt lite app requires ioS 5.0 or later and is
optimized for iPhone 5; it also works with iPhone 6 and
with iPad. it can be downloaded free of charge via apple’s
itunes and is a great introduction to the product. Tis app
measures forward and backward pelvic tilt relative to a neu-
tral position, with a choice of three thresholds of detection
(4 degrees, 8 degrees, or 12 degrees).
Te level Belt Pro app cost $29.99 when this article went
to press and has the same ioS requirement and device com-
patibilities as the lite version. in addition to forward/back-
ward tilt, level Belt Pro provides feedback regarding leaning
to the left or right, which is what happens when a rider “col-
lapses” a hip. Treshold values are set separately for the two
directions of movement. level Belt Pro records the angles,
which can be downloaded later and graphed out. one way
to use the app is to disconnect the headphones so that the
audible signal can be heard on video playback. you can then
identify movements in which you habitually tilt or lean. [
LEVEL BELT LITE: Screen shot showing how the free version of the app
measures forward and backward pelvic tilt
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LEVEL BELT PRO: Te paid version of the app shows not only the
degree of anterior/posterior (A/P) tilt, but also the user’s lateral tilt. In
the screen shot, the threshold value is set to 4 degrees.