By Contributing Editor Dr. Lou Pack

“I ride horses and want to improve my performance. Can evaluating my structure help me ride better?”

Absolutely! Whether you are standing during your sport like baseball players, or sitting like kayakers, cyclists or horseback riders, abnormal structure plays a vital role in your performance.

We do not live in a perfect world and we are certainly not perfect either. Even our right and left sides are not mirror images of each other. We all have structural abnormalities whether we are aware of them or not. Simply look in the mirror and you will see one shoulder that’s higher, one arm that’s lower, or one foot that flattens more than the other. And these abnormalities can not only decrease one’s sports performance, but later cause arthritic changes.

For example, everyone has one leg longer than another. A rider with this problem will lean towards the shortened side. Not only can this cause you to have muscular soreness (such as in your back) but the imbalance caused by this condition will make it more difficult for you to ride and jump. Indeed, every aspect of your riding will be affected.

Another common problem usually seen with all athletes is tight calf muscles. In runners, it makes it more difficult for them to lift their feet when running and results in shin splints, Achilles tendonitis and many other problems. And it will cause riders to have great difficulty in keeping their heels down in the stirrups; a very important part of riding well.

Most people also have a tendency to pronate or flatten their feet. Riders with a flattened foot will ride with more pressure on the insides of their feet. This in turn will cause them to internally rotate their knees resulting in a loss of power and strength. This abnormal position will also cause them to hold on to the horse with their knees instead of their lower legs. Note that there is a big difference in leaning on the insides of your feet as opposed to having feet that collapse, flatten, and are unstable.

Despite the fact that these and many other problems are quite common in riders, they generally remain either unnoticed or untreated, but are easily corrected.

As I mentioned above, no one is structurally perfect and since the elimination of these problems (in horseback riders or any athlete) can create the winning performance edge you are looking for, as well as help you avoid injuries, the best place to begin is by having a structural evaluation and not by taking lessons.

So contrary to popular belief, whether you are playing golf or riding a horse, excellence should begin by getting yourself as aligned and balanced as possible first. Doing so can often show immediate improvement to both rider and trainer.

Karen has joined Long Grove as an Administrative Assistant. Previously Karen was an Office Manager/Executive Assistant in an electrical engineering firm. Prior to her position with the engineering firm she worked at AT&T and with Fasig-Tipton in New Jersey. Here at Long Grove, Karen's duties include pedigree research and mare acquisitions.

In addition to her work experience, Karen and her husband Scott reside in Dacula, GA with their dog Katie and their three cats Kes, Leah, and Molly. Karen will be an outstanding addition to Long Grove's office environment.