Tristar Equestrian Center

If anyone is looking to sign the Alberta independence petition you can reach out to Joanne.

Christmas photo booth is up and running.

The barn party for tomorrow at 11 is still going. Potluck style with games. We can't wait to see you all.

Another stellar weekend at Paramount Equestrian horse show; many ribbons, many laughs, and many hurrahs! Thanks to Crocus Creek Photography for the gorgeous pictures.

Reserve champion in 2’3 hunters at Brave Bridleridge Equestrian.
Great job Seamus and Keara

First show of the year.
Even though it was snowing, the girls ROCK IT at Newview equestrian in Cochrane.
Many thanks to all that came out to cheer us on.

I treat a lot of riders for low back pain, and while it’s very rarely due to just one thing, I do see some common trends. It’s often assumed that back pain is due to the back being ‘unstable’. But in reality, research shows individuals with back pain often move their back LESS, and have very stiff postures & positions. In the equestrian population, when rider’s complain of back pain I often see them struggle to move their lumbar spine through its full range. Especially for riders trained in traditional hunter seats, they often adopt a very arched back. This becomes an issue when trying to absorb the pitch & roll of the horse’s movement using the lumbar spine. When we’re already stuck in such an arched position, our back has no where else to go, and we end up jamming further into it with each stride. We can treat this in a couple ways. First off, we want to re-teach utilizing the WHOLE range of motion. Some might be quite stiff, while others might have lots of range, but just struggle to use it in the tack. From there, we move to more and more “riding” like positions, and eventually start to work on this motion while in the tack. Strengthening can help too, as it provides pain relief and develops control in movement, especially in the outer limits of our motion. But we can’t just focus on “rigidi” type core exercises like planks or dead bugs. We need to do lots of rotational, flexion, and extension type strengthening movements as well. Remember, this is just a very small piece of the puzzle. There are tons of different factors, and the mechanical portion of it is often only a small portion. Sometimes it’s a “too much too soon” scenario, sometimes it’s compounded by lack of sleep or stress, and sometimes it’s due to a multitude of other reasons. It’s best to have your individual case evaluated by a health professional before engaging in specific treatments. If you’re interested to get started in your own low back rehab and training journey, enrolment for The Equestrian Physio Training app is open until October 7th! The app includes discipline specific training programs AND low back rehab. Check the link in my bio to learn more!

Photo area is open for use, Merry Christmas everyone.