Equestrian Pilates Exercise Spinal Bridging on the Ball Goal n To challenge your balance and to teach you not to grip your muscles, as you lengthen and increase the flexibility of your spine. (After each bridge the spine should feel longer.) Adding the ball challenges you even further. Application to Riding nTo teach you to sit up tall in the saddle, while moving one body part and keeping other parts still. Flexibility, suppleness, and added length in the spine helps prevent a rigid posture and allows you sit up tall while in the saddle. Suppleness, strength and flexibility in the spine also helps you more evenly distribute the stress of absorbing the horse’s motion. Spinal bridging will also help eliminate head bobbing and will balance the seat. This exercises is a great way to alleviate low back pain and to strengthen the abdominals and the back. Position Description - Lie on your back with your arms down by your sides and your feet up on the ball. Movement 1. Inhale through the nose. 2. Exhale through the mouth as you engage your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. 3. Inhale through your nose. 4. As you exhale raise your tailbone toward the ceiling, flattening your lower back. Curl your spine up, one vertebra at a time, ending in a bridge. In the bridge position, inhale through your nose and reach with the knees to lengthen the spine. 5. Exhale and hold the position. 6. Inhale through the nose. 7. Exhale through your mouth as you curl back down, one vertebra at a time, returning to neutral spine position. Do 8 repetitions. Notice - Pay close attention to whether or not your spine easily peels off the mat one vertebra at a time or if it feels more like a huge chunk moving at once. This exercise is made more challenging by requiring you to try this on the ball. Pay careful attention to keeping the hips level and do not allow yourself to sink into your supporting hip. Work to maximize the use of the core and the pelvic floor and try to relax the butt and leg muscles as much as possible.