Exercises to Enhance your Riding Skills

By Alicia Johnson

There are countless English and Western disciplines equestrians can participate in. However, no matter what events, shows, or trails interest us, we probably all have the same goal: to become better riders. While it’s not necessary to be an elite athlete in order to be an equestrian, fitness can help enhance our riding skills.

A good rider is able to maintain proper posture and stability in the saddle. In order to do this, the upper body, lower body, and core all must work together to provide the alignment and stamina needed to enjoy a good ride. Riding, in general, is good exercise. Calories are burned sitting in the saddle; even more so if you participate in a strenuous discipline, such as cutting, reining, or jumping. So why not enhance your riding with basic exercises you can perform at home?

Lunges, deadlifts, and squats can build the quadricep and hamstring muscles we need as riders to create that centered, balanced seat we all desire. Each of these movements can be done with dumbbells or with bodyweight only if no dumbbells are available. For those equestrians with bad knees, reverse lunging is the best option. When it comes to squats and deadlifts, remember to keep your weight in your heels and chest up. A good rule of thumb for keeping weight in the heels is to try to touch your big toe to the top of your shoe.

Our core is responsible for maintaining proper posture in the saddle. Exercises to strengthen the core include sit-ups, planks, and, if you prefer keeping your exercises off the ground, standing crunches. A thirty second to one minute plank, or holding a push-up position in the up position is a great way to develop both core and upper body strength simultaneously. A well-developed core comes especially handy when sitting spooks in the saddle. In this situation, your core strength can be the difference between riding the spook out and falling off. A strong core will further enhance your balanced seat and will promote flexibility in the saddle as well.

Strong chest and upper body muscles will also further develop riding skills in the saddle. Any weighted upper body strength exercise will do. For example, bicep curls, shoulder presses, or even push-ups and the aforementioned planks as bodyweight only exercises will help you tone the chest and upper body quickly. If dumbbells are unavailable, water bottles or even cans of soup can be substituted.

For those equestrians who may prefer working out with your equine partner, there are exercises that can be performed in the saddle. If you ride a horse you can trust on autopilot in a controlled environment, such as the arena or round pen, try helicopter. This involves dropping the reins and moving the arms laterally while rotating the core. You can also airplane your arms for another variation.

Stretching can also be done in the saddle. Reach to one side of your horse’s head, then rotate through the shoulders to reach back to its hindquarters. Try this on both the right and left sides, and then reverse the direction and go from the hindquarters to the head of the horse. Riding in a controlled environment with no stirrups and bareback riding are also excellent ways to develop core and lower body strength needed to attain the symmetry and alignment that will make us better riders.