Horseback riding isn’t just about the time spent in the saddle—it also requires strength, balance, flexibility, and coordination.
Whether you’re a beginner rider or an experienced equestrian, improving your physical fitness can make a world of difference in your riding ability. Fortunately, you don’t always need to be at the barn to get better. In fact, there are plenty of exercises you can do from the comfort of your home that will help enhance your riding skills.
Here are 13 exercises you can incorporate into your fitness routine to improve your horseback riding performance:
1. Planks
Why It Helps: Planks are a great exercise for building core strength, which is essential for maintaining balance and stability while riding.
How to Do It:
- Start in a push-up position with your arms straight and shoulders aligned with your wrists.
- Engage your core and hold the position for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- You can also try side planks to target your obliques.
2. Squats
Why It Helps: Squats target your glutes, quads, and calves—muscles you’ll use for maintaining good posture in the saddle and controlling your horse.
How to Do It:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your body as if sitting into an imaginary chair.
- Keep your chest lifted and knees behind your toes.
- Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps.
3. Lunges
Why It Helps: Lunges work on leg strength, coordination, and stability, all of which are needed for proper riding posture and controlling the horse.
How to Do It:
- Stand upright and take a large step forward with one leg.
- Lower your hips to drop your back knee towards the ground without letting your front knee extend beyond your toes.
- Return to standing position and repeat with the other leg.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps per leg.
4. Glute Bridges
Why It Helps: Glute bridges strengthen the glutes and lower back, two important muscle groups for controlling your seat and maintaining balance in the saddle.
How to Do It:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Lift your hips toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes at the top.
- Lower your hips back down and repeat for 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
5. Leg Raises
Why It Helps: Leg raises strengthen your lower core muscles and hip flexors, both of which help improve your posture while riding.
How to Do It:
- Lie on your back with your legs straight.
- Lift your legs toward the ceiling while keeping them straight.
- Lower them back down slowly without letting them touch the ground.
- Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
6. Wall Sits
Why It Helps: Wall sits help improve endurance in your quads, which is important for maintaining a strong and stable lower body while riding.
How to Do It:
- Lean against a wall and slide down until your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Repeat 3 times, resting in between.
7. Supermans
Why It Helps: Supermans help strengthen the muscles in your lower back, which is essential for good posture while riding and supporting your upper body in the saddle.
How to Do It:
- Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended forward.
- Lift both your arms and legs off the ground as high as you can, squeezing your lower back muscles.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds and lower back down.
- Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
8. Hip Flexor Stretch
Why It Helps: Stretching your hip flexors is crucial for maintaining flexibility and range of motion, which helps you ride more fluidly and with better posture.
How to Do It:
- Start in a lunge position with one leg forward and the other leg extended back.
- Push your hips forward to stretch the hip flexors of the back leg.
- Hold for 30 seconds on each side and repeat 3 times.
9. Pilates
Why It Helps: Pilates focuses on core strength, flexibility, and body control, all of which are key elements of good horseback riding posture.
How to Do It:
- Try simple Pilates exercises like the Hundred (lying on your back, raising your legs and arms while engaging your core) or the Roll-Up (rolling up from a lying position into a seated one).
- Perform 10-15 reps of each exercise.
10. Balance Exercises
Why It Helps: Balance is crucial when riding a horse, and these exercises will improve your ability to stay steady in the saddle.
How to Do It:
- Try standing on one leg at a time for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- You can increase the challenge by closing your eyes or standing on an unstable surface (like a cushion or balance pad).
11. Arm Circles
Why It Helps: Arm circles strengthen the shoulders and improve upper body stability, which is necessary for controlling the reins and maintaining a good riding posture.
How to Do It:
- Stand with your arms extended to the sides.
- Slowly make small circles with your arms and gradually increase the size of the circles.
- Perform 3 sets of 30 seconds each.
12. Cat-Cow Stretch
Why It Helps: This stretch improves flexibility in the spine, shoulders, and abdomen, helping you achieve better posture and movement when riding.
How to Do It:
- Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Inhale and arch your back (cow position), lifting your head and tailbone.
- Exhale and round your spine (cat position), tucking your chin to your chest.
- Repeat for 10-15 breaths.
13. Jumping Jacks
Why It Helps: Jumping jacks are a great full-body exercise that gets your heart rate up while improving overall endurance and coordination, both of which are important for riding stamina.
How to Do It:
- Start with your feet together and hands by your sides.
- Jump up, spreading your legs while raising your arms overhead.
- Jump back to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 20-30 reps.
Horseback riding requires strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination—and you can improve all of these areas right at home with a consistent workout routine. Incorporating these 13 exercises into your training will not only help you stay in shape but also enhance your riding performance. Remember, good fitness off the horse translates to better control and comfort when you’re in the saddle.
So, lace up your workout shoes, roll out your yoga mat, and get started on your at-home routine today!