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Want to be more balanced in the saddle? Try these unmounted exercises at home to boost your performance in the saddle

In the final part of this series on rider balance, exclusive for H&H subscribers, we address how you can work on improving your core and strength out of the saddle. Check out these exercises you do at home without loads of gym kit – or even while waiting for the kettle to boil

  • In the previous articles in this series, Horse & Hound has spoken to top trainers to find out how to improve rider balance while riding at home. But what horse rider strengthening exercises can you do off the horse?

    Rider, coach and equine-specific personal trainer Christine Gay says that what happens off the horse impacts riding. “It’s important to have an awareness of our posture, strengths and weaknesses,” she says.

    “However a rider walks, sits or stands will be reflected in their posture on a horse. So, if you have an asymmetry – for example, you drop through a hip – but only ever work on it when you’re riding, you’ll only see limited progression.”

    Christine says balance and strength are interlinked, and cultivating strength and symmetry in the body means riding with appropriate levels of suppleness and resistance.

    “You have the rider who’s tense, showing too much resistance, the rider who’s too supple and has no stability, and the toned rider who is supple enough to absorb the horse’s movement, but can at the same time resist it to stay stable in the saddle,” Christine explains.

    “It’s about finding a balance between all three. You have to have strength to have tone, but you don’t want to go to the extreme of becoming tense.”

    Many equestrians are pressed for time, although Christine says horse rider strengthening exercises can fit around equine and work commitments.

    “We only ride for a limited time, so any extra time spent working on symmetry and strength is beneficial,” she adds. “In five minutes while the kettle boils or you’re waiting for the farrier, you can do something small to improve yourself.”

    Horse rider strengthening exercises: before you begin

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