The hype of taking off stirrups during the month of November to help improve a riders seat has come to an end for another year. How much that work actually benefited both horse and rider is hard to say depending on what they practiced, but now is the perfect time to expand on that interest on improving the riders seat while also helping the horse.
Many exercises riders can find on Pinterest are yoga poses, stretches, and lots of “core stabilizing” workouts, but not only do we have to find extra time to do these, we also have to try to translate that into the saddle as we work to be more fit for riding. Those core buster workouts are great, but will that make your core too stiff in the saddle and not allow the horse to move his back freely? Will standing in tree pose help your balance (yes)...but will that necessarily translate into better balance in the saddle that allows the horse to stay in balance?
Overall the belief I hold true, as many others also do is “the best way to get better balance in the saddle is by spending time in the saddle”. So now we have to all become vaulters in addition to our normal disciplines, sorry... Okay so maybe not vaulters per se, but we can strengthen our body, improve our seat/stickability, and help our horses to get stronger without really having to step foot in a gym.
The following exercises should be started gradually and at the halt to decrease the risk of injury to both horse and rider.
*Just a bit of a CYA*: These are simply recommendations of things to try and/or bring to a trainer for their help implementing these or other exercises into your riding to help get a better seat. Some information as far as muscle groups may be mislabeled but they are named as accurately as possible!
Exercise 1:
“Knees up” (or core killer, whichever you prefer)
This is essentially a simplified “Boat pose”while sitting in the saddle and will help you to develop a following seat.
All in all this one is a relatively simple exercise and consists of leaning back in the saddle until you feel your core engage and at the same time, with feet out of the stirrups, bring your knees up past the pommel of the saddle. Use your arms out to the sides and in front of you for balance, and look around to keep from getting too stiff through your neck and back. Remember to breathe also-as you use your muscles and they start to get fatigued they will need more oxygen to keep up with the workload you are creating!
Hold length- This will vary depending on current stabilizing muscle strength (core and back). Don't push too far and risk overusing these muscles at first, but you will definitely want to hold this position until you feel like you can't hold the correct form any longer.
*Once you have this down and want to challenge yourself try having your horse walk forward while maintaining this position. Focus on the muscles in your core and back to make sure you don't get tight in those places...if you are feeling particularly brave after getting stronger at the walk, have someone who can effectively lunge your horse while you hold this pose at the trot and canter!
Major muscles activated:
Rectus Abdominis (deep core muscles)
Spinal Extensors (Back muscles)
Sternocleidomastoid (neck)
Vastus Lateralis (Located on side of thigh)
Hamstring (Back of thigh)
Exercise 2:
“Push-ups & Bicycle Push-ups”
Time to work those arms!
As riders, we tend to have more strength in our legs and lower body than we do in our upper body.
To help decrease the gap this exercise will have you place both hands on either side of the pommel, thumbs pointed forward and lift your body up completely off of the saddle. The most basic form of this has you stop here; if this is a struggle I recommend staying here until you have the strength to easily lift yourself up to the next phase or “pose”.
The second phase is bringing your knees up to your elbows and bent so your feet are almost parallel to the ground. Remember to breathe! This will require more core strength and leg strength to maintain balance. From this you can work on the bicycle part of this exercise: lower one leg at a time down then back up, alternating legs up and down just like you are riding a bike.
Hold length- This will vary depending on current stabilizing muscle strength (core, back, and leg). Don't push too far and risk overusing these muscles at first, but you will definitely want to hold this position until you feel like you can't hold the correct form any longer.
*Want to make it even more difficult? Try having someone lunge your horse t the walk and do your push-ups and bicycles at the walk!
Major Muscles Activated:
Deltoids (shoulder)
Bicep
Triceps Brachii (upper arm)
Serratus Anterior (small muscle from scapula and over first 8-9 ribs)
Trapezius (upper back)
Psoas Major (inner hip muscle)
GOOD LUCK!
Want to take your riding to the next level to learn just how much these exercises will improve your riding? S.V. Eventing, LLC is currently accepting new students with horses of all levels who are looking to take the next step with their riding goals.
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