Eight Off-Horse Exercises for a Stronger, Steadier Riding Position

The most useful horse riding exercises develop trunk control, independent limb movement, hip mobility, leg strength and balance rather than trying to imitate riding on the floor. The eight drills below target those qualities and can be combined into a simple twice-weekly off-horse routine.

Rider posture matters because weight distribution and movement have mechanical effects on the horse. A biomechanical review identifies symmetry, balance and posture as factors that can modify those effects, while supporting off-horse assessment and targeted exercise as practical options (Animals, 2023). The aim is not to force a rigid “correct” posture. It is to stay organized while the horse moves beneath you.

Choose the riding problem you want to address; the matcher shows the drills and doses to prioritize.

Eight Off-Horse Exercises for Riders

Start with body weight or light resistance. Stop a set when you can no longer maintain the checkpoint, even if the target number is unfinished.

1. Dead Bug

Setup: Lie on your back with your hips and knees bent to roughly 90 degrees. Reach both arms toward the ceiling and let your lower back rest in a comfortable neutral position.

Action: Slowly lower one heel toward the floor while extending the opposite arm overhead. Return, then change sides. Complete 6–10 controlled repetitions per side.

Checkpoint: Your ribs do not flare and your pelvis does not rock as the limbs move.

Riding connection: This trains the trunk to remain controlled while the arms and legs work independently—useful when applying a leg aid without tipping the upper body.

2. Side Plank

Setup: Lie on one side with your elbow below your shoulder. Bend your knees for the easier version or straighten both legs for the full version.

Action: Lift your hips until your head, ribs and pelvis form one line. Hold for 15–30 seconds on each side.

Checkpoint: Do not rotate the chest toward the floor or let the waist sag.

Riding connection: Lateral trunk endurance can help you resist collapsing through one side on circles and turns. Record each side separately rather than allowing the stronger side to set the standard.

3. Split Squat

Setup: Stand in a staggered stance, feet about hip-width apart rather than on one narrow line. Hold a wall or stable chair if needed.

Action: Lower both knees while keeping most of your weight through the whole front foot. Press back up. Perform 6–10 repetitions per side.

Checkpoint: The pelvis stays level and the front knee tracks in the same direction as the toes.

Riding connection: Split squats build leg strength one side at a time, making differences that bilateral squats can conceal easier to notice. For a fuller unilateral progression, use these single-leg exercises for horse riders.

4. Glute Bridge March

Setup: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, approximately hip-width apart.

Action: Lift your hips into a bridge. Without letting the pelvis roll, raise one foot a few centimetres, replace it and switch sides. Complete 5–8 marches per side.

Checkpoint: Imagine headlights on the front of your pelvis; both continue pointing straight upward.

Riding connection: The exercise challenges hip extension and pelvic control without asking the lower back to do all the work. That control is relevant when following movement without repeatedly tipping the pelvis forward or back.

5. Supported Single-Leg Hinge

Setup: Stand beside a wall with one hand resting lightly on it. Shift your weight onto one leg and soften that knee.

Action: Send your hips backward while the free leg extends behind you. Keep your trunk and rear leg moving as one unit, then stand tall. Perform 6–8 repetitions per side.

Checkpoint: Both hip points remain aimed at the floor; the pelvis does not open to the side.

Riding connection: This combines balance, posterior-chain strength and control of pelvic rotation. Reduce the range before removing the hand support.

6. Half-Kneeling Hip-Flexor Stretch

Setup: Kneel on a padded surface with one foot in front. Stack the front knee over the ankle and begin with your torso upright.

Action: Gently tuck the pelvis, then shift forward only until you feel a stretch at the front of the kneeling-side hip. Hold for 20–30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Checkpoint: The stretch comes from the hip, not from arching the lower back.

Riding connection: This works on comfortable hip extension, which you can then test when allowing the thigh to lengthen in the saddle. The detailed half-kneeling hip-flexor stretch guide covers side-to-side checks and progressions.

7. Resistance-Band Row

Setup: Anchor a band securely at about chest height. Stand tall with one end in each hand and the arms extended.

Action: Draw the elbows back until the hands reach the sides of the ribs. Pause, then return slowly. Perform 8–12 repetitions.

Checkpoint: The ribs stay stacked over the pelvis; the shoulders do not shrug or roll forward.

Riding connection: Upper-back endurance supports an upright torso and quiet arm position. It should not turn into pulling the shoulders rigidly behind you—the elbows and hands still need to follow the horse.

8. Single-Leg Balance With Reach

Setup: Stand near a stable support. Balance on one leg with the knee softly bent.

Action: Reach the opposite foot forward, sideways and backward, lightly touching the floor each time. Complete 3–5 rounds per side.

Checkpoint: Keep the standing knee aligned over the foot and the pelvis approximately level.

Riding connection: The reaches introduce movement around a stable base, closer to riding’s coordination demand than simply standing still. Use fingertip support before allowing the stance foot or knee to wobble.

A Simple Twice-Weekly Routine

The American College of Sports Medicine advises adults to do activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance on at least two days per week. Its 2026 resistance-training update emphasizes consistency over unnecessarily complicated programming (ACSM physical activity guidance; ACSM resistance-training update). This rider-focused session can supplement, rather than replace, a complete fitness program:

1. Do 3–5 minutes of easy walking and comfortable joint movements.
2. Complete dead bugs, split squats, bridge marches, supported hinges and rows for 2 sets each.
3. Complete side planks for 2 holds per side.
4. Use the balance reaches for 2 rounds per side.
5. Finish with the hip-flexor stretch.

Leave at least a day between sessions at first. Progress only one variable at a time: add two repetitions, add 5–10 seconds, use slightly more band resistance or reduce hand support. Do not increase all four together.

Compare sides, but do not automatically double the work on the weaker side. A large or persistent difference—especially one accompanied by pain, numbness, weakness or a previous injury—deserves assessment by an appropriate healthcare professional.

How to Transfer the Exercises to Riding

Off-horse capacity does not automatically become riding skill. Equestrian exercise research is still limited: a 2025 narrative review found that most of its 17 included studies were observational and only two used dedicated experimental interventions (narrative review).

A small pilot involving four riders overall reported reduced non-uniformity in saddle-pad pressure signals after 60 days of supervised gym work in its intervention group, but its size and design do not justify guaranteed results (pilot study).

Take one observable cue into a lesson at a time: level hips during walk, ribs over pelvis in rising trot or equal control through both stirrups. Ask a qualified instructor to check the change on a suitable horse.

If the position improves on the floor but disappears in the saddle, the next step may be mounted coordination, tack fit or coaching—not simply a harder exercise.