Learning how to improve your balance in horse riding is a cornerstone to becoming an effective rider. Whether navigating a challenging cross-country course, perfecting a dressage movement or simply enjoying a hack, a rider’s ability to stay centred and connected is key to communicating harmoniously with their horse.
However, achieving true balance is a nuanced and ongoing process, even for the most accomplished riders. It demands a combination of physical awareness, mental concentration, and an understanding of the horse’s natural movement.
“Riding is all about balance,” stresses Dickie Waygood MBE, one of Britain’s most successful military event riders and current eventing performance manager. “The reason we strive for a correct seat is because this is how the horse can carry the rider with maximum efficiency, and it is the most effective position for the rider to apply the aids.”
A rider’s fitness and biomechanics play a huge part in this, but you don’t need to be spending hours in the gym on top of the riding you’re currently doing to improve. Alongside the at-home strengthening tips we’ve included below, there are some in-the-saddle exercises you can incorporate into your ridden sessions.
Ridden exercises to improve balance in horse riding
Exercise one: no-stirrup work
Riding without stirrups is the most tried and tested way to improve strength and stability in the saddle, training you to rely on your core and seat rather than gripping with your knees.
It can be done both on or off the lunge. At the Spanish Riding School, for example, it’s still compulsory for trainee riders to spend the first two years of their education on the lunge without stirrups.
But if you’re on the lunge make sure it’s with a suitable horse and that you have a knowledgeable person on the ground to help you – not only will this help keep you safe, but they’ll also be able to remind you of the basics like looking up and ahead while letting you know if your position changes.
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Likewise, if you’re off the lunge, it’s safest to warm up with stirrups so you can assess whether your horse feels like they will be able to cope with you riding without stirrups that day.
Top tips:
“If you are going to ride without stirrups it’s important to have a neckstrap so you have something to put your finger through if you lose your balance or your horse spooks,” says international event rider Ibby Macpherson.
Dickie reminds riders to still ride with intention even without stirrups: “Think about what you are trying to achieve and do specific exercises to help.” Pay attention to your lines, and keep reminding yourself of the basic alignments, like “head, shoulder, hip, and heel” and “elbow, wrist, thumb, rein, and bit”.
He adds that it’s important to take regular breaks: “If you feel yourself starting to tire, take a short break. Tension only has a negative effect; it is a downward spiral. When you are fatigued, and also when the horse is tired, muscles become tense and tight. Then you lose relaxation – physically and mentally – you and your horse. Relaxation equals suppleness.”
Tape on the back of your jacket in a cross can help show whether you’re sitting straight or if you are twisting or tipping to one side.
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Exercise two: no hands
Riding without reins is another excellent way to help develop an independent seat and eliminate the habit of using hands for balance. For safety, it should be done on a lunge line with the assistance of an experienced handler. Depending on the rider’s skill level, this can be performed at the walk, trot, or canter, with or without stirrups to increase the challenge.
Katie Jerram-Hunnable, one of the country’s leading show producers says: “If things are not going well, I strip everything back. When I’m lungeing someone without stirrups and reins, I can see whether they have an independent seat and whether their hands are too strong. I make sure they can do rising trot and transitions without reins.”
Top tips:
Performing arm circles helps improve balance and body awareness. Work one or both arms at a time, moving them forwards, backwards, or even in opposite directions simultaneously for an extra challenge. This exercise helps riders improve their body awareness, a crucial skill for disciplines like dressage where different parts of the body must work independently.
Visualise holding a large, delicate beach ball in your arms directly in front of your torso. Keep your imaginary ball intact as you transition between paces. This encourages riders to maintain an open, upright posture through the chest and midsection without collapsing. Likewise, try riding with your arms outstretched and rotating your torso slowly from side to side while keeping your lower leg position the same.
Experiment with transitions. Practice transitioning between gaits without using your reins. Likewise, try moving the horse’s quarters in or out. This improves your ability to use seat and leg aids independently and effectively.
If you have your stirrups, try standing up in them. Check to see if your upper body tips forward, or if your lower leg slides back. You can use a neck strap and build up to riding without it.
At-home exercises to improve balance when riding
A rider’s lack of flexibility, strength and fitness can severely limit their ability to find balance in the saddle. With more and more people now working behind a desk and moving less, we all have tightnesses we should be working on.
However, Dee Holdsworth, who’s the founder of Dynamic Sports Therapy, says a relatively small investment in time can have far-reaching positive effects on your performance as a rider.
Here – and in the video above – are some at-home exercises she recommends to help improve your horse riding balance.
Exercise one: banded chop
This exercise strengthens the legs and lower back through a dynamic chain exercise to improve rotation through your core and the ability to balance your body across your pelvis.
This functional dynamic exercise will improve your balance and your ability to sense movement within your joints and joint position. This enables us to develop awareness of where our limbs are, which is essential for maintaining the correct position while riding.
This exercise combines leg strength, utilising your core and balance. It is a great exercise for riders of all disciplines as it combines all the body elements required to achieve the best possible seat.
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
