Artificial intelligence (AI) might once have belonged to the world of science fiction, but it is now playing an increasingly significant role in training horses, entering our stables, arenas and even competition warm-ups. From motion-tracking cameras to advanced gait sensors, AI is becoming a quiet presence in how we school, monitor, and manage our horses.

AI is part of our daily life; from the way we shop and communicate to how we navigate and work. It’s widely used by athletes to track performance, prevent injury and optimise training so it’s no surprise this powerful technology has made its way into the everyday equestrian world too.

Supporters say it helps riders train more intelligently, spot subtle changes early, and make better-informed decisions in the saddle. For others, though, the growing use of data sparks concern. Could all these numbers erode the intuition, feel, and instinct that underpin true horsemanship?

AI in the horse world

Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can learn, adapt, and make decisions based on the data they receive. Unlike traditional recording tools, AI analyses patterns over time, detects changes and offers insights, whether on a rider’s position, a horse’s movement, or the demands of a particular training programme.

In practice, it takes the form of wearable sensors, smart apps or video-analysis tools, offering a new layer of objectivity to complement traditional methods of observation and coaching.

Smart cameras are perhaps the most familiar introduction to AI for many riders. Devices such as Pivo use artificial intelligence to track horse and rider automatically around the arena, allowing riders to record sessions without a helper. Others, like Ridesum’s AI Horse Analytics, go further by allowing video uploads and then analysing specific biomechanical markers such as the horse’s frame, stride length or the rider’s seat and position.

Designed to support coaching and self-assessment, these systems are helping bring professional-level analysis to more riders, even those schooling alone.

AI trackers for horse riding and training

Wearable trackers have become increasingly popular, especially in disciplines where fitness and recovery are closely monitored. Tools like the Seaver smart girth measure data such as heart rate, calorie burn and jump symmetry. The Polar Equine heart rate monitor is already widely used in endurance training, helping riders evaluate how well their horses are coping with the work.

Garmin, a market leader in GPS-enabled technology for sportspeople, has also made waves in the equestrian world. The company has released the Garmin Blaze, a device with a sensor that is secured to the underside of the horse’s tail. This tracks the horse’s activity, as well as health and fitness metrics, such as heart rate, stride, gait and skin temperature.

These devices don’t just show how hard the horse is working but they help determine how well it is coping, and whether adjustments need to be made to promote sustainable progress.

AI is making a significant mark in the field of motion and pressure sensors, where the emphasis is on analysing how a horse moves, loads each limb, and responds to the rider. The Equestic SaddleClip, for example, is a small sensor that sits beneath the saddle flap and records a wealth of data during each session. It tracks rhythm, impulsion, symmetry and time spent on each rein.

The data is recorded and analysed in an app, and over time, the AI builds a picture of the horse’s way of going, helping riders and coaches identify subtle trends or changes.

Other wearable devices are being developed with clinical precision in mind. Tendiboots, created by French company Ekico, use embedded sensors to measure fetlock joint extension, comparing the loading between forelimbs. Since the fetlock’s function is closely linked to soft tissue strain, changes in its movement can indicate the beginning of lameness well before it becomes visible.

The data is interpreted in real-time and delivered through a mobile app, offering support to riders, vets and rehab teams looking to intervene early.

Technology is also helping riders understand and refine their own input. TeleRein C IT, for instance, measures rein tension and displays the results via LED lights positioned on the horse’s poll. It aims to promote consistent contact and improve rider feel. Devices like these are increasingly seen not as gimmicks but as training aids, tools to support subtlety, lightness, and effective communication in the rein.

Some AI tools don’t rely on hardware at all. Software platforms such as Ridesum and Equicty allow riders to log training data, monitor recovery, and evaluate behavioural or biomechanical patterns over time. These platforms are designed to offer actionable insights, whether that’s helping to shape a schooling plan, manage a competition schedule, or highlight signs that a horse may need veterinary attention.

Does AI supersede “feel”?

The ability to capture and compare data over time is one of AI’s most significant contributions to equestrian sport. As Dmitry Marchenko, chief commercial officer of Smart Horse, explains: “The unique benefit that AI technologies brings to riders and coaches is the ability to objectively compare events over a long period of time, for example, between today and yesterday, or over the past week or month.

“This objectivity is especially important when it comes to health, fitness, or professional sport. It opens up new possibilities to evaluate progress or spot signs of regression. It helps identify the most effective training exercises for development, or to align rehabilitation protocols with the evolving condition of the horse. And it supports many other aspects of ethical training, all rooted in the objectivity of measurement.”

That objectivity, combined with the right guidance, can give riders new levels of confidence. Used thoughtfully, AI offers a second set of eyes in the arena, helping validate instincts or gently challenge them when something isn’t quite right. It can’t replace feel, but it can sharpen it.

Pammy Hutton FBHS, international dressage trainer and principal of The Talland School of Equitation, is one of many voices reminding riders not to let data distract from instinct.

“Feel is everything,” she says. “Knowing when to push, when to back off, and when something doesn’t feel quite right is a skill that develops over years. Data can’t tell you how your horse feels that day or whether they’re mentally engaged. Misused, it could encourage riders to train to the data rather than listening to their horse.”

Others see it as a complement to traditional horsemanship rather than a threat.

“When instinct and data match up, it builds confidence,” says Dmitry. “If the AI flags something you hadn’t noticed, it can prompt a conversation with your coach or vet. Over time, it helps fine-tune your awareness in the saddle. It gives your horse a voice.”

Grand prix dressage rider Becky Moody also sees value in combining feel with feedback.

“I find watching videos and analysing data so helpful, especially for those who work a lot on their own,” she explains. “Rider feel is all good and well if you’re feeling the right things. But take straightness as a good example, you might think you and your horse are straight, but then you review it and realise you really aren’t. That creates a useful talking point and helps shape your training plan.”

Welfare benefits of AI

There’s growing recognition, too, of AI’s welfare potential. At the 2024 FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne, tech companies were invited to discuss how AI might play a role in safeguarding equine wellbeing. From spotting early gait anomalies to supporting ethical training plans, these technologies are increasingly seen as allies in long-term horse management. But concerns remain about misinterpretation, data overload, and riders attempting to diagnose problems without expert input.

“An app should never replace your vet,” says equine vet Lucy Penrose, of Epona Equine. “If your horse feels unbalanced or lame, it’s essential to speak to a professional. The risk is that some might try to self-diagnose without the right knowledge.”

Pammy echoes this caution: “The horse must always come first. Technology can support but should never replace our fundamental understanding of horsemanship.”

Used correctly, AI doesn’t ask riders to abandon feel or instinct. Instead, it offers another tool to support clear decision-making and consistent development. Whether you’re aiming to sharpen performance, improve balance, track fitness or flag small issues before they become major setbacks, artificial intelligence – like any good training aid – works best in educated hands.

It’s unlikely AI will ever replace the eye of a coach, the experience of a vet, or the feel of a skilled rider. It could however back human judgement and give us a clearer data-based understanding of the horse and their needs.

For the modern equestrian, the challenge isn’t whether to embrace AI, but how to do so thoughtfully. The best results come when technology and tradition work together when objective measurement supports lived experience, and when data complements the quiet art of listening to your horse. The future may be digital, but good horsemanship will always be human.

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It has been said that typically beginners want to work on intermediate tasks, intermediates want to perfect advanced skills, while advanced athletes are always working on the basics, as that’s the key to real improvement. In this training session with Mary King, the eventing legend provides three straightforward ways you can use simple schooling routines to make big progress, regardless of your level of experience – and you can do it all on a 20m circle, whether in a field or an arena.

If you tend to head into the school without a plan of what to do, spend half an hour trotting absent-mindedly in straight lines and circles and put your horse away without a great deal of satisfaction or sense of improvement, you’re not alone. Many of us don’t have much of a structure to our schooling sessions.

While large arenas, fancy jumps and poles are the dream, most riders make do with a 20x40m school – or a field – for our flatwork. However, such limitations shouldn’t hamper our progress. In these super-simple training exercises with Mary King, she shows us how all you need is room to ride a 20m circle and a bit of self-discipline.

Rather than following intricate patterns and complicated exercises, these work on doing the basics really well.

Training with Mary King

1. Rider position

Aim: to have a better seat and be more balanced for all disciplines.

When you ride a 20m circle, it’s a chance to evaluate your position and improve it. We naturally focus on our horse and its way of going, but we are a major part of the equation. Mary suggests riding on a circle in trot, analysing each part of your body to assess whether you are in the correct position. Then make a transition to walk, while maintaining the same good position.

Mary says: “Think of a rider whose position you really admire, and try to channel them as you ride around the circle.

“Carl Hester’s tip is to make the front of your body longer, rather than just sitting up tall.”

Head: Mary advises keeping your head straight, and looking directly ahead, not down towards the ground.

“Don’t look to the inside, look between the ears, forward and in front of you, not turning too much.

Hands: “Your hands should not be going up and down with your body as you rise to the trot,” says Mary. “You should be able to hold your hands so they are not resting on the withers, and they should stay still. Glance down at them as you are trotting along to see if you are keeping them still.”

Mary’s tip is to keep a “nice bend in the elbow to help soften your hands”.

Lower leg: Mary rides dressage with her stirrups 10 holes lower than for cross-country. Whatever length your stirrups, keep your ankles relaxed so your heels are softly down, and use your calf to give leg aids clearly rather than nagging with your heels.

“If your horse is lazy, don’t just keep pressing or your heels will rise,” she advises. “Give more of a slap with your lower leg, then keep the leg still.”

2. Transitions

Aim: to make your horse more responsive, enabling you to make transitions at exact markers.

Mary regularly uses this exercise when riding in the school, practising 15 minutes of walk-trot, trot-walk and halt-walk-halt transitions.

She advises using markers – which can be a certain tree or fence post if you don’t have arena letters – so that you can prepare in advance where you want your horse to make a transition, and be accurate.

“When going from walk to trot, make sure the walk is energetic enough so that when you ask for trot with your leg, they go on straight away,” she says. “The horse should stay in a good position in their head and neck, not lifting up.

“If it takes a while until they make the transition, you need to work at getting it sharper. Keep your lower leg down, not swinging back.”

The downward transition also requires preparation to ensure it happens on the marker and not a few strides after.

“You should always think of riding forward into walk or any downward transition,” says Mary. “Prepare, not being in strong with your hand, so that the horse is light and up in front. You don’t want him pulling down into walk, but coming forward so push a little with your leg to keep their hindlegs active.”

3. Making transitions within the canter

Aim: to encourage the horse to listen and react.

This training with Mary King exercise works in canter on a 20m circle, going from working to medium canter and back again. They key is not to break into trot.

“It’s especially good for horses that are a bit behind the leg,” says Mary. “It’s a difficult exercise on a quiet horse.”

Start on a 20m circle in a working canter, making sure you have plenty of energy. Then go forward to medium canter for half a circle, and back to working canter. Do another circle, and then again into medium. The horse should go forward when you ask and “show a real difference in their stride”.

“You want the horse to accelerate, not just going faster but to open up their stride so they are covering more ground.”

Mary suggests how your mindset should be to open up the stride on a lazier type.

“Think, ‘let’s go for a gallop’, to show a change in stride,” she says.

She explains the aids for condensing the stride again.

“Then prepare to come back to working canter,” she says. “Bring your upper body back a bit, shoulders back, to indicate something is going to happen.

“Close your fingers on the reins, but keep your leg on as you don’t want the horse to trot. Don’t just pull the reins or they will slow up on their forehand.

“Keep the canter short but energetic.”

Mary’s tip for horses that break into trot or find it hard to collect is to “make the circle slightly smaller – 15m – which will help them to collect as it encourages the hindlegs to engage”.

Next time you’re short of inspiration as you trot aimlessly round the school, imagine you’re training with Mary King and your session should bring you greater satisfaction – and progress.

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If a rider feels unbalanced, how do they steady themselves? In most cases, it’ll be an unconscious reaction involving their hands. Being aware not just of how we hold the reins, but exactly what we do with our hands is crucial. And it might be that a subtle change in our rein-handling technique could improve our understanding of contact.

“Humans do everything with their hands; they are always in front of us,” says grand prix dressage rider and British Equestrian P3 coach, Charlie Hutton. “Instinctively, we go to our hands to secure ourselves, but when we ride, we have to be more conscious.”

A balanced rider is at liberty, as Charlie says, “to ride from the hindquarters”.

In other words, a balanced rider can deliver aids to their horse using different parts of their body independently to encourage him to travel forward in to the rein from the hindquarters. This isn’t possible if the rider becomes over-reliant on the rein as an aid not just to their horse, but to help maintain their own balance too.

Using the rein for balance interferes with maintaining the ideal feeling of connection in the rein, or contact – and is unlikely to be comfortable for the horse. But horse to horse, it’s hard to pinpoint precisely what the optimum feeling in the rein should be.

“To put it simply, it should feel like you have enough connection to communicate with your horse, but be light enough that you don’t meet with resistance,” says Charlie. “A true contact is one where the horse is comfortable with and following the rein – harmony and self-carriage should always be the rider’s goal.”

While contact and balance issues are best tackled with your trainer, Charlie recommends trying different rein-handling techniques when you’re schooling alone.

“Changing the way you hold the reins gives you a new perspective,” explains Charlie. “It might help raise awareness of an area of tension, for example, or highlight a way you could be using aids more effectively.”

You can use rein-handling exercises to test the quality of your contact, the security of your position and the effectiveness of your other aids.

“Think of them as tools and techniques at your disposal that will help you analyse the quality of your work,” he adds.

How to hold the reins in three simple exercises

Exercise 1: thumb and forefinger

Focus on: quality of contact

Hold the reins so the end attached to the bit comes out of the top of your hard between your thumb and forefinger. The loose loop in the rein should run down through your fist with all your fingers curled around it – don’t put it back through the gap between your ring finger and little finger.

How it helps

“My grandmother taught me this technique,” explains Charlie. “She told me it originated from the Cadre Noir, the French classical training centre.”

According to Charlie, it’s something Carl Hester uses to help horses with lightness and self-carriage. William Fox-Pitt has also been seen using this rein position on some horses during the cross-country phase.

“It also changes the muscles you’re using in your forearm, so it helps you to be more elastic and less restrictive through your elbow,” Charlie explains.

What to look out for

“When you’re not used to holding the rein like that, your arm will fatigue a little bit sooner than usual,” warns Charlie, “so watch out for getting tired and losing form.”

Exercise 2: half bridging the reins

Focus on: stability of your position, effectiveness of other aids

Bridging the reins means looping your left rein into your right hand and your right rein into your left hand, so each hand holds the rein twice. The reins will make a circle shape around your hand. This can be a useful technique when riding horses that tend to pull down at speed.

Alternatively, instead of bridging both reins, bridge one side at a time. For example, bridge the left rein so your right hand is holding the right and left reins, and your left hand holds the left rein only. If you look down, your hands will be connected by the left rein.

How it helps

“Half bridging the reins gives you a bit more stability,” says Charlie. “You’ve added another point of contact to help you keep your hands stable and as a pair.

“Because your hands are paired together again, you must do more with your body,” he continues.

It’s especially good for riders who are over-reliant on their rein aids while neglecting the rest of their body.

“It makes you more aware of how to turn through your shoulders, for example, or the use of your outside aids,” he says.

What to look out for

This exercise might reveal areas to work on in your position, for example if you collapse through your body and don’t turn your shoulders. If using your body suddenly feels difficult, this might indicate a reliance on your rein aids.

Bridging the reins can also emphasise the dominance of one hand over the other. Experiment with which hand forms the bridge and analyse the feeling.

Finally, you might need to adjust your rein length and the carriage of your hands. “Many people ride with their reins too long, which this will highlight,” advises Charlie.

Exercise 3: one-handed lateral work

Focus on: effectiveness of other aids, quality of contact

Take the reins in your outside hand; the inside hand drops to your side. Begin with basic shapes such as 20m circles and changes of rein.

Introduce simple lateral work, such as leg-yield from the ¾ line to the track or shoulder-fore/shoulder-in up the long side.

Ensure you repeat on the opposite rein, switching hands so you’re always holding the reins in the outside hand.

How it helps

This is a good follow-up to the half bridge exercise, which has already established how to hold both reins in one hand.

“Dropping your inside hand helps you open up your shoulders,” says Charlie, “and allows you to turn in the direction of the movement more, which is helpful.

“Restricting to one hand also makes you focus on how to guide your horse. Now that you can’t use the reins as freely to steer, how effective are your leg and body aids?”

What to look out for

“This exercise shines a spotlight on how good your contact is,” says Charlie. “It raises an awareness of what you need to do to maintain the connection now you’re restricted.”

The quality of your lateral work might also be compromised, showing you where to make improvements.

“For example, shoulder-in should be done from the inside leg to lift and engage the horse,” says Charlie. “Then, the outside rein secures him.

“When a rider does shoulder-in one-handed, you often see horses fall to a metre to the inside, which shows they have been using the inside rein to balance.”

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Training exercises that target a rider’s balance on the horse will reap dividends. As part of a series on rider technique for H&H subscribers, international event rider Alex Postolowsky sets out three exercises to improve your stability in the saddle

It’s never a bad idea to add targeted training exercises for rider balance into your schooling, but the good news is that it’s quite straight forward to take working on your balance in the saddle that step further.

Five-star eventer Alex Postolwsky says that working on your balance little and often, both on and off the horse, is something every one can make time for.

“It can feel impossible to fit in a half-hour workout, especially for someone with a full-time job as well as horses,” she admits.

“But you can take the pressure off by making balance part your routine. I have one of those balance pods, about six inches in diameter, next to my kettle. I stand on it while I make a cup of tea just to target my ankle mobility and balance, or I’ll sit on an exercise ball while I watch telly.

“Five minutes here and there doesn’t seem as daunting as a 30-minute session.”

Homework taken care of, what can you do on the horse? According to Alex, incorporating training exercises for rider balance into your sessions isn’t just simple; it’s also important.

“I still feel I should dedicate more time to it, and I ride several horses every day!” she says.

Alex talks us through some easy training exercises for rider balance on the flat, using poles and over fences.

Flat exercise: ride like a jockey

Focus on: relaxing the knees, fine-tuning aids

“Years ago, I remember Yogi Breisner saying that the best thing you can do for balance is jacking up your stirrups as high as you dare,” says Alex.

How to do it

With your stirrups as short as you can – think jumping length at the very longest – adopt a forward seat with the weight into your legs, your seat out of the saddle and your head up with your eyes looking ahead.

“Think gallop position,” advises Alex.

Ride transitions, first between walk and halt and, then as you gain confidence, between walk, trot and canter, while maintaining your out of the saddle position.

For greater stability, you can rest your hands on the horse’s wither or bridge your reins if needed, but ultimately you’re aiming to do this without leaning on the horse’s neck, falling forward or collapsing back into the saddle.

How it helps

“The first thing most riders do to balance is grip with their knees,” explains Alex. “I find that asking for transitions stops this, because you need to relax your knees to use your lower leg.”

She adds that many riders fall back in the saddle at first until they master their balance and achieve better harmony with their horse.

“A lot of riders lean back to slow down,” continues Alex. “You see it in this exercise in a trot-walk transition. Or they throw their lower leg forward and, again, they fall back.

“This exercise encourages the rider to isolate their rein aid and use it more effectively, because if you put your bodyweight into the rein, you just fall back into the saddle.”

Pole exercise: walk without stirrups

Focus on: rider mobility, following the horse’s movement

Alex says some riders can be a little hasty in taking their stirrups away.

“You need to have the relaxation, flexibility and mobility to get the best out of it; otherwise you can end up gripping with your knees too much.

“Or, it can make a rider stiffer; they brace because they’re not capable of absorbing the movement.”

The solution? Stick to walk, but use raised ground poles to add extra lift into the horse’s step.

How to do it

Cross your stirrups over the pommel, pulling the buckle slightly away from the stirrup bar first if necessary. Get comfortable with riding over a single, slightly raised pole in walk.

Set out at least three poles at a suitable walk distance. If you’re aiming for the horse to step over each pole in turn, then a distance of between three and four human pigeon steps (toe-to-heel) is about right. If you want to make it easier, then increase the distance appropriately so the horse can take a couple of steps between each pole (as shown above).

Ride in an active walk down the centre of the poles, focusing on allowing your hips, thighs and lower back to mirror your horse’s back as their barrel swings from side to side, while maintaining the activation of your core muscles to remain tall and elegant in the saddle.

Raise the poles, either at alternate ends or both ends of each pole.

“The poles shouldn’t be higher than your horse’s fetlocks,” says Alex.

Repeat, maintaining the yielding feeling through your hips as your horse’s steps become more exaggerated.

How it helps

“Because there isn’t much speed or force involved, it’s a great way of helping riders understand how much relaxation and mobility they need to follow their horse’s movement,” explains Alex.

“The raised poles especially show how much you need to swing from side to side, and let go through your lower back and hip flexors.

“Many riders think they need to hold themselves still, but that’s the worst thing you can do. The best riders look so harmonious not because they’re completely still, but they’re able to absorb their horse’s movement.”

Jumping exercise: gridwork

Focus on: speeding up reactions, improving harmony over a fence

“Gridwork is one of the best schooling exercises for balance,” says Alex. “You can work with what you’ve got, but if you don’t have a huge arena there are options.

“I hire out my local equestrian centre to build a longer grid. Bounces (four yards) and one-stride distances (seven to eight yards) work best.”

It is recommended you start with your stirrups at a comfortable length. As you get more skilled, you can try adjusting them to a shorter length, or crossing them over in front of the saddle.

How to do it

1. Set up a line of fences on bounce or one-stride distances, or a mixture of both. At least four fences is ideal. Take note of place poles and ensure you can approach on both reins, which could mean in both directions if you set the grid up to the side rather than down the middle of the arena

2. Build the grid slowly as your horse warms up, keeping the height of fences manageable.

3. As you tackle the grid, aim for straightness, with equal weight in both stirrups (if you’re using them), and look ahead.

4. You don’t need to fold dramatically over the jumps, just slide your hips and bottom back, keep your hands low and your shoulders up.

You may also like to read…

Charlie Hutton’s 3 simple no-stirrups exercises for building balance in the saddle

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If you’re a rider on a schedule who wants an easy way to test and improve your riding independence, no stirrup exercises for balance are an ideal place to start.

“As a rider, balance isn’t about grip or having a stirrup on the ball of your foot,” says Charlie Hutton, international grand prix dressage rider, British Equestrian Podium Potential Pathway and UKCC Level 3 coach.

“A balanced rider should feel like they are absorbing the horse’s movement. The moment you start to grip, it creates tension. That tension results in compensation elsewhere in the body in a bid to keep you secure.

“In the short term, this might be effective. Long term, you could develop body pain or one-sidedness.”

Why no-stirrup exercises?

Charlie says riding without stirrups is a two-fold mission. The first is fact-finding.

“Just how secure do you feel? Can you do it without your inner thighs immediately tiring?” he asks. “In this way, it’s a suppleness test as well as an assessment of your balance in the saddle.”

Secondly, it gives you a truer feeling of what you should be aiming for – provided you can relax. “It gives you a stronger idea of how following the horse’s movement should feel, and is something you can try to mimic when you take your stirrups back.”

Charlie recommends the following three exercises for improving your balance in the saddle.

Exercise 1: Transitions

Start on a 20m circle – this will help with speed control and make balancing easier.

Begin with walk-trot and trot-walk transitions. Ride forward, but don’t let the trot become big. Focus on riding a quality transition rather than staying on – it’ll help you avoid overcompensating.

Once that feels easy, progress to transitions on the long side. Maintain that same forward yet manageable rhythm – a more open stride will complicate matters.

Return to a circle and progress to trot-canter and canter-trot. Again, aim for precise transitions.

How it helps

No-stirrup exercises incorporating transitions highlight the importance of absorbing your horse’s movement – which means stability rather than grip.

“Each part of the rider has a job; there are parts of the body that need to be stable and others that need to be mobile,” Charlie explains. “For example, the ankles and hips need to move, the knees must be stable.”

A clear sign you’re exhibiting tension rather than stability? According to Charlie, you’ll bounce more and have tension through your lower back.

Things to avoid

Charlie advocates not running before you can walk.

“I’d rather a rider go slower and build up progressively,” says Charlie, “Ride forward, but stay in a gear you can manage and where you won’t be fighting to contain your horse. A big, forward downward transition is where you’ll struggle with balance the most, so walk and trot first.”

Exercise 2: Rising trot without stirrups

Begin on a circle once you’ve warmed up and settled into your no-stirrup work.

Ensure your horse is in a comfortable gear (that is, you’re still able to ride forward without it feeling bouncy or so onward bound that you feel like you’re having to ride backwards to contain him).

Keeping your knees steady without pinching them together, use the lift in your horse’s stride to help propel your rise.

How it helps

Like all no stirrup exercises, it helps riders learn to absorb their horse’s movement and acquire stability without tensing up. Rising trot without stirrups is also a great strength and conditioning exercise.

Things to avoid

Charlie warns against rising too high.

“Rising trot without stirrups actually helps you realise you’re more connected to your horse with a shallower rise,” he explains. “Riders often rise high in an attempt to absorb the movement, but it’s actually less effective in influencing the rhythm and tempo.”

Riders should also be cautious. As you’ll discover, rising trot without stirrups requires strength and stamina, so don’t worry about taking breaks.

Exercise 3: Bareback

While riding with a correctly fitting saddle is essential, taking it away allows the rider to feel what’s happening through the horse’s body more obviously.

Riding bareback, or riding without a saddle, should only be done if you feel confident to and in an enclosed space such as an arena.

There aren’t really any steps to follow; you could take off your horse’s saddle and remount to cool him down at the end of a ride or embark on a full saddle-less schooling session. Do whatever matches your confidence and experience level.

How it helps

“Riders can feel quite vulnerable when riding bareback, especially if they haven’t tried it since childhood or are coming to it new,” says Charlie. “That is an indication of how a rider feels about their own balance, and how much they rely on the saddle to support them.”

In this way, riding bareback (or the thought of doing so!) might tell you that you’d benefit from more no-stirrup exercises to boost your security.

Charlie adds that riding bareback, or building up to it, requires the cultivation of a strong partnership with your horse.

“It highlights how much the rider trusts the horse,” he remarks.

While the relationship with a horse isn’t directly related to balance, the ability to relax and absorb his movement can’t be done if a rider is tense.

Things to avoid

Charlie advises reserving this exercise for established horses, not youngsters or horses only just coming back into work. It’s also not recommended for horses with known back problems.

You may also be interested in…

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Horse rider strength and balance go hand in hand, as five-star eventer and BHS Fellow Kylie Roddy explains: “If you imagine carrying a backpack that’s heavier on one side than the other, it’ll be harder for you to walk. So, if you aren’t balanced on your horse, it’s going to have the same effect.”

Balance requires stability, which means conditioning the muscles.

“It takes strength to stabilise your pelvis, and a lot of muscle groups are involved,” Kylie continues, adding that it’s all-encompassing, not just the core. “Your abs and back, hip flexors and glutes, all the way to the quads in the front of your legs; all those muscle systems work to balance you, so they all need to be strong.”

According to Kylie, lack of condition in these muscle groups might lead riders to rely on other ways to balance, such as their reins.

“You quite often see people with a lot of weight in the heel and their leg forward,” she adds. “A balanced rider has their ear, shoulder, hip and heel in a vertical line. If that line isn’t vertical, then the rider is out of balance with their horse.”

Strength is also important because muscle fatigue impacts the quality of your riding.

“If you go into a dressage test after a 30-minute warm-up, but that’s also the time it takes to reach your muscle fatigue zone, then you’re going into your test and will be doing your best work with tired muscles.”

How to improve horse rider strength and balance at home

“Keeping your ear, shoulder hip and heel in the vertical line is the easiest way to check that you’re in balance,” says Kylie. “It’s great if you’ve got arena mirrors, because every time you ride past, you can check yourself. If you don’t, ask someone with good eyes who knows what to look for to watch you.”

If you need to adjust your position regularly, it’s a sign you lack some of the strength you need for balance in the saddle. The good news? It’s easy to incorporate fitness exercises into your busy equestrian life to target these groups. The best news? You can do it mounted.

Exercise 1: ride a centre line without stirrups

“This is best if you have arena mirrors, or can get a friend to film you,” says Kylie. “Simply ride down the centre line without your stirrups, and turn at the end of the area.”

The aim is to keep your pelvis equally distributed in the saddle throughout.

“If you drew a line pommel to cantle down the center of your saddle, your horse’s spine should align with that, with your seat bones sat evenly on either side.”

The benefits

A go-to for horse rider strength and balance, no-stirrup work engages your core and helps expose any crookedness, which allows you to improve it.

“When you’re watching yourself down the centreline, you’ll likely notice that one leg looks longer than the other,” explains Kylie. “Actually, it’s that your pelvis has slipped to the side. Your aim is to ride towards the mirror or helper on the ground while keeping your feet level.”

Kylie says turning one way will likely feel easier than the other.

“Most riders’ pelvises will slide to the outside, so you’ll go from having a long, straight inside leg to it gripping up. This is associated with an unstable seat.”

To remedy this, riders should feel that their outside seatbone is on the pommel to cantle line through the saddle. “That won’t be the reality – you’ll actually be sitting square.”

Exercise 2: remain standing

“Kenneth Clawson trained me as a young rider,” says Kylie. “One day, when we were working in, he said: ‘no one’s allowed to sit today’. He had us walking, trotting and cantering all without our bottoms ever touching the saddle!”

The benefits

While we wouldn’t recommend jumping straight in with a whole ridden session (why not set a 30-second timer and build up from there?) standing in the stirrups is an intense leg workout that’s easy to do.

“The other benefit is that the relief from sitting down helps you relax into the seat, making you more secure,” adds Kylie.

Exercise 3: 10 strides at a time

For something a little more involved, Kylie recommends:

• Put your stirrups to jumping length and pick up canter
• Sitting normally, count 10 canter strides
• Adopt a two-point seat for 10 canter strides
• Stand for 10 canter strides
• Return to the two-point seat for 10 canter strides
• Repeat steps 2-5

The benefits

“This balance-improving exercise requires the rider to gently find their way back down to the saddle without disturbing the horse’s rhythm or falling backwards to hit the cantle,” explains Kylie. “It develops the strength needed to control that movement, which is all part of being stable in the saddle – you have to find and control that softness in the knee and ankle to lift and slowly lower yourself back into the saddle.”

Kylie suggests steadying yourself by putting a finger into the neck strap if you feel yourself wobble.

• Have you tried these horse rider strength and balance exercises? Let us know how you got on by emailing hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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How Alex Bragg’s training exercise uses turns to master straightness while jumping

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‘Spectacular movement isn’t always good movement’: Becky Moody on young horses and her key training mantras

‘Not every day is a perfect day – patience and positivity are very important’: Lottie Fry shares her training mantras 

‘If I couldn’t compete it wouldn’t bother me’: Olympian Abi Lyle’s training mantras, including why praise, variety and turnout are key

Rider biomechanics: 13 things to bear in mind if you want to be a good rider

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Horse and rider training

Welcome to Horse & Hound’s training hub. Whether you are looking for techniques to improve your riding skills, insight from top trainers and riders on how to prepare your horse for a specific sport, or tips to help solve specific problems, you will find useful advice from experts to help.

Horse & Hound’s training exercise of the week

Choose a topic:

• Dressage
• Eventing
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• Hacking
• Polework
• Gridwork
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• Groundwork
• How horses learn
• Young horses
• Riding techniques
• Rider fitness
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• Problem solving
• Learning to ride

Daily training inspiration

Execute smarter square halts with just four poles

• Improve horse’s straightness
• Help with accurate placement of the halt
• Create a square halt

Try today’s exercise or find more daily inspiration.