Modifications can be applied to make the poses more or less challenging. With the vast number of postures, if one doesn’t work for you, there’s likely another with similar benefits that will.

The physical postures have great value to equestrians when riding. Staying in shape also comes into play when working around the barn raking, shoveling, and lifting hay bales. It’s important to include postures that work on the following three physical traits: flexibility, strength, and balance.

Here are a few of my favorite yoga postures for equestrians.

Flexibility: Standing Forward Bend

Flexibility is an important component of equestrian fitness. Swinging a leg up and over a saddle requires flexibility. Having a flexible body also helps keep stiffness and soreness at bay. Additionally, if an unfavorable dismount were to occur, the flexible body typically sustains less injury.

There are lots of great yoga postures to improve flexibility, but I feel the most beneficial one is Standing Forward Bend. Not only do the legs get a great stretch, but so does the lower back. Also, inversions increase healthy blood flow to the head, brain, and thyroid. This pose is much more attainable than headstands, yet still garners the inversion benefits.

How-To:

◆ Stand with feet hip-width apart. Inhale and raise your arms overhead; with a flat back, exhale and swan dive forward, placing your hands on your shins, feet, or the floor, depending upon your level of flexibility.

◆ Drop your head so as not to create neck strain.

◆ Keep your knees relatively straight but not locked. You’ll want to feel some stretch on the backs of your legs.

◆ Hold the pose for five breaths or to your comfort level. If you feel there’s too much blood flow to the head, slowly come out of the stretch. 

◆ To exit, roll up slowly, stacking the vertebra, or take a reverse swan dive up.

◆ When finished, pause for a moment with hands in prayer position at the heart center; observe the blood flow redistributing, and allow the goodness of the posture to soak in.

◆ Standing Forward Bend can also be used as an entry point to other poses such as Plank, Lunges, Downward Dog, and Chair Pose.

Strength: Standing Goddess Pose

Physical strength is necessary as an equestrian, whether it’s being able to mount up easier, posting, or lifting a saddle.

There are many strengthening postures such as Chair Pose, Planks, and Warrior variations, but one of my favorites for riders is Standing Goddess Pose, which focuses on legs, inner thighs, quadriceps, and buttocks.

How-To:

◆ Stand with your feet wide apart and turn your toes out slightly; to avoid knee strain, your big toe should never be turned out past the knee.

◆ Begin with hands on your hips, then bend both knees equally, sinking your tailbone toward the floor.

◆ Don’t lean forward; the crown of your head should point toward the sky.

◆ After bending your knees, different arm variations can be added. Try prayer position in front of your chest (when palms are pressed together—this engages the pectoral/chest muscles). Bringing your arms overhead at shoulder width apart is another option.

◆ Hold the posture for five deep breaths, perhaps working up to a longer hold time as your strength increases. Three sets are recommended, taking short breaks between.

Balance: Tree Pose

Improve balance and focus both in and out of the saddle through balancing postures.

There’s an array of balancing yoga postures, but one of the most basic, yet effective, is Tree Pose, which can include variations to add challenge if the basic version is too easy. On the flip side, there are modifications to make Tree Pose simpler if you’re challenged by balancing poses.

Even though balance poses may not look like strengthening postures, many tiny muscles work to hold a balanced position. As muscles build, balance improves; work from where you are and enjoy the incremental improvements you’ll see from regular practice.

Mental focus also comes into play when mastering balance and is a means to developing concentration, which is helpful in horsemanship.

How-To:

◆ Begin with both feet solidly on the floor, with your weight placed symmetrically.

◆ Gently fix your gaze on something stationary ahead of you; hold your gaze there without wavering, regardless of what’s going on around you. In yoga, we call this focused intention, or drishti.

◆ Soften your standing knee; don’t bend it, but don’t lock it either.

◆ Shift your belly button over one foot, which equates to moving your center.

The following are foot placement options (based on your level of balance) for the leg that will be moving on to the standing leg:

◆ Keeping a big toe on the floor makes the pose easier. You can work up to placing your foot higher on the standing leg: ankle, knee, thigh, or crossed. The higher the placement, the harder the posture becomes.

◆ If challenged by Tree Pose, there’s no harm in using a wall, chair back, or windowsill to lightly place a hand if you feel wobbly.

◆ Hands are traditionally placed in front of the chest in a prayer position. For variety, arms could be extended upward or out to the sides.

◆ Keeping your arms in a stationary position is easiest, but to add more challenge, moving them while in Tree can be another option.

◆ If Tree Pose is too easy, try it with your eyes closed, which adds another dimension of difficulty.

Key Takeaway

Keep your yoga and fitness regimen interesting and doable. As you’ll see from some of these photos, practice can be done on the mat, on the trail, or in the ring! Consider committing to a regular practice and glean the many benefits you’ll notice in your riding and your overall physical and mental fitness.

Further Reading
◆ Groundwork for the Human
◆ Similarities Between Yoga and Horsemanship
◆ Your Equestrian Wellness & Fitness Journey

This article about yoga postures for equestrians appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Welcome to Barn Banter, the official podcast of Horse Illustrated. In Barn Banter episode 26, hosts Susan Friedland and Horse Illustrated Editor In Chief Holly Caccamise chat about last month’s Equine Affaire Massachusetts, gift-giving, and setting new goals before talking with Cathy Woods, a regular contributor to Horse Illustrated and the author of Yoga for Riders. To end the episode, they chat with Michelle Murch, equine and farm program manager for the New Hampshire SPCA, about Tilly, this month’s ASPCA Right Horse adoptable horse.

Click to listen on your preferred podcast listening platform.

Cathy Woods, Yogini and Horsewoman

Cathy Woods is a longtime yogini, horsewoman, author, yoga teacher, international retreat leader/presenter, and creator of her trademarked program, Body, Mind, Equine, who focuses on overall equestrian wellness.

Cathy aims to impart a practical approach to authentic yoga and mindful horsemanship, making it accessible to everyone regardless of what that looks like for the individual. She’s passionate about supporting equestrians in their wellness journey, promoting a more enriched and skillful life.

Her yogic journey naturally transpired as a child. Having nurtured that path and lifestyle for many years, she began leading programs in 1991. Cathy enjoys combining and sharing her passions of yoga, horses, travel, and women’s empowerment in creative ways and finds great joy in helping people handcraft their lives and their horsemanship

Her programs have been offered at distinguished locations such as The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Yogaville Ashram, and Mount Madonna Center. On the equine front, Cathy has partnered with amazing venues such as Equitana, Liberty Festival, Equine Affaire, Warwick Schillers Journey on Summit, Tryon International Equestrian Center, and C Lazy U Ranch, to name a few. She also shares her work through her book Yoga for Riders, published by Trafalgar Square Books, and writing for publications such as Horse Illustrated, and others. She’s been featured in Forbes, Yoga Digest, Horse and Rider, and many other publications.

Cathy is an avid equine enthusiast and longtime backcountry trail rider who loves exploring the natural world from the back of a horse. She remains passionate and dedicated to sharing authentic yoga and how it enhances life and horsemanship.

She is based in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Find out more at cathywoodsyoga.com.

Adoptable Horse of the Month, Tilly

This sweet, sassy Quarter Horse pony is a perfect companion. Tilly is approximately 7 years old, 14.1 hands high and gets along with everyone. She is companion only, as she has been diagnosed with ringbone, which causes her to be lame when under saddle in work. Tilly would benefit from a home with someone willing to spend time loving on her; she was bounced around and never really had consistent attention. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, but she just hasn’t been given the chance to shine.

Tilly enjoys free-longeing, and the NHPSCA has started doing liberty work with her, during which she has proven to be a brave young lady. If you enjoy spending time grooming and doing groundwork with a horse, she is your girl. She is an easy keeper and is not on any medication. Tilly is up to date on all her vaccines, dental, and she is even microchipped.

Learn more about Tilly here.

In addition to Barn Banter episode 26, you can check out all previous episodes of Horse Illustrated’s podcasts here.

The post Barn Banter – Episode 26 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Many parallels exist between true yoga and good horsemanship. When I say yoga, I mean the whole of yoga, not just the postures, which is what most people think of when they think about yoga, but yoga principles as well. The parallels are where the yoga mat meets the saddle.

Much of what is taught and practiced in yoga are many of the same philosophies we’d apply to mindful horsemanship: being present, breathing awareness, slowing down, and being balanced, just to name a few.

Yoga is an awareness practice; as we become more aware through yoga, we naturally begin to carry that heightened awareness off the mat and into our time with horses. Additionally, we notice and experience how many yogic principles apply to horsemanship and how many similarities there truly are.

I invite you to review these parallels and take a closer look at the likeness between the two practices. I’m confident you’ll see the connections. While reviewing them, ask yourself the following questions:

Am I practicing this on my yoga mat?
Am I practicing this in my horsemanship?

The Parallels Between Yoga and Horsemanship

Present moment awareness: Life happens in the now. Multi-tasking takes us away from the present. Use breath and bodily sensations as tools to stay harnessed in the here and now.

A training ground for life: Yoga and horsemanship are opportunities to come to know ourselves better by exploring our multi-faceted levels. We observe the way we process, learn, act, react, interact, think, and feel.

Bring consciousness to everything: Pay attention to your body, your breathing, and your energy. Journey through life aware, conscious, and deliberate, experiencing all the moments.

Breathe through challenges: Move with the breath, and not against it. Use the breath as a tool at any time you feel challenged or unfocused—on the mat and in the saddle.

Go beyond the mind: You can often do more than the mind thinks you can.

Energy shifts: Notice when energy shifts and changes within yourself, your horse, and your surroundings.

Move with grace: Bring as much grace as possible into a yoga posture, horsemanship, or any other situation, even when it feels challenging.

Accept: Work from where you are on that mat and with your horsemanship, holding a generous attitude of acceptance.

Stay balanced: Maintain equanimity in all areas of life, not just physically. Balance inner and outer.

Slow down: Don’t exhaust yourself by staying on the fast-paced treadmill of life. Slow down through yoga and when working with or around our equine friends; they will appreciate it.

Know where you are in space and time: Be aware of where the body is in space and time, physically and tangibly—where placement is on the mat and when around horses. Notice positioning, bodily sensations, alignment, distance, spacing, and orientation.

Drop expectations: Release the energy spent on expectations of yourself, others, or life in general. Free up energy for better use, and experience what unfolds.

Observe the mind chatter: Be an observer of the mind chatter but know you don’t always have to buy into it. Listen to your inner voice and discern what is pertinent.

Experience and celebrate: Stop and experience sensations, the release, and energy after a yoga stretch. Stop, experience, and celebrate after an accomplishment with your horse.

Making the Transfer

By practicing authentic yoga on the mat, you will become more in tune with the fact that the teachings apply to both yoga and horsemanship.

Once these silks are honed, they organically transfer off the mat and into our time with horses, as well as into other areas of our lives, helping us to be more aware and skilled humans in all that we do.

Further Reading:
◆ Yoga for Riders
◆ Fit Rider: Yoga Poses for Core Strength

This article about the similarities between yoga and horsemanship appeared in the September 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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The start of a new year is the perfect time to reassess our wellness regimens as equestrians, as well as determine how we’d like our horsemanship to look in the new year. It can be easy to buy into the media-driven version of what fitness, wellness, and horsemanship should look like, but it’s important and enriching to create your own experience by listening to your inner voice.

Make Your Equestrian Wellness & Fitness Plan Own

Many things fall under the umbrella of wellness and horsemanship; this looks different for each of us and it transforms as we move into different phases.

It’s natural and wise to modify both as you and your horse change. Gauging and adjusting needs and lifestyle to your current situation is a tool for living well and staying healthy and happy.

As a long-time yogini (woman dedicated to yogic practices and tradition) and horsewoman, I’ve always looked at my horsemanship and wellness as interconnected; the two reflect each other. We can’t expect our horses to be the only ones to stay physically, mentally, and emotionally sound, yet not work on ourselves. We are better for our equines when we are wholly healthy.

As my horses and I have grown older, the ways we partner have changed and so have our wellness practices. What kept me fit at age 20 is different than what I now require in my mid-50s. Long gone are the days of staying up late and eating whatever I wanted; I’ve modified my fitness routine and have also redefined how I spend time with my horses.

Long gone are also the days of arduous backcountry trail rides and pack trips. We’ve modified to short, easy retirement rides and lots of quality time at the barn. Often, we spend languid grooming sessions and omit riding altogether.

Time for Change

Just because we did something for some time does not mean we have to do it forever. A wise person does not cling to what once was; this is an important life lesson if we are to live the flow of grace. Change is the one thing we can count on!

Maybe you used to be a jogger but now walking feels better. Or you may have been a hard-core weight trainer, but currently find yoga more suitable. In your horsemanship, it’s perfectly fine to have once been a competitive eventer, but you’ve discovered that liberty work or another discipline is more fitting.

It’s all about dialing in to inner knowing, becoming clear on what’s in your best interest and for the good of your horse. Often when we don’t, it’s counterproductive; it can be easier to get injured or to injure your horse, or make mistakes based on poor judgment, basing our choices on what we used to do.

It’s important to pay attention when it’s time to modify. Perhaps your horse is showing physical signs of being unable to work in the manner he used to, or you’re both no longer enjoying riding as you once did—it could be that it’s become too physically, mentally, or emotionally challenging. These and other signals can be indicators that an adjustment is in order.

Rather than viewing change as a loss, reframe the idea from something negative into something exciting and interesting, identifying new pathways forward. It can be pleasant, liberating, and empowering to personalize your wellness and your horsemanship.

How to Get Started

◆ Spend some quiet time and honestly reflect on what you want and need to be doing at this time. Analyze if you’re participating in certain types of wellness and/or equestrian activities because you enjoy them and they work for you, or if it’s due to peer pressure or keeping up with the latest trend.

◆ Determine what works for you now. It can be helpful to write a list or journal about how you’d like your wellness regime and your time with horses to look.

◆ Identify practical and proactive steps to achieve your new goals.

◆ Be realistic and don’t set the bar too high or get attached to expectations, but rather move enthusiastically toward your goals with a gracious attitude of acceptance.

◆ Find a support network of others with similar interests.

◆ Take your first steps in this new direction. Begin by researching or dipping a toe into these new waters to see what you think.

Try Something New

Maybe you no longer wish to or are unable to ride but you still enjoy owning horses. Open up to new and fulfilling ways to partner with your horse, such as mindful grooming sessions or in-hand work.

If the season has come that you no longer own horses but still enjoy being around them, you can volunteer at a local rescue or explore the field of equine-assisted therapy.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to try yoga, but you’re not quite ready to jump into an in-person class, so you dabble with some online sessions first.

Personal Equestrian Fitness & Wellness Plan

Create a three-column list: Body, Mind & Spirit. Under each column, list activities that support how to best care for each aspect of your being, and do at least one from each column every day.

Here’s a sample list:

Taking care of the horse’s body and mind is not so different from taking care of the your own body and mind; it’s all about fine-tuning and adapting. It’s OK to permit yourself to adjust, otherwise you’ll be going against the current. Remember this quote/metaphor: “Ride your horse in the direction he’s going.”

There’s no endgame to personal growth or horsemanship. Here’s to curating your own experience to thrive in the new year!

This article about equestrian wellness and fitness appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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“Our bodies are our temples, and horses lead us to the altar.” ~ Beverley Kane, M.D.

What brings you that feeling of peace when you are around horses? Is it the moment when you step into the barn and smell all that is equine? The gentle rocking motion as you ride down the trail through the forest? Listening to horses peacefully munching hay as the day draws to a close? There’s no doubt: Horses bring us into the moment, engage our senses, and fill us with a soft sense of well-being.

Beverley Kane, M.D., Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, shares experiences from her “Equine-imity” stress-reduction course at Stanford Medical School. In Equine-imity, Kane explores the intersection of horses and mindfulness through somatic horsemanship.

“Somatic means ‘of the body,’” explains Kane. “Somatic horsemanship is body-mind rejuvenation through physical interaction with horses.”

This interaction with (and sometimes on) horses may include yoga, taiji, qigong, meditation, dance, and equine-assisted body-oriented psychotherapies. Don’t worry if these terms are new to you—all you need to take part is an open mind.

Also read – Parelli Natural Horsemanship: The Seven Games

Qigong

Whether you are taking time to quietly visit with your horse, grooming or doing chores, getting ready to ride, or are even at a show, taking a few moments to connect with your horse and connect with yourself provides powerful life-affirming balance. Kane shows us simple qigong techniques anyone can enjoy to practice somatic horsemanship.

Similar to tai chi, qigong is a traditional Chinese practice of body movement, breath, and meditation that brings emotional balance and mental centeredness, in addition to physical benefits, including improved strength, balance, coordination, and circulation. By practicing together with our equine partners, the horse’s energy can invigorate us and can also soothe us, as well as strengthening our horse-human bond.

“In conventional horsemanship, interaction with the horse is often very mechanical. That mechanical approach may also come with a relationship based on social dominance and an almost utilitarian approach to the horse,” notes Kane. “Somatic horsemanship focuses on breath and energy, and also a philosophy of compassion based on partnership. Horses are extremely sensitive. They notice our moods, our body language, our intentions, our consistency.”

“Qi is your vital life-force energy,” adds Kane, describing how qi, together with breath, body movement, and your horse’s energy, nurture the mind-body connection.

Kane walks us through some of qigong’s “Eight Brocades” practice, adapted for horses:

1. Center Yourself: First become grounded in your own body in the ‘bubbling springs’ energy center in your feet and the dan tien energy center in your belly—this energy center is used in tai chi practice. To do this, close your eyes, and become aware of your breath, your feelings, and your body.

2. Experience Peace: From there, come into a wu ji standing pose by stretching your spine up to the sky. Keep your shoulders down and relaxed and your arms heavy and long. Your knees stay softly bent and your feet connected to the earth through your ‘bubbling springs’ center.

3. Breathe: In this wu ji posture, breathe deep into your dan tien energy center with a soft, full belly; this means expanding your belly as you inhale deeply.

4. Harmonize: In the same stance, raise your arms up to the sky and imagine bringing the sun down and holding it in front of you. In your mind’s eye, see it as a ball of energy that you draw open as you inhale and press closed as you exhale in this pose, which harmonizes opposites. Then allow your arms to come down to your sides.

5. Join Energy Centers: Your horse’s dan tien energy center is in his barrel. Standing facing your horse’s side, place both of your hands at shoulder height on your horse’s barrel in a dan tien press. Feel your feet sink softly into the earth and breathe from your energy center in your belly. Feel your horse breathe into your hands.

6. Come Together: From there, turn facing forward and allow your arm to drape over your horse’s back. Draw close, melding your body with your horse’s side in a dan tien hug.

Become grounded with energy from the balls of your feet. Breathe from your belly center and feel your horse’s breath along your body. Enjoy the bond with your horse.

7. Take Somatic Horsemanship Even Further: If you’re comfortable and your horse is safe, take your breath and movement mounted.

Stress and Relaxation

“There’s not a magical formula,” remarks Kane. “There’s a lot of room for free-form interpretive motions. When you do deep breathing with synchronized muscle movement, the effect on relaxation is profound.”

Kane describes a 2019 Harvard University and Vanderbilt University study investigating the effect of stressful tasks on the parasympathetic nervous system, in which the data suggest the combination of muscle activity and deep breathing found in moving meditation facilitates significant stress reduction.

Allow the horse to share with you his groundedness.

“There’s a phenomenon called entrainment, in which one system comes into synchronicity with another system,” explains Kane. “When you put a horse with a resting heartrate of 40 beats a minute with an anxious person with a heartbeat of 100 or more beats a minute, that person’s heartrate comes down.”

Looking forward, Kane suggests as we segue out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we look to horses’ interactions within the herd as we think about moving back into our own world of social interactions.

This article about somatic horsemanship appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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As a lifelong equestrian and certified instructor at Club Pilates, I know firsthand that embracing Pilates as part of your fitness program can make a big difference in the quality of your riding. Pilates can improve your posture, thus preventing pain and soreness. This fosters a healthier relationship with your horse.

Here are five classic Pilates moves that focus on the key muscle groups that can elevate your performance in the saddle.

1. Leg Pull Front

This plank variation is a whole-body exercise that targets the abdominals, back muscles, hamstrings, glutes, and shoulder girdle, and as a bonus, it gets your heart rate up!

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◆ Start in a plank position on your hands and the balls of your feet. Check your plank position to ensure your navel is continuously pulling in toward your spine, your shoulders aren’t hiked up toward your ears, your hands are in line with your shoulders, and your pelvis is neutral (think of tucking your tailbone slightly to help maintain that neutral pelvis).

◆ Lift one leg off the mat to hip height, keeping your leg straight and pelvis stable. Point your toe, then rock forward a few inches, flex your foot, then rock back to the starting position, placing your foot back on the mat, always keeping that perfect plank position.

◆ Repeat on the other side. Do 8 reps of each set. Feel your whole body working here!

2. Kneeling Side Kick

Another key move in pilates for equestrians is the kneeling side kick. This series targets your glutes, core and hip flexors.

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◆ Start kneeling on the center of your mat, hands at your forehead (see photo). Extend your right hand to the side and tip your torso to the right side, reaching your hand to the mat in line with your shoulder.

◆ Lift your left leg to hip height; fully extend the leg and point your toe. Keep your core engaged by drawing your navel in. Kick your leg forward, flexing your foot, then kick the leg back behind your pelvis, pointing your toe. Try to keep your torso level and navel pulled in. No arching of the back here!

◆ Keeping your leg lifted, point your toe and lower the straight leg to the mat, then back to hip height.

◆ Keeping your leg lifted, circle it 5 times, repeating in the other direction.

◆ Do 8 reps of each variation. Repeat on the other side. Your glutes should be on fire!

3. Teaser

This is another classic move tailed to pilates for equestrians that develops core strength and has an added balance challenge.

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◆ Start out lying on your back on the mat with your arms and legs fully extended.

◆ Initiate by reaching your arms forward, lifting your head, then simultaneously lifting your torso and legs off the mat into a “V” position on your sit bones.

◆ Roll down by flexing your spine as you articulate each vertebra back to the mat, all while lowering your legs in unison.

Variations not only require tremendous core strength but also target balance and coordination.

◆ Variation 1: Start with your legs in table top, then extend your legs out to 45 degrees as your torso lifts off the mat.

◆ Variation 2: To increase the challenge, maintain your torso in teaser while your legs lower and lift.

◆ Variation 3: Now try maintaining your legs in teaser while your torso lowers and lifts.

◆ Do 8 reps. Now you’ve discovered your deep abdominals!

Regularly incorporating Pilates into your workout routines can make a big difference in the performance of your riding by achieving a more proper, secure, and effective posture. This helps build a trusting relationship with your horse and can take your riding to the next level.

Go to ClubPilates.com to try a free intro class and see and feel the difference in your body and riding.

The post Fit Rider: Pilates for Equestrians appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

With Your Horse

Tree Pose: The first pose of equestrian yoga to do is tree pose. Standing next to your horse while facing the same direction, place your hand closest to the horse on his shoulder or chest. Balancing on your leg closest to the horse, bend your other leg at the knee, placing the sole on your opposite inner shin or inner thigh (avoid resting your foot against your knee, as pressure on the knee can cause injury).

Bring your free hand to your heart, envisioning energy coming from the earth, through your body to your heart center, and then from your heart to your horse. Breathe. Perform this hip-opening, balancing pose on the other side of the horse as well.

Dancer Pose: The second pose of equestrian yoga to do is dancer pose. Stand facing your horse. Place a hand on his shoulder and allow the leg on the same side of your body to sink down into the ground with your toes pointing toward the horse. Grasp your opposite foot, inhale, and lift your leg up behind you. Lean into your hand that’s on the horse, allowing your heart to come closer to the horse.

Breathe, feeling the great thigh and shoulder stretch. Inhale and return to standing. If you can’t easily reach your foot, use a rope or towel around your ankle and hold it with your hand.

Repeat on the opposite side.

Pigeon Pose: The third pose of equestrian yoga to do is pigeon pose. Stand facing your horse and lightly grab on to the stirrup with both hands. Bring your ankle up and place it just above the opposite knee, keeping the flexion in your crossed foot, which protects your knee from rotation. With your lower back in a neutral position, sink into your bent standing leg.

Breathe, feeling the stretch in your hips and gluteus. Repeat on the other side.

Triangle Pose: The last pose to do of equestrian yoga with your horse to do is triangle pose. Begin in a wide stance with your ankles and wrists aligned in two imaginary parallel lines. Hinging from the hip, reach your hand downward to either the shin, knee or thigh depending on your flexibility. Stretch your opposite arm upward with your chest open.

Be sure your front knee is turned forward to stretch through the inner thigh of your front leg. Your back leg is grounded through your heel; elongate from your lower back into your back leg, so you feel anchored in the pose.

If your horse is standing quietly, lean your shoulder into his body and feel the connection. Look up to the sky for several breaths. Repeat on the other side.

Equestrian Yoga On Your Horse

Dancer Pose: While seated in the saddle, reach with one hand and grasp the foot on the same side of your body. Inhale, bend at the knee, and bring your foot up toward you, allowing your knee to reach down towards the earth. Draw your belly in with your core muscles so the stretch is through your front thigh, not your lower back. Use a strap around your foot or hold on to your pants if you can’t quite catch your leg. Breathe deeply. Repeat on the other side.

Pigeon Pose: While mounted, place a flexed foot in front of the horn or pommel of the saddle, resting your foot at the base of the horse’s neck, being careful to not catch the reins. Lean forward, keeping your seat bones in the saddle. Your hip and thigh open as your knee stretches out and down. Breathe and sink into the stretch.

Repeat on the other side. If you are comfortable, try this pose at the walk to enhance your balance, staying centered on your seat bones.

Resolved Triangle Pose: While mounted, twist at the waist, reaching forward to touch your horse’s neck or withers with the back of your hand on the opposite side. Extend your other arm up, opening your chest and shoulders, feeling the nice lateral stretch and spine rotation.

Breathe and keep twisting while staying centered in your pelvis. Repeat on the other side.

Cow-face Pose: To open tight shoulders, reach one hand upward while seated in the saddle. Bend your extended arm at the elbow and let it drape behind your neck. With the opposite arm, reach behind your back from below and stretch up toward the fingertips of your opposite hand.

If your fingertips don’t touch, use a rope or cloth to hold. Gently pull away from each other, so one elbow reaches up towards the sky and the other reaches down to the earth. Engage your core so your back doesn’t arch. Breathe and enjoy the stretch. Repeat on the other side.

Camel Pose: Place your hands behind you on the horse or on the saddle. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, drawing your elbows closer together and breathe deeply, spreading collarbones wide. Keep your seat bones rooted in the saddle. Look up if it feels good through your neck.

Special thanks to Danny Chapparo and her Quarter Horse, Tank, for demonstrating these exercises. www.ashvayoga.com

The post Fit Rider: Mind, Body, Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Lifelong rider and yoga instructor Jamie Ricketts of Fulshear, Texas, first tried a yoga class when she was unable to run due to injury. She found it more challenging than expected, and that class sent her on a path to becoming stronger and more focused.

“I had always thought yoga was more or less stretching, so I was impressed with the workout I got,” says Jamie. “I started yoga for the workout, but I kept going back because I learned something new every time, whether it was about yoga or myself. I was challenged physically and mentally and began seeing those changes. I grew stronger and more flexible—I couldn’t touch my toes when I started—and my mental toughness grew, too!”

Equestrian Yoga for Focus

As an NCAA equestrian competitor on the Texas A&M University team used to clueing into a pattern for competition, Jamie realized that yoga improved her ability to focus more than she could in the past. Yoga was a way for her to train her muscles to react in the way she wanted by focusing on calm, paced breathing.

“Outside of yoga, when things get tough, you can check in with yourself and ask, ‘What am I doing with my breath?’ When things get difficult, turn back to your breath and the conscious effort of just breathing will soothe your mind. You want to go back to long inhale and long exhale to utilize the full capacity of your lungs and make the most of each situation.”

To start building strength and improving focus, Jamie guides you through three yoga poses for equestrians: Goddess, Warrior 1 (or the alternate pose, Crescent Moon), and Downward Facing Dog. These moves target the areas that get stiff or sore after riding.

Jamie recommends finishing the workout in Savasana, or Corpse pose, which is lying on your back.

“I allow myself about 2 minutes each stretch (per side) if needed. Don’t underestimate the benefits of Savasana,” she says. “This pose is important in the practice of yoga because it is the opportunity to slow down, process and allow the relaxation of the central nervous system.”

Yoga has much to offer for equestrians beyond a good workout. “Yoga literally means ‘union,’ and it seeks to create balance in the body as well as in the mind and spirit,” says Jamie.

Equestrian Yoga: Just Breathe

Prepare for your workout through pranayama, or breathing work.

Ricketts says breath work can actually start warming the body internally, before getting physical. Here is her suggested warm-up routine:

Focus on drawing attention to your breath and using the capacity of your lungs, diaphragm, and accessory muscles that help with breathing.

A great way to do this is the three-part breath, allowing the stomach to expand on the inhale, followed by the ribs, and finally the top of the chest.

Linking that breath into movement, start slowly with some spinal movement in each direction: front, back, sides and twists.

1. Goddess

The first equestrian yoga pose for core strength is named Goddess. Before getting in the saddle, use this wide-legged squat pose to loosen your limbs.

The Basics: Try to keep your chest elevated and shoulders over your hips as you bend your knees.Your knees should track over your second toe. Focus on a slight tuck of your tailbone, engaging your core and alleviating any unnecessary pressure in your lower back. Slowly sink into the squat, and as your inner thigh muscles loosen, deepen it.

Advanced Move: With repetition, the squat portion of this pose will continue to drop lower. Add a heel lift to the stretch to take it to the next level.

“This increases the challenge of holding the pose while on your toes, and it works your calf and inner thigh muscles even more,” says Jamie. “Be sure to keep your tailbone tucked in, and keep your shoulders centered, not falling forward.”

2. Warrior 1

The second equestrian yoga pose for core strength is named Warrior 1. Warrior 1 is ideal for opening the hips and strengthening thighs.

The Basics: Start facing forward, with both hips facing forward, then stretch one leg back as if you were doing a lunge. Reach upward with both arms, keeping your elbows about even with your ears. Be sure not to pinch in your shoulders, but keep them wide and even. Stretch back with both arms, elongating your torso by drawing your belly button in toward your spine to protect your lower back.

Modified Move: If you feel any pain in your back knee when you stretch down into the pose, turn your back foot so that the heel is lifted. This is Crescent. You can place one hand on your calf or your thigh if the stretch is too challenging. Then reach the other hand toward the sky similar to Warrior; the pose resembles a crescent moon.

The Workout: Alternate the pose with each leg and hold it for 10 breaths, then 20 or more. Remember to breathe with deep inhalations and long exhalations. To progress, Jamie says to hold for a few more breaths, which builds endurance.

3. Downward Facing Dog

The third equestrian yoga pose for core strength is named Downward Facing Dog. Downward Facing Dog lengthens the backs of the legs while stabilizing your upper body. This will help you stretch your heels down in the saddle.

The Basics: Start standing and bend downward like you’re touching your toes. Stretch each leg back until you are in a push-up position, or high plank. Your fingers should be spread out, with pointer fingers pointing straight, your shoulders over your wrists, and your core pulled up and in (belly button to spine and slight tuck of the tailbone).

From plank position, keep your hands and feet where they are. Press down and forward into your hands as you lift your hips up and back. Your body will resemble an inverted “V.”

Proper Form Matters: This pose both stretches your torso and is also holding your own body weight when in the standing “V.” Your weight should be evenly distributed between your hands and feet.

Draw your shoulders away from your ears and think about pressing your chest back toward your thighs. Your gaze should be toward your knees or whatever is behind you. (It’s OK if your heels lift off the ground.)

Variation: Pedal your feet by bending one knee and pressing the opposite heel down toward the ground to work on stretching your calves and backs of your legs.

This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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