Pilates for Equestrians

Train the body that rides the horse.

Riding looks deceptively simple from the ground.

You're sitting on a horse. The horse is doing the moving. How hard can it be?

Pretty hard, actually.

A horse in motion is constantly moving the rider through multiple planes while the rider is simultaneously trying to maintain balance, communicate with the horse, absorb movement, and respond to whatever happens next.

That makes riding a little different from sitting still and looking good in the saddle.

Pilates can help you train the physical capacities that riding asks of you, so you can move with the horse rather than simply trying to hold yourself in position.

Riding is a movement problem

Every gait creates a different movement environment for the rider.

Your pelvis has to respond to the movement of the horse's back. Your trunk has to manage movement above the pelvis. Your hips and legs have to remain adaptable while still providing stability and communication. Your arms and hands have to move with the horse while maintaining an appropriate connection through the reins.

And all of that changes depending on what you're doing.

Walking isn't sitting trot. Sitting trot isn't canter. Canter isn't jumping. A transition isn't a circle. A trail ride isn't a dressage test.

The goal isn't to make your body rigid enough to maintain one perfect position. It's to develop enough strength, mobility, coordination, balance and control to adapt to the movement underneath you.

Research on rider biomechanics supports this idea: the horse and rider form a dynamic system in which the rider's posture, balance, symmetry and movement influence the horse, while the horse's movement continually influences the rider.

So where does Pilates fit?

Pilates gives us a way to train many of the physical qualities riding requires, but in an environment where you can slow things down, experiment with movement and build capacity.

Control, mobility, balance, strength, coordination...

Trunk control

Your trunk doesn't need to be motionless while you ride.

It needs to be able to control movement while allowing movement.

That means having enough strength and endurance to maintain your relationship with the horse while your pelvis, spine and limbs respond to what's happening underneath you.

Pilates gives you plenty of opportunities to practice that kind of controlled movement.

And there is good evidence that trunk-strength training can improve balance and other measures of physical performance in healthy adults and athletes.

Pelvic and hip mobility

The rider's pelvis plays an important role in following the horse's movement.

Your hips need enough mobility to allow the pelvis to move without forcing the rest of your body to compensate. At the same time, you need enough control to keep your trunk and legs organized as the horse moves beneath you.

Research on horse–rider biomechanics shows that pelvic movement and synchronization with the horse are important components of effective riding, particularly as gait changes.

Pilates can give you a place to explore that mobility and control without having to figure it out at 10 mph on the back of a horse.

Balance

Riding isn't about finding your balance once.

It's about continuously managing balance while the thing underneath you is moving.

That requires your nervous system to integrate information from your vision, vestibular system and body while you make constant adjustments.

Pilates can challenge balance in progressively more complex ways, while giving you the opportunity to practice controlling your center of mass over your base of support.

Research suggests Pilates can improve balance, although the evidence does not suggest that Pilates is uniquely superior to every other form of exercise.

That's okay.

The goal isn't to prove that Pilates is magic.

It's to use Pilates as one useful tool for developing the physical qualities riding demands.

Strength without unnecessary stiffness

Riders need strength.

But more strength doesn't necessarily mean more tension.

The ability to produce force, absorb force and regulate force is often more useful than simply trying to make everything stronger.

Pilates provides opportunities to work on strength while moving through different positions and ranges of motion and coordinating multiple parts of the body.

That can be particularly useful for riders who tend to rely on excessive gripping or bracing when they're trying to feel stable.

Coordination

A good ride requires a remarkable amount of coordination.

Your legs, pelvis, trunk, shoulders, arms and hands aren't working independently. They're interacting with one another while responding to the movement of another animal.

Pilates exercises can give you an opportunity to practice coordinating movement between different regions of the body, changing the amount of support or freedom available at different joints, and learning to produce movement without unnecessary effort.

And then you get to take that coordination back to the horse.

This isn't about finding your "perfect" riding position

This is an important part of how I approach Pilates for equestrians.

I'm not interested in putting every rider into the same posture and calling it correct.

Your body is not supposed to be frozen in one position while you ride.

Experienced riders continuously adjust their movement in response to the horse, gait and task and research on horse–rider biomechanics shows that synchronization and coordination between horse and rider are central to effective riding.

So instead of asking: "How do I hold the perfect position?" we can ask better questions:

Can you control your pelvis while allowing it to move?
Can you stabilize your trunk without making it rigid?
Can you move your hips without losing your relationship with the horse?
Can you produce force without gripping everything else?
Can you adapt when the movement underneath you changes?

Those are the questions that can lead us somewhere useful

Pilates doesn't teach you how to ride

Your riding instructor teaches you how to ride. And Pilates doesn't replace horsemanship, riding instruction, saddle fitting, veterinary care or other professionals who contribute to the horse–rider partnership.

Instead, Pilates gives you another environment in which to develop the physical capacities that support riding.

Think of it as cross-training for the rider.

You practice the physical qualities away from the horse so that you have more options when you're on the horse.