When I got back into riding five years ago, it had been eight years since I had really been around horses, much less sat on one. The eight-year break came after a bad riding accident when a horse that...
Horseback riding is a physical sport, and our bodies battle everything from nagging soreness and mild discomfort to full-blown pain and life-changing injuries. If you ride while unfit, sore, imbalanced or with improper posture, it can cause uneven weight...
We often think about what we can teach our horses: to stay in a frame, to load onto a trailer, to stand at the mounting block. But how often do we pause to appreciate all the important life lessons...
Losing momentum due to life’s many energy and time drains is difficult enough to cope with—family demands, work stress and personal hardships can disrupt everything—but it’s even more heartbreaking when this happens to horse owners. The loss of dedication...
Horses are so sensitive they can feel a fly landing anywhere on their body and twitch the skin underneath. Knowing this, it’s no surprise that any imbalances, tightness or injury in the rider will be felt by the horse,...
Improved balance and focus, better reaction time, increased range of motion, added strength, greater flexibility, fewer injuries, and a boosted immune system? Yes, please! Horseback yoga postures—and yoga on the ground—can help with all those and more.Through personal “groundwork”...
Yoga With Your Horse
Yoga has worked its way into the fabric of modern culture, and with good reason: Studies suggest regular yoga practice offers a wide variety of mental and physical benefits. With the mind-body connection yoga brings, the...
Practicing yoga for young equestrians can increase your flexibility and strength and help you develop better balance in the saddle. Do you wish you had more control over your position in the saddle? Maybe it’s hard for you to...
"Float down to the saddles with grace,” the smiling instructor encouraged our riding group as I transitioned from two-point back into the saddle ... of my stationary bike. I pedaled, enjoying the 45-minute ’80s music ride from my home...
Over a decade ago I was 50 pounds overweight. I was uncomfortable in all of my clothes, much less a fitted pair of riding breeches. When necessary, I found myself frustratingly unable to mount from the ground. Finally, a...
