A compilation of riding exercises ideas and skills for all levels
About "Riding Exercises/Skills"
Riding Exercises/Skills
Correct upper body position helps to stabilize your seat and allows you to apply effective leg aids. Suppleness in your lower back helps to absorb the movements of the horse which in turn makes the upper body appear to be still.
No label Rider Stretching Exercises
Different exercises geared towards the rider which can be done on leadline, lunge line, or off the lunge...
Our heads weigh almost 10 pounds and being on top of our bodies, it has a lot of influence on the rest of our body!
The rider's legs should be in close contact with the horse's sides but not gripping. Any tension in your upper leg or gripping with your knees will result in a lower leg not making proper contact. It's important for a rider to have relaxed muscles as well as good mobility in joints for shock absorption of the horse's movements.
No label Relaxing Warm Up Exercise
This exercise helps riders relax their body by slowly relaxing each body part, one by one.
Several different exercises that can be done off or on the lunge to help rider's wrists and hands while riding...
No label Rider Exercises to Improve Hands
Correct hand and wrist position is important for creating an effective but sympathetic rein connection with your horse. Good hands is a sign of an independent seat and correct riding posture.
No label Correct Riding Position
A lesson plan revolving around teaching the correct riding position...
No label Rider Exercises to Improve Shoulders
While riding, shoulders should be relaxed and level with each other, above your hips. Along with your torso, they stabilize your seat by preventing it from slipping backwards or to the side. Any stiffness in your shoulders or misalignment from hips will affect the rider's whole posture and security while in the saddle. Rein contact will also be affected negatively.
No label Perfect Your Riding Position…
A correct and balanced riding position allows your horse to move with freedom and in balance. Learn tips on how to achieve the correct riding position...
Different mounted exercises and stretches such as pedaling your legs in the saddle as if on a bike, switching between two point trot and sit trot, taking your feet out of stirrups and back in without hands...
Your seat and leg position is about building a strong foundation for everything we do in riding...
Having a good seat is crucial to your balance and stability on horseback. It gives you the ability to communicate with your horse as well as absorbing the horse's movement. Your 'seat' means the area encompassing your waist to your knees. A lack of balance for a rider equates to a lack of an independent seat. An independent seat means that regardless of what the horse does underneath of you, you can stay balanced and secure in the saddle.
No label Warm Up Riding Exercises (Part 2)
Several different riding exercises such as practice your two point trot and move you hands up and down the horse's neck, take your feet out of the stirrups at a w/t/c and slip them back in...
No label Bending Your Horse
Bend the horse to the inside. Bend the horse to the outside. Bend to the outside and leg yield in to spiral the circle in. Change the bend and leg yield the circle out.
A summary of how a rider's position can affect the horse and exercises to strengthen it.
No label 31 Warm Up Exercises and Stretches
Perfect for use on the lunge line or on lead
No label How to Hold the Reins Correctly
A lesson plan on how to teach riders to hold the reins correctly...
A lesson plan to teach your rider(s) the two-point position and forward seat in preparation for jumping...
One element of having a good seat is that your pelvis is in the correct position to communicate and balance with your horse. A rider who hollows their back has their pelvis tipped forwards and therefore their seatbones are tipped back. This also causes the rider to lean forward out of lack of balance. This will also cause a rider to get a backache!
To teach a rider how to properly ride a corner with their seatbones, without causing the horse to lean into the turn. It's important that a horse does not lean into a turn as they can lose their footing and fall. Riders must learn how to balance on the back of the horse while turning and not lean into the turn. A horse that leans into a turn may just need proper schooling or may also be a result of a rider leaning in too.
A few different exercises for your riders to help get their horses in front of the leg.
A simple exercise of placing a crop under a rider's thumbs to teach them not to pull the reins and where your hands should correctly be while turning.
Objective: To teach a rider how to correctly use their weight aids to communicate with their horse. Horses are naturally sensitive to our weight aids and will go where our weight goes without any previous training.
No label Leg Stability Exercises
A few exercises to help riders with leg stability. These exercises are great for riders who like to grip with their legs (and cause horses to speed up), legs that flop around, and riders that sit in a chair seat with legs in front of their hips...
No label Sit Back and Step Under Exercise
A great exercise involving leg yielding on a circle, riding trot circles, and cantering to encourage a horse to soften and engage from behind. A good exercise for green/young horses.
Different exercises for riding down the centerline of the arena to incorporate into your lesson plans.
No label Is My Horse Straight Exercise?
A very simple exercise that can be done at all gaits where riders will pick a point in the arena to use as a guide for straightness.
No label Long Side/Short Side Transitions
Various exercise ideas for transitions using the long sides and short sides of an arena.
A list of transitions for you to incorporate into your lessons with using a visual reference point for riders to precisely have their horse perform an upward or downward transition.
No label Cone Circling Exercise
A fun exercise for horse and rider using cones (or use your jump standards)...
No label Inside/Outside Track Exercise
Ride on the inside and outside track to test a horse and rider's straightness...
No label Counting Strides on a 20m Circle
This exercise can be done at any gait and for added benefit, riders can also shorten and lengthen their horses' strides...
No label Counter Bending in All Gaits
Counter bending will help create a supple horse - read on to learn more about the exercise...
No label Counter Flexion on a 20M Circle
Counter flex your horse for a few strides - read on for more info about the exercise...
No label Hill Work
Get out of the arena and practice riding up and down some hills to build your horse's topline and strengthen his entire body...
No label Half Circles on the Centerline
Read on for more info...
No label Spiraling On A Circle Variation
This exercise helps improve communication between a student and their mount...
No label Spiraling Exercise
This exercise makes the horse weight its inside hock when spiraling into the circle and is just a great exercise for teaching balance on a circle for horse/rider...
No label Serpentines
A great exercise to focus on a horse's transitions and when ridden at a canter is good practice for simply/flying lead changes.
No label Squares
A great exercise to work on your communication with your horse through your steering and use of outside aids to control the horse's shoulders...
No label Lunge Line Exercises
A comprehensive list of many exercises that can be done with your students on a lunge line...
No label Practice Hunt Seat Equitation Tests
Incorporate hunt seat equitation tests into your lessons. We have listed some ideas for you - use some or all of the elements in these tests...
No label List of Advanced Riding Skills
This is a list of advanced riding skills for english and western riders which you can incorporate into your lesson plans...
No label Western Horsemanship Patterns
Here are some western riding patterns which can be incorporated into your lesson plans...
A lesson plan to teach students how to safely adjust stirrups and girth while riding...
No label Eventing Paces & Speed
Teach students how to learn about the correct speed and pace for cross country...
No label Improve Engagement with 20m Circle
Riding on a 20m circle helps you perfect it because the constant bend of the circle encourages your horse to step through with his inside hind leg. It’s also a great way to learn to use your seat and body position to steady your horse...
No label Stretching Down in All Gaits
An exercise broken down in several steps for riders to achieve a long and low frame in the w/t/c...
No label Spiraling Circle Long & Low
This exercise will help work on your horse’s suppleness and encourage him to stretch.
No label Riding Exercises in an Open Field
Riding exercises to get you and your horse comfortable riding outside in an open field...
No label Flexion Exercise
An exercise to help you feel for your horse's flexion...
No label Secure Your Lower Leg Exercise
An exercise to improve your lower leg - a secure lower leg is essential for riding...
No label 30 Minute Workout
Your horse's balance is one of the most important developments in your horse's training. If your horse has trouble staying straight down the center line, or falls out on circles, try these simple exercises...
No label Test Your Horse’s Response to Leg
Is your horse listening to you? Here's a couple of tips to test your horse's reactions...
No label 3 Common Contact Problems
Struggling with your horse's contact when you ride? Here are some tips...
No label Interval Training Session
To boost your horse’s fitness and stamina incorporate interval training into his work. With a 20 to 30 minute schedule you can incorporate this into a riding lesson!
Contact can be described as a soft, steady connection between your hands and your horse's mouth, with him going confidently from your driving aids and seeking the hands. This steady contact allows your horse to balance and find his rhythm. It should never be forced by pulling backwards but gained through your horse reacting to your leg aids. Evasions can be subtle so you'll need time to tune in to how your horse is feeling underneath you.
No label Hula Hoop Transitions
Using a hula hoop (or hankey) placed on the ground, read on to learn more about this exercise...
No label Step the Hind Leg Under
A loosening exercise for horses to step under with their hind leg...
Take the stirrups away for all these exercises...
No label Winter Riding Ideas
Lesson ideas for the winter that are great if you have a small indoor or are riding in a snow covered outdoor and need to keep things slow!
No label Exercises Using your Arena Letters
Different exercises using the letters of a dressage arena...
No label Quality of Transitions
Focus on quality transitions, between and within the gaits...
No label Jump Standard Obstacle Course
Using just your jump standards (take out poles and fillers)...
No label Get Off the Rail
GET OFF THE RAIL. Circles, figure eights, etc. Ride “squares” by using your outside aids to turn instead of just the inside rein.LOTS of transitions. Can you lengthen the stride? Can you collect it? Halt quietly and with balance from the trot or canter?Bend the horse to the inside. Bend the horse to the outside. Bend to the outside and leg yield in to spiral the circle in. Change the bend and leg yield the circle out.Counter canter.Simple changes through the trot, walk, and halt. Can you do simple changes along a straight line from the true lead to the counter lead?
This lesson plan focuses on getting a horse fresher to the aids.Perform counted steps of leg yield back and forth (like 3 steps left, 3 steps right) in all gaitsTurn on the forehand to immediate trot.For bend and suppling ride spiral circles in and out, shoulder-in on a circle and haunches in/out on a circle.And...
Exercise Idea 1: Walk, halt, back 3 steps then immediately walk forward. Should feel like a car with a manual transmission if you’re on a hill and step off the brake and “slip” backwards, then apply the gas and get pushed forward again. Start working up to: walk - halt - back 3 steps - trot… trot - halt-back 3 steps - trot… walk- halt - back 3 steps - canter. Variety is the key. Do not overdo it. Exercise Idea 2: Grid work to build muscles in the hind end such as...
No label Four Cones, Six Exercises
You only need four cones for these six different exercises!
Is your horse prone to falling on the forehand? Here are four exercises to help...
No label Two Point Strengthening Exercises
Several exercises for building strength in the two point
No label Three Suppling Exercises
Riding exercises to help supple your horse
An exercise using transitions on a circle to improve impulsion and getting a horse forward off the leg. Can be done at any gait(s) - walk/trot for beginners and trot/canter for more advanced riders.
No label Double Eight Exercise
Ride two figure eights, one small and one large. Use cones or poles for...
No label Transitions within the Pace
Lesson plan for beginner-advanced riders for practicing transition within the pace...
No label Spiraling 20m Circles
The 'Spiraling Circles' exercise helps the horse balance, create correct bend, and teaches the rider to use their leg to aid instruction, such as moving the horse over...
No label Fun Beginner Steering Exercises
A few different exercises to help beginners practice their steering...
No label Leg Yield Straightness Exercise
Can be ridden at all three paces involving leg yielding and then riding straight again.
A warm up exercise practicing travers, renvers, and shoulder ins.
No label Shoulder-in for Suppleness
Incorporating shoulder-in as part of your schooling regime encourages your horse to become suppler through his body...
No label Circles & Leg Yielding at the Walk
Incorporating small circles and leg-yields into your schooling will improve your horse's flexibility...
No label Using Weight Aids for Shoulder-In
Using weight aids correctly is a skill that’s not always taught, but it’s fundamental to effective riding – and a happy, healthy horse. We can’t expect our horse to work in balance, with the correct posture, if we’re not doing the same...
No label Shoulder-In on A Circle
SHOULDER-IN ON A CIRCLERiding shoulder-in on a circle is a really useful exercise for suppling...
No label Angling the Leg Yield
ANGLING THE LEG-YIELDI do a lot of leg-yield work with my horses, as it really encourages them to swing their inside hindleg across under their bodies. This is essential because unless your horse steps under with his inside hindleg, he can’t take more weight behind and bend through his body in a balanced way...
No label Leg Yield Away From the Leading Leg
LEG-YIELD AWAY FROM THE LEADING LEGThis is an excellent exercise for a horse who is tight through his ribcage, as it will help him to soften around your inside leg...
No label Travers On a Circle
TRAVERS ON A CIRCLERiding travers in canter on a circle is fantastic for creating suppleness in the canter. Performing this movement on a circle is easier than riding it on a straight line and it gives you more control...
No label Turn on the Forehand
A thorough lesson plan for teaching a turn on the forehand...
No label Ride the Ultimate Leg Yield
A thorough lesson plan on how to ride a leg yield and common mistakes...
No label Halts Across the Centerline
Practice halting across the centerline - read on to learn more about the exercise...
No label Halt & Rein-back on Centerline
An exercise on the centerline...
No label Walk/Halt Transitions
These are great for getting a horse in front of the leg and testing your horse's obedience if done correctly...
No label Halts Down the Centerline
Practice halting down the centerline and then...
No label Centerline Halt Transitions
Ideas for transitions and halts while riding down the centerline of the arena - switch it up and leave the rail sometimes!
No label Medium Walk to Free Walk
In this exercise you will switch between medium walk and a long rein free walk...
Practice transitions at the walk to get your horse listening better...
No label Walk Zig-zag Exercise
Practice leg yielding at a walk in a...
No label Improving the Walk
Improve your horse' responsiveness to the walk...
No label Suppling Walk Exercises
In walk to supple the horse:1. Shoulder mobilizing (i.e. move away from outside leg pressure)2. Leg yielding along the wall (with turns about the forehand thrown in if the hindleg is being left behind)3. Leg yielding along the long diagonal4. Travers, renvers and shoulder in, which leads to...5. Half pass, which leads to...6. Pirouettes (nice and large (3m) circle with the hind legs at this point)With work stretching down long in between each stage
No label Improving the Sit Trot
When a rider correctly sits the trot, the energy is absorbed from the horse's back into the seat and waist of the rider. The body must remain relaxed in order to sit the trot – stiffening will only make the rider bounce.
Different ideas to help teach beginner riders the posting trot, especially if you have a student who may need a new way of understanding it than what you regularly teach!
No label Learning the Trot Diagonal
Lesson plan for riders to learn the correct trot diagonal...
No label Improve Your Trot Position
Perfect your rising trot and sitting trot position...
No label Plan for Teaching the Posting Trot
Get her to hold the neck strap and keeping her feet in the correct place, lean slightly forward from the hips and then have her lift her body up and forwards from her knees. The movement is a sweep forward of the hips over the front of the saddle. She can use the neck strap by pulling on it - another way is to tell her to swing her hips towards her hands...
Practice rising trot without stirrups and ...
No label Perfecting the Trot Lesson Plan
Using relaxation to follow the movement of the horse...
No label Trot Diagonal Tips
Tips for helping riders find the correct trot diagonals.
No label 5 Trot Exercises
1. Work in flexion and counter flexion on 15m circles to encourage forelegs to step over and straightness2. Lateral increase / decrease on circles3. 3 loop serpentines, with a few steps of leg yield over the centerline each time to ensure respect of a new inside flexion4. Leg yield along the wall5. Leg yield across the long diagonal
No label Adjustable Canter
To ride a course of fences successfully you need to be able to shorten and lengthen your horse’s canter...
Different exercises you can try to help beginners learn how to canter.
No label Trot-Canter Circles
Have students ride a trot circle and then...
No label Exercises to Improve the Canter
A few exercises to help improve various aspects of a horse's canter
No label Smoother Canter Transitions
Riding a small circle and asking for a little bit of leg-yield before asking for canter encourages your horse to take more contact in your outside rein and helps you achieve smoother transitions...
No label Improve Walk to Canter Transitions
Practicing your walk to canter transition is a good all-round strengthening exercise for your horse...
No label Canter Collection
An exercise for collected canter...
No label Canter Zig-zag Exercise
Alternate canter leads with...
No label Counter-Canter Hourglass
This exercise gives your horse lots of room for balancing, and you can teach him to be obedient to your aid that’s holding the lead. It will help you balance your aids and teach your horse to be sensitive to those aids. Once your horse masters this exercise and is balanced, I feel like it’s fair to ask for a lead change.
No label Trot to Canter Figure 8
A good exercise for horses that like to fall in or anticipate the canter.
No label Counter Canter Exercise
A simple exercise to help teach horse and rider to counter canter
Practicing the counter-canter can be beneficial for all horses; whether the horse has a seasoned lead change or you're riding a green horse that is still learning the lead change. Using the counter-canter as a training exercise is a great way to physically develop your horse's self carriage and balance. Ultimately, developing the horse's ability to counter-canter allows the rider to have independent control of the horse's neck, poll, shoulder and hips.
No label Improving the Canter Transition
An exercise to help horse and rider achieve a smoother transition into the canter.
No label Canter Turns Using Cones
Use cones in this exercise to work on your turns at the canter...
A list of skills riders should know before attempting their first canter....
No label Four Canter Exercises
In canter:1. Response to transitions on either leg2. Counter canter to elevate and straighten3. Bit of increase / decrease on circles4. Transitions, transitions, transitions
How to ride the following exercise: Flying change from one counter canter lead to the other by...
Lesson plan for teaching the canter in a group setting...
No label Group/Pair Fun Riding Exercises
A list of different exercises to be ridden in groups or pairs such as leapfrog, train game, and more!
No label Leapfrog Exercise
A wonderful exercise especially for beginners or timid riders. My go to exercise for summer camp too!
No label 10 Meter Circles
A lesson plan to teach riders how to correctly ride 10m circles...
With a few progressing exercises first, riders will go on a 10m circle and then practice riding a barrel racing pattern to improve steering, etc...
No label Long & Low
A group lesson plan to focus riders on getting their horses long and low...