Exercises to Strengthen Your Riding Muscles

   Horseback riding is not just sitting on a horse and enjoying a ride, as we established on the last post. Real riding involves total control over your body which means you need to have strong muscles.    Today I'll be telling you some different exercises you can do to condition the muscles used while riding. A lot of riding is more about your muscle strength rather than cardiovascular fitness, but riding does involve a lot of endurance , so riders with a strong cardiovascular system will get tired less easily, therefore performing better on the horse. Some good cardiovascular activities include running, cycling, and swimming. Other than having a good cardiovascular system to ride well you need strong legs. Some good leg strengthening exercises include squats, lunges, and calf raises. Also I recommend doing wall sits as they really engage many of the muscles used in your leg while riding in one exercise. Lastly to have a good balance and posture on a horse you need a strong core. Some good exercises for strengthening your core are planks and sit ups. Those are some good exercises to do if you want to keep in shape, so you can ride at your best.