Q. Do you know any exercises that riders can do to stay in shape while they are not riding?
A. Unfortunately, riding uses a very different set of muscles than most other
activities, and it's not easy to find unmounted exercises specifically designed to work those particular muscles. There
have been, however, some very useful articles printed in a number of national equestrian magazines with exercises
designed for the rider. I regularly use one such article printed in Practical Horseman many years ago. You might
want to go to your local library and see if you can find back issues of some of the larger mags and try to dig up a few
relevant articles.
Most of the exercises you will come across will be stretches for the legs and back. These are extremely important and useful to the rider and should not be overlooked, but they will not help develop muscular strength and stamina. Of particular importance to the rider are exercises strengthening the inner leg muscles, esp. the inner thighs, and the back muscles. Your family doctor or a trainer at any fitness center should be able to supply you with a set of back strengthening exercises. Many fitness centers also have exercise equipment specifically designed to work the inner leg muscles. Anything that replicates the sort of leg squeezing action used in riding will help strengthen legs for mounted exercise. I even had one student who used to practice posting on her family's fuel oil tank between lessons!
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