Q&A for How to Get Into Shape for Horseback Riding

Find something about waist-height to swing your leg over, like an ottoman, chair, or low fence. Then put your hands on it as you would getting on a horse. Practice swinging your leg over it, sitting in horse stance, and bringing the leg back over. This will improve your leg swing ability quickly, with frequent practice.

Go to the stairs, put your toes up on the stairs and lean, keep the ball of your foot on the stair below.

I would advise using a mounting block or fence. Even if you can mount from the ground, it's not a good idea because it puts a lot of strain on the horse's back. If your barn, or wherever you keep your horse, doesn't have any mounting blocks or something you can use as one, you should ask if one can be installed.

Try sitting on a yoga ball in the correct riding position. Then, practice basic movements while keeping that position, such as posting, cantering, or leg-yielding. Eventually, you will find that you will have an easier time on a real horse. The only problem with a Yoga ball is you have to self-move the "horse".

If you're new to this or do it infrequently, yes they will most likely ache. But that's just building muscle after a ride. Just like being in a gym and getting sore the next day. The best way to build muscle for riding is to just keep on riding until you're used to it and the legs know what to expect.

Jump roping, squats, high knee jogging, step-up exercises, and exercises to help strengthen your arm muscles may help.

Connect your hips/seat bones to the saddle and let your waist act as a hinge while letting your hips move with the movement of the horse.

Try having a flat class without stirrups every two or three days, until you feel you have control of your legs.

Try doing some yoga, and especially focus on your hips. Try doing lunges, the open lizard yoga pose, the butterfly pose, the head to knee pose, the pigeon pose, and the wide-legged split pose. This should help you with getting your leg over the horse and also help with the pain. If you have pain in your feet, try to massage them and if you have pain in the arches of your feet, you may need arch supports.

Stretching is a good way to help. Do simple yoga poses like lunges, equestrian styled sit ups (look up Daniel Stewart) wall sitting, and wall push ups.

Practice makes perfect. Try not to use only your thighs, but your seat and entire leg, and ride with the rhythm, not just on top.

Make sure that you sit deep in your saddle and that you focus on pushing your legs down and extending them.

Practice 2-point in the arena so you can work out the right feeling. When jumping, feel the horse's stride and count in, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; this helps you see the distance.

Lay on your back and grab the back of your knee and pull it to your chest. Keep stretching like that and you we regain flexibility.

Jeans or another form of long pants are absolutely necessary unless you want to ruin the inner part of your legs. Tennis shoes are good, but boots may be better and more durable. If you're going to be out in the sun a lot, bring a hat and sunscreen. You may also want to bring some bug spray. Consider the weather to determine whether you need long sleeved or short sleeved shirts.

Check your stirrups. If it is hard to keep your heels down, you may need to shorten them.

Leaving it out of the stirrup is not safe, so look online to order an elastic stirrup that won't put pressure on your muscle. Another way to fix it is adjust your stirrups on your saddle for that side to where it is farther down, but you still have protection.

Talk to the barn owner and get them to let him outside. All he needs is a winter blanket. He is probably having trouble adjusting to the temperature and being in his stall for so long. Try to get him out and ride/lunge him as much as you can. You could also add something like a salt lick or a jolly ball to the stall so he'll be less bored.

Do not grip with your knees, grip with the lower part of your legs and keep your heels down. Strengthening your legs will help.

Your ear, elbow, hip, and heel should all be in line. Have someone take a picture of you and compare it to the correct positioning so you can see what you do incorrectly and how you can fix it.

I would practice counting the strides on the way to the jump and timing yourself by that number.

People typically don't use a mounting bock to dismount. To dismount you take you feet out of both stirrups, swing your right leg around to the left side and then slide both legs to the ground.

Sit straight and keep your shoulders back. Think 'chest out, shoulders in'. Stay confident and you'll do great.

Your leg should be relaxed, but engaged. If they are too "floppy" then you will have a hard time balancing and may fall off. If they are too tight, the horse might feel uncomfortable or scared because they think you are nervous. Try to think about wrapping your leg around them nicely without squeezing too hard, unless you need to tell them to go faster.

There are a few things you can do to help your position over jumps. When you go over the jump, think about squatting and pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Set up some easy fences (maybe gridwork) so that you can focus on your position more than figuring out a difficult jump. You could also try to use a neck strap. Use a belt, old stirrup leather, or a strap you can buy for this purpose and put it somewhat loose around your horse's neck. When you come up to a jump (a simple vertical is great to start), grab the strap and think about pulling yourself to the horse and bending your hips and knees instead of throwing yourself forwards as you go over.

Running is great for strengthing your calf and quad muscles, but will not do much for the muscles of your inner thighs and core, which are so important for riding. Yoga will stretch and strengthen all your muscles.

Stand on something. A mounting block would be great, and if the saddle is too heavy then ask someone else to do it. Practice at home by lifting weights above your head, slowly increasing the amount of weight as you get stronger.

White is always great, but depending on the shade, blue or pink would be good as well.

It depends on the horse, but not too tight. You don't want to strain the horse or hold them back. I'd recommend holding them loose enough that your elbows are bent, but tight enough to be able to pull your horse's head in any direction.

Try to put more weight into your heels and use your leg muscles to help push your heels down.