Creating a Pre-Ride Yoga Routine: How Equestrians Can Harness the Power of Yoga
If you ride horses, no matter what your discipline, you know that time spent in the saddle is a blend of physical energy, mental focus, and a deep connection with your horse. But you also know that you can’t just hop on and go. Horses require meticulous care and attention.
It’s easy to overlook the importance of self-care, but just as you care for and prepare your horse before a ride,
it’s equally important to prepare yourself
Photograph of Sarah Samaan by Susan Stickle
As a competitive dressage rider and a registered yoga teacher, I’ve found that incorporating a brief yoga routine before mounting up can help me to feel more centered, flexible, and ready to train and compete at my best.
In fact, I credit my decades-long yoga practice, along with a fantastic trainer and a wonderful equine partner, for my ability to achieve a USDF Silver medal.
In this article, we’ll explore a simple yet effective pre-ride yoga routine designed to awaken your body, calm your mind, and enhance your overall riding experience.
Why Yoga Before Riding?
First let’s consider the benefits of yoga for equestrians of all stripes. Yoga not only stretches and warms up the muscles you'll be using but it also aligns your posture and breathing with the mindfulness that riding demands.
By creating a consistent pre-ride yoga practice, you can:
Improve Flexibility: You already know that riding requires conscious flexibility, particularly in the hips, lower back, and shoulders. Yoga poses target these areas, ensuring your body is supple and ready for the ride.
Enhance Core Strength: A strong core is crucial for stability in the saddle. This is true whether you want to ride a powerful sitting trot or head out on the trails. Yoga engages your core muscles, helping you maintain a balanced seat. Not only does this make you a more effective rider, it also keeps you safer and helps to keep your horse’s back more comfortable.
Promote Mental Clarity: Yoga incorporates breathwork and mindfulness, which can help you stay calm and focused, reducing anxiety and distractions. The breath is one very important way that you communicate with your horse.
Prevent Injuries: Warming up your muscles and joints with yoga can help prevent injuries that may occur from tightness or stiffness. And a balanced body means a balanced horse.
Easy Seated Pose
Your Pre-Ride Yoga Routine
This pre-ride yoga routine is designed to be completed in about 10-15 minutes, making it easy to fit into your busy schedule. It includes poses that target key muscle groups and incorporates simple breathwork to prepare you both physically and mentally. Even incorporating pieces of this routine can make a difference for your ride and your mental clarity.
Easy seated pose (Sukhasana) with Breath Awareness
How to do it: Sit on the floor with your legs crossed in a comfortable seated position. If needed, you can place a folded blanket or thin cushion under your seat bones to elevate your hips and keep your spine aligned. Rest your hands on your knees or thighs with your palms facing up or down, whichever feels more natural. Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Inhale deeply through your nose, feeling your belly expand. Exhale slowly through your nose, allowing your belly to relax. Continue this mindful breathing for 5-6 deep breaths or as long as feels comfortable, cultivating a sense of calm and focus.
Benefits: Focusing on your breath helps calm the mind, reduce stress, and improve concentration, setting a peaceful tone before your ride. Sitting tall with an aligned spine promotes good posture, which is crucial for maintaining balance and control in the saddle.
Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)
How to do it: Roll forwards into a tabletop position. Align your wrists below your shoulders, palms flat on the ground, and your knees in line with your hips. Inhale, arch your back, and lift your head and tailbone (Cow Pose). Exhale, round your spine, and tuck your chin to your chest (Cat Pose). Repeat this movement for 5-6 breaths.
Benefits: This dynamic stretch warms up the spine, improves flexibility, and releases tension in the lower back—a crucial area for riders.
Downward Facing Dog
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
How to do it: From tabletop, tuck your toes under and lift your hips toward the ceiling, forming an inverted V shape with your body. You can bend your knees if that feels more comfortable. The important thing is to allow your spine to lengthen. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart and your feet hip-width apart. Hold for 5-6 deep breaths.
Benefits: This pose stretches the hamstrings, calves, and shoulders while also lengthening the spine—perfect for releasing tension and increasing flexibility.
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
How to do it: From Downward-Facing Dog, step your right foot forward between your hands, lowering your left knee to the ground. Lift your arms overhead, keeping your shoulders relaxed. Hold for 3-4 breaths, then step back into downward-facing dog and switch sides.
Benefits: Low Lunge stretches the hip flexors and opens the chest, promoting greater mobility in the hips—a critical area for maintaining proper riding posture.
Warrior II Pose
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
How to do it: From Low Lunge, lift your back knee and turn your back foot out to a 45-90 degree angle, opening your hips towards the long side of your mat. Classically we think about a heel-to-arch-alignment, but work within your own body’s parameters. It’s fine if your hips don’t open all the way. Try opening the hips towards the top corner of your mat, which will give your pose the same intention. You’ll want to keep your torso over your hips, so you may need to step the back foot in a bit. Think about tucking your front glute under, keeping the front knee in line with your second toe. Extend your arms parallel to the floor and gaze at a point beyond your front middle finger. Hold for 3-4 breaths, then straighten the front leg and bring the back foot forward into Mountain Pose (see the next pose), and switch sides.
Benefits: This pose strengthens the legs and core while enhancing balance and focus—qualities that directly translate to better control in the saddle.
Mountain Pose
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width distance apart, arms by your sides, and weight evenly distributed across your feet. Feel the big toe mound, the little toe mound, and the ball of your heel. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Focus on grounding yourself, feeling the connection between your feet and the earth.
Benefits: This pose helps you center your mind and body, creating a sense of stability and readiness.
Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
How to do it: From Mountain Pose, exhale and fold forward at the hips, reaching your hands toward the floor. Let your head hang heavy and bend your knees slightly if needed. Hold for 4-5 breaths. Don’t feel as if you have to struggle. You can use blocks to support your hands and allow a comfortable stretch.
Benefits: This pose gently stretches the hamstrings, calves, and lower back, helping to release any remaining tension before your ride.
Child's Pose
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
How to do it: Gently come down to a table top position. Next, sit back on your heels, and fold forward, bringing your forehead to the mat. You can put a pillow or folded blanket under your head or between your hips and legs for support. Extend your arms in front of you. Begin with a side body stretch, walking your hands to the right of the mat and feeling the right body stretch. Keep your hips centered over your heels to deepen the stretch. Stay for 5-6 breaths, then move to the other side and repeat. To finish, extend your arms in front of you or rest them by your sides. Hold for 5-6 deep breaths.
Benefits: The side body stretch helps to stretch and release the latissimus dorsi muscles of the back and improve shoulder flexibility. Child’s Pose is a restorative pose that allows you to relax and center yourself, making it an ideal way to end your pre-ride routine.
Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and feet slightly apart. Allow your arms to rest by your sides with your palms facing upward. Gently close your eyes and take a deep breath in, then exhale slowly, letting your body sink into the ground. Relax every part of your body, starting with your toes and moving up through your legs, hips, back, arms, and neck. Soften your face, releasing any tension in your jaw and forehead. Stay for 3-5 minutes.
Benefits: By focusing on stillness and breath, Savasana enhances your ability to stay present, a skill that can benefit both your riding and daily life.
Final Thoughts: Setting your intention Before Your Ride
After completing this yoga routine, come back to a seated posture and take a moment to set your intention for your ride. Whether it’s maintaining a calm mind, achieving better communication with your horse, working on a new exercise, or simply enjoying the ride, setting an intention can help you stay focused and present.
By integrating yoga into your pre-ride preparation, you’re not only taking care of your body but also fostering a deeper connection with your horse. I’ve experienced firsthand how the mindfulness and physical benefits of yoga can enhance the riding experience. Give this simple routine a try before your next ride and see how it transforms your time in the saddle.