Equestrian Friendly Workout

create independence from seat to hand by mobilizing your shoulders

 

Do these exercises once a week for 4 weeks. 

Horseback riders use their arms just as much as they use their legs but in a different way.  On the horse, riders use muscle strength to keep the arms motionless but still effective and that tends to make riders stiff in their shoulders. 

This workout mobilizes and strengthens your muscles surrounding your shoulders. Doing this will help you gain over all better upper body control and stability on horseback. Doing exercises to strengthen and mobilize your tight riding muscles will help you become symmetrical in your core.  This target training can be difficult for people to obtain on their own.  Only a horseback rider can know the aches and pains that come with the job of riding a horse and riding it well. 

shoulder workout pic
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There’s a toughness to riding horses that makes a person strong but sometimes not in the right places.  

It takes time to transfer weakness into strengths and to release tension in the body. Especially if you are in the saddle every day. This is why training off the horse is so important, you’re able to transform the body quicker than riding horses alone. 

Start the workout! 

Do each exercise back to back, once through. Repeat the entire group once or twice more.  2-3 sets total. 

Want more exercises, workouts and objectives? Visit our memberships online by clicking here. 

1: Shoulder Rotations

increase range of motion in bicep tendon and anterior deltoid
10 internal (inward) 10 external (outward)
Easy: standing with no weight
Hard: 5 free weight or resistance band (light)
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2: Fly’s on Stability Ball

Primary muscle working is the pectoral 
12-15 reps
Easy: 5 pound free weights with palms facing up
Hard: Add more weight and lay on ball with hips up to the sky
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3: Squat with Presses

The half halt exercise
Hold the squat for the duration of presses
Easy: Press 5-10 pound plate, kettle bell or medicine ball for 20 total presses.
Hard: 12-20+ pounds any object, hold at least to 30 presses
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4: Lateral Raises

a neutral shoulder is a happy shoulder
15-25 reps
Easy: 0-5 pounds, 25 reps
Hard: 10-15 pound, 15 reps

Printable

Workout

 

CLICK HERE
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Join our Virtual Online Horse Show

Using our method for equestrian development, exercises will pin point where each athlete needs help the most based on what the judges scores and/or comments.   Have someone record you riding your test of choice, submit the file privately and wait for your results.  Judges are waiting and ready to score your rides on Virtualhorsesport.com

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5: Single Arm Chest Press

the pectoral muscle is responsible for counterbalancing on horseback
15-20 reps per arm
Easy: 0-5 pounds, 25 reps
Hard: 10-15 pound, 15 reps
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6: Upright Row

mobilize the muscles connecting into your shoulders and neck
12-20 reps
Easy: Resistance band, light to moderate or free weights standing
Hard: Moderate to heavy resistance or 10+ free weights standing on BOSU