Yoga for Riders

After a day using your Harry Dabbs Jump Saddle you know you need to stretch out, but how often do you do this?

Taking up yoga could be the answer if you struggle to pick the right stretches to keep your quads and hamstrings in good working order. There are a number of YouTube workouts designed for horse riders, and of course, if you go to a local class, you should mention that you ride to your instructor. They will be able to help you target the areas you need to work on to keep your limbs supple and avoid injury.

If you want to try out yoga at home to see if it works for you, follow these tips.

Lift your arches

You need to lift your arches while you are riding to ensure the correct position of your lower leg. In order to build up your arches so you can maintain this position for long rides, you should lift the arch in almost all asanas or yoga moves. You need to roll the ankles towards each other and engage the muscles in the feet, calves and thighs.

Open the hips

You need to be flexible through your hips to ride well and it is important to keep these muscles flexible and strong. The warrior sequence where you stand with legs apart while you face forward over the knee is great for opening up the hips. Reach upwards to align the spine in warrior I and reach to the sides to stretch out the hips, thighs and groin in warrior II.

Make sure you practice your yoga safely by following even more pointers on the Huffington Post.