THE LUNGE

IMPROVE YOUR SEAT AND BALANCE WITH EXERCISES ON THE LUNGE

Everyone wants to be more balanced in the saddle, and riders of all levels have lunge lessonseven Olympians. There’s a good reason they do, despite being at the top levels of the sport. It’s because lunge lessons improve your balance and allow you to focus on your position in the saddle without worrying about where your pony is going.

Whether you’re a beginner, novice, or advanced rider, these lunge exercises will help you improve your seat, strengthen your core, and help you balance in the saddle.

Why is balance important?

Balance is the cornerstone of riding; you need it to stay on a moving horse, you need it to jump, and you need it to give your pony effective aids. If you’re unbalanced, your pony will be too, which makes it more difficult for him to perform.

Although our bodies always try to balance without us even thinking about it, every human being needs to train their bodies to maintain and elevate their performance in the saddle. In other words, the more you practice, the better you get.

Having good balance also means you’re less likely to fall. We’ve all seen those riders on an exuberant pony who seem to be stuck in the saddle with velcro — they are the people who can keep their centre of balance in the saddle, no matter what the pony is doing underneath them. We all fall, but better balance means you’ll probably fall less.

Exercises to help you improve your balance on the lunge

All of these exercises can be done in walk, trot and canter on the lunge. For each one, we recommend you start at a halt or walk and then work your way up through your pony’s paces. Keep in mind that it’s always best to work on your riding with a qualified instructor, so they can keep you safe and watch you from the ground and give you pointers.

1. SIDEWAYS LEG LIFTS

Start off at a halt for this one. Lift one leg sideways off the saddle, focusing on keeping your knee and calf relaxed. Lift your leg as high as you can hold for five seconds, then let your leg down and back onto the saddle again. Do the same with the other leg.

Make sure you lift your leg from your hip — you shouldn’t feel your thighs or knees taking strain. When you’re comfortable lifting one leg at a time, try both together. Then, you can move on to walk, trot and canter.

2. AEROPLANES

One of the most important things equestrians need to learn is NOT to balance on our hands. It doesn’t come naturally and takes practice, but if you don’t learn this essential skill, you could pull your pony in the mouth without even meaning to, causing him unnecessary pain.

Put your arms straight out to your sides, making an aeroplane shape with your body. Keep your hands at the same height as your shoulders. Start in the walk, and turn your chest to the inside of the circle, so one of your arms is above your pony’s tail and the other above his ears. Swap so you turn your chest to the outside of the circle, then repeat in trot and canter.

3. NO STIRRUPS

When we ride with stirrups, we should be balanced on both feet equally, but just like your hands, you don’t want to rely too much on your feet for balance. If you lose a stirrup in the middle of a round, the last thing you need is to fall off. You should be able to balance anyway, pick up your stirrup again and carry on.

Start in the walk as usual, and slowly build up confidence until you’re happy to trot holding a neck strap. Remember to do sitting and rising trot. When you can let go of the neck strap and trot happily, you can move on to the canter.

4. JUMPING ON THE LUNGE

Just like every other area of your riding, the lunge is a great place to practice your jumping position and improve your balance over fences. Make sure you only attempt these exercises with your instructor present.

First, set up a small jump in your arena. Then, practice going over the jump at a trot with aeroplane hands. Move up to the canter, and once you’re ready, you can remove your stirrups.

5. THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

When we ride, it’s easy to rely on the tools we use every day, like reins and stirrups. Even our eyesight is vital to successful riding. When we remove these tools, we feel a loss of control we might not like, which is why it’s so important to try it. Again, only attempt this exercise with an instructor present.

Start by removing the reins from the bridle and stirrups from the saddle. Close your eyes and walk your pony forward. If you think you’re going to open your eyes, wear a blindfold. When you’re ready, move to trot and then canter.

When you feel ready, try all the exercises above without the reins and stirrups (and blindfolded if possible!) and see how you feel. Focus on your other senses — feeling your pony underneath you, listening to his footsteps and feeling your own body move in the saddle. Without all the extras, your body has no choice but to find the perfect balance.