How Skiing Can Improve Your Horseback Riding

Feb 25, 20234 min read

For horseback riders, winter means frigid temperatures, icy arenas, and often less time spent in the saddle. However, just because you are not riding as much, doesn't mean you have to let your skills slip. If you are looking for ways to maintain your fitness for horseback riding during the off-season, cross-training with skiing can help you stay on track.

Benefits of Skiing for Horseback Riders

Even though the two sports seem very different, they overlap in many ways, making practicing one beneficial for the other. Horseback riding is a complex sport that requires strength, coordination, and balance. Skiing depends on many of those same skills, making it a great sport to turn to when you want to improve your abilities in the saddle.

Improves Fitness

Man cross-country skiing — Skiing is a great way to get outside and build fitness

Skiing is great exercise. Whether you are cross-country or downhill skiing, both require a lot of strength and endurance. Going skiing for a few hours will get your heart pumping, and your arms and legs tired.

Many don't realize how much fitness they need to ride a horse. Being physically strong and having good cardiovascular endurance can help you feel less tired and more secure in the saddle after a long ride.

Develop Body Awareness and Improve Coordination

Horseback riding involves an immense amount of body awareness. To a well-trained horse, each tiny weight shift or movement of the leg means something. To ride a horse like that, you need to be in complete control of your body. Controlling ourselves on skis requires the same fine motor control and body awareness.

Skiers need to keep track of where their skis and poles are at all times so they don't trip themselves up. Small shifts in balance over one leg or another along with tiny turns of the feet control a skier as they catapult downhill. Moving too much or too little in any direction can send you off course. Because of that, skiing allows you to master fine motor control and coordination so when you get back on the horse you can give more accurate aids.

Improves Balance

Balance is essential to keep riders over their horse's center of gravity. Even small imbalances can affect how the horse is able to perform.

Kid downhill skiing — Skiers develop a keen sense of balance

Skiing is a great way to improve balance. After all, skiers stand on just a couple-inch-wide skis and control themselves using subtle weight shifts. Once you get the hang of whizzing downhill or speeding up a trail on skis, sitting balanced on a horse will feel easy.

You will eventually become acutely aware of how to position yourself over your center of gravity. Skiing forces you to develop a new sense of balance that can be transferred to your time in the saddle, creating a more secure and effective seat.

Learn to absorb shock

Especially during the sitting trot, jumping, or moving over varied terrain, the rider needs to be able to absorb the movement of the horse through their low back, hips, and knees to keep themselves secure in the saddle. In skiing, the body absorbs shock through a subtle opening and closing of hip and knee angles. After practicing on skis, the rider will be better at moving with their horses, facilitating effortless communication and a smoother ride.

Skiing to Improve Your Position

Horseback riders spend a lot of time working to master the perfect position. Having a good position means you can cue the horse effectively, be less of a burden, and have a smoother ride. If you want to create a stronger position in your time off the horse, taking up skiing can be a good way to help improve your riding.

Woman riding a dressage horse — The most effective riding position has few variations

The ideal position is the same across all disciplines with only a few variations. When in the proper position, a rider should...

Be balanced over the horse's center of gravity
Have a straight line running through the head, shoulders, hip, and heels

Two-point is a popular variation that allows riders to get off their horse's back and have balance and control for jumping or working at speed. In the ideal two-point position, the straight line will run only from hips to heels, with the shoulders brought forward and hips pushed back to keep the rider positioned over the horse's center of gravity.

Downhill skier — Skiers often use a head over heels position

This same position is utilized by skiers every time they go downhill. This crouched-over position helps skiers stay balanced over their center of gravity and use their legs for shock absorption.

When people first start skiing, this position can feel strange and unbalanced. However, over time, they will build strength and stability in this two-point position and build muscle memory that will transfer to riding. Once you get confident using the position on skis, finding a strong, secure seat in the saddle becomes intuitive.

For those looking to improve their riding skills throughout the winter, skiing is a great activity to give a try. After a winter of skiing, many find themselves more secure, strong, and effective in the saddle so they are ready to take on anything!