Here is a video by PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Instructor Manager, Alex, with exercises you can do at home to help rotate your neck and shoulders for adaptive riding.

Think about how many times your instructor has said “look up” or “look through the horse’s ears” while teaching a lesson…Many times, right?! Our neck and shoulder muscles affect the movement of our horse.

Here is an exercise you can do standing or seated to help balance and strengthen these muscles:

1. Start with your head, shoulders, chest and torso pointing straight ahead.

2. Without moving your shoulders, chest or torso, rotate your head to one side. Go until you feel your “edge” or a comfortable strain in the muscles.

3. Return to center.

4. Take your arm, bent 90 degrees at the elbow, and hold it out in front of you at eye level. Keeping your arm locked in a 90 degree bend at the elbow, rotate your neck and shoulders (without moving chest or torso) back to the “edge” point you found with your neck.

5. Return to center. Repeat 5-10 times as slowly and evenly as possible.

6. Switch sides and repeat steps.

7. Test out how much you’ve stretched by trying to rotate your head to one side again. Is your “edge” a little farther back than it was before? Hopefully so!