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Let’s recap where we have come from with Parts I and II of this series before we look more closely at gaining better lower body control and strength. In Part I we explained that your core is made up of deep postural muscles that need to be worked differently than the larger, global muscles of the body. We also discussed how your posture and movement habits off the horse affect your position when you are on the horse. We gave you exercises to do to wake up your core, and talked about how improving the stabilization of your core will allow you to use your arms and legs more freely and effectively. In Part II we looked more closely at the Lower Body. We discussed how postural imbalances and lack of core stability result in gripping and other lower body problems and then discussed the three stages of improving lower body positioning; stretching, improving control, and strengthening. Part II focused on the stretching exercises, while here, in Part III, we look closely at improving the Control and Strength of your lower body. Remember: None of these stretches or exercises should be painful. You should feel a muscular stretching feeling, or a slight overload in the muscle, without pain. If you feel any pain or if you are uncertain if these exercises are appropriate for you, consult your local physiotherapist or general practitioner.
All of the exercises shown here were developed by Anna Louise Bouvier, creator of the Physiocise Exercise program.

Identify the smaller, deep gluteal muscles that are responsible for rotating the whole leg. In Photo 1 (jpg 96) you can see posture dots on my backside in the approximate area that these muscles are located.  It is important things to understand that before you can strengthen a muscle you first need to understand how to control it. It is a mistake to leap straight towards a strengthening program without first having your brain involved!
To identify your leg rotators, follow these steps:

• Place one foot in front of the other and your hands on your buttocks, fingertips pushing into the dot area (Photo 1). Then, without moving the foot, try and rotate the forward leg inwards and outwards while feeling this muscle activate. Imagine your knee cap is rotating inwards (Photo 2) and then outwards very slowly. The movement is very subtle and may take a little time to perfect.

• Because these muscles are strongly linked with your pelvic floor muscles, it really helps to time the exercise with your breathing. Breath deeply into your diaphragm and back as you move your leg inwards. As you exhale, imagine the ‘pea in the straw’ feeling that we discussed in Part I, while rotating your leg outwards. Your first reaction will be to initiate this movement by simply moving the knee – which is what we tend to do when riding. Concentrate on having the movement initiate from the gluteals (deep in the hip) and have it linked with your breathing and pelvic floor muscles. Repeat this movement 15-20 times on each leg. This exercise really wakes up the muscles needed to initiate riding movements from the hip! By using the breathing activation it also links your core control with your hip control, a vital part of good riding.


To tackle the issue of strengthening the deep internal rotators that are needed to put the lower leg on without bending the knee, Anna Louise developed a set of exercises using Thera-Band* for resistance. The first strengthening exercise is simply the control exercise with resistance. Once you are sure that you have mastered the control of your leg rotators, try tying a piece of Thera-Band around your calves. Perform the exercise in exactly the same way as above, ensuring rhythmic breathing and the activation of the pelvic floor on each outward movement.

Next, tie the Thera-Band to a table leg and had me lay down on the floor with my leg partially extended. The idea is to move my leg from the hip against the resistance. It is amazing how difficult this is!
To correctly perform the exercise:

• Start by holding the leg still and ensuring that your hip, knee and toe are aligned. Take a deep breath in.
• As the leg moves inward exhale while thinking of the pea in the straw. This really grounds your core stability and allows the leg to work without any compensating movement.
• Try to make sure that your breathing is correct - breathe in as the leg moves outward and breathe out as the leg moves inward. (As a rule, you should always breathe OUT with the exertion or more difficult part of any exercise. )
• In Photo 4 you can see the posture dots placed on the hip, knee and toe to ensure good alignment.
Whenever the body finds something difficult to control it often uses completely unrelated muscles to try and help out. Imagine, for example, you are trying to open a jar which has a lid that is stuck. You know how you clench your teeth, tighten your shoulders and tense every part of your body? None of these muscles actually make it easier to open the lid; it’s just your body’s way of over compensating. My initial reaction was to lift my shoulder (Photo 5) to compensate for the work in my hip. My body awareness told me that this was most likely also happening on the horse! I had to really concentrate, work in a very small range of motion and time the exercise with my breathing and core stability to allow the leg movement to happen without a compensatory movement in my upper body.

After practice in the lying position, this exercise can be done in a seated position, using a bar stool or saddle type seat. (Photo 6).

Once you get upright like this, you may notice new ways that your body wants to compensate. I wanted to rotate the hip by pushing my knee and my toe inwards (Photo 7) I am sure this is how my knee ends up gripping when I ride! If you stay aware of your breathing and activate your core, you will be able to do the exercise with integrity and good alignment which will then transfer to better use of your whole leg when riding.

Bottom Walking for your Buttocks
This is a strengthening exercise for your large gluteal muscles and luckily can be done all day long! The idea is to turn on your gluteal muscles that have probably been on a partial holiday for a long time. As you take a step, imagine that the buttock of your back leg is going to propel you forward. (Photo 8) Alternate between firing one buttock, then the next, as you walk. All lateral riding movements require the skill of being able to turn on one side of the body while leaving the other side relaxed. Bottom walking is a good introduction to this skill while off the horse!

The Complete Physiocise Lower Body Program

Step Physiocise Exercise How Often
1. Stretching - Sitting Hip /Buttock Stretch*
Lancelot Stretch* / Psoas Stretch*, Hamstring/Back Reliever Stretch* Found in the May issue Hold each stretch for a minimum of 30-60 seconds on each side (longer if you have the time) repeat to stiff side if applicable
2. Learning Control Standing Activation of Leg Rotators Repeat 15-20 reps each leg
3. Strengthening Standing Activation of the Leg Rotators with Resistance. The Leg Rotator Strengthening Exercise (Lying first, then progress to sitting) Bottom Walking Repeat 15-20 reps each leg All the time!

The secret to your success in riding is how well your brain connects with your muscles. For a small percentage of natural riders, this never needs to become a conscious issue. For the vast majority of us, it is a long slow struggle to help our bodies achieve what our minds know so well. The hardest thing is waiting for our bodies to catch up to our minds!