Start to reactivate the muscles of your lower back, and your abdominal muscles.

This exercise is the first step towards regaining control of the muscles that balance the forward/backward tilt of the pelvis.

When you are in the saddle it is important that your pelvis is correctly aligned – the ‘neutral’ pelvis. Tilted too far forward and your weight will also be thrown forward making it difficult for your horse to lighten the forehand and engage the hind legs; too far backwards and your horse will start to brace its lower back.

Correct alignment of your pelvis also preserves the correct curvature of your spine and allows these curves to perform their vitally important role as shock absorbers. This minimises the concussive forces between you and your horse’s back – a huge benefit to both.

When you achieve a correctly aligned – neutral – pelvis you will likely feel your horse soften across its back, lift through its withers and reach out with a longer stride. It is magical to see this happening within a ridden session. With practice you can start to make this a more normal part of your riding experience.

But correct absolute alignment is not enough. The muscles must also be supple enough to allow your horse to move naturally beneath you; a rigidly supported pelvis will block this movement. As your lower back becomes more supple you may notice your horse becoming more relaxed and developing more impulsion.

Arch & Flatten is our essential warm-up exercise. Practice it immediately after Standing Awareness at the start of every practice session. You must warm up these core muscles before you attempt anything else.

Do go gently with this exercise, especially if you have any history of back pain. No straining, and remember there are no extra points for how far you are able to go into the arch. The business end is at the release.