Proprioceptive Exercise 1 is a seated version of the Arch & Flatten exercise. Practicing this seated in a chair will help you to regain a sense of when your pelvis is correctly aligned front to back.

Proprioception is a sense of body awareness. The aim of this exercise is primarily about feel. Knowing when your pelvis is correctly balanced; neither tilted too far forward, nor tilted too far backward.

Once you have become adept at this when seated in a chair, you should be more aware of when you have achieved a ‘neutral pelvis’ in the saddle. Notice, though, that the different position of your legs will affect the proprioceptive feedback so you may find you need to concentrate a little harder.

Since you will have used the chair to develop the proprioceptive awareness, you should not need to practice the tilting of the pelvis when you are on your horse’s back. Please be aware that if you were to do so, your horse would be aware of this, may experience it as a strange sensation, and might become unsettled as a result.