Some time ago, I discovered that I can combine two activities which I enjoy doing a lot:
Yoga and Horse Riding.
Equestrian Yoga is basically yoga practiced on the back of a horse, dressing specific postures and movements of the horse rider, but focusing not only on the exercise aspect of yoga, but on deepening the connection between horse and rider.
I live in India, so Yoga is a natural choice when it comes to exercise. It helps me to stay flexible and keeps back pains at bay. I do less than I should, knowing fully well that I am getting to an age where a regular workout is a must to stay healthy and in shape. Until a while ago, my Yoga exercises were restricted to my room and my yoga mat. Until I got a nudge from a friend.
She was staying with us and the weather was rainy and though we wanted to go riding, we felt it was better to wait a little bit until the rain would stop or at least lessen.
Standing next to the horses under the shade, our conversation turned to Yoga and Tai Chi. My friend mostly practises Tai Chi but also Yoga on a regular base.
“Shall we try some Yoga on horseback?” she asked me.
I shrugged, surprised and a little bit taken aback. “Why not?” I responded but clearly having no idea how to fuse yoga and horse riding.
We went to Aisha, because I knew I could do anything around her and she would calmly look on and not crook an ear.
I put a rope halter on her and helped my friend to climb on her back, without saddle and shoes. She sat there for a couple of minutes to get Aisha used to her and then started with breathing and simple stretching exercises while I stood in front of the horse to make sure she would not move.
Aisha listened carefully to the person doing strange things on her back, but she stayed calm and let it happen.
My friend knelt and finally stood on her back and Aisha gently rested beneath her.
Afterwards it was my turn. My friend gave me a leg up and here I was, sitting on my horse prepared to do Yoga and had no idea which poses I should try. My mind was empty, so I just enjoyed the moment and started to breathe deeply and do some gentle stretching. I did not dare to kneel, let alone stand up on Aisha’s back as my friend had done.
This all happened while being out on a horse safari, so we did not have the chance to further explore this avenue until we came back home a couple of days later.
After unpacking and resting for a day or two, we decided to give it another try. This time we came prepared and thought of some exercises in advance.
Again, my friend went first while I held on to her horse. She gently executed some of the yoga asanas and it looked easy and light. Her horse, this time it was Madhvi, stayed calm and almost fell asleep. Then it was my turn and I hopped on and started some of the simple asanas or postures. My friend guided me and we had a great session, even though the back of a horse is more slippery than I previously thought.
We experimented a bit more during the coming days and realised, that doing yoga with a bareback pad was probably the best, as the pad gave the horse a bit of padding and provided a bit of a better grip, even though I just own a cheap, textile pad. Not one of the better ones made of mesh or leather.
I am eternally grateful to my friend as she was the one who introduced me to Equestrian Yoga and without her, I might have never started.
Over the last weeks, I have continued to practice yoga on horseback. Not every day, but whenever I have some free time.
Now, being on my own, I have nobody to hold my horse, but I realised that this is not necessary. Most horses seem to enjoy the yoga sessions. Not every time and always, but mostly. They stand still when I do my breathing and my asanas and they don’t even budge when I shift on them, turn around or even stand up.
I also got braver and dare to do more difficult poses as my confidence is growing. I soon realised again, that trust is not a one-way avenue, but a mutual feeling you need to share with your horse. The calmer and more confident I was, the more my horse would stand still under me and let me feel this connection between horse and rider.
And I realized why Equestrian Yoga is a big thing. Both activities – Horse Riding and Yoga- are really well suited with each other.
Yoga is all about balance and so is horse riding. Without balance, you can do neither. In Yoga practice you will find equilibrium in order to correctly do the asanas but also to align your mind and body and reach a higher spiritual understanding.
In horse riding you need balance to correctly sit and ride the horse. Without balance, you will never be comfortable on the back of a horse and you will never develop that harmonious relationship with your horse which every rider strives to have.
For that you need to be balanced, centred, calm and breath rhythmical. All these things are also central to yoga. Thus yoga helps us achieving them on horseback, but horsemanship is also yoga. It is the physical and mental immersion into the horse which forges this connection and makes us spiritually one with the horse.
Another big topic in both activities is mindfulness. Horses are mindful. They live in the present without getting distracted by things that happened in the past or worries about events in the future. They concentrate on the basic things of life while we too often get caught up in many different issues. While riding we think about yesterday’s argument in the office or what we will make for dinner. Rather than being mindful, we have our mind occupied with too many thoughts. For horses, this is confusing as they sense, that we are distracted and cannot give them the safety they need. Thus not being mindful, prevents us making this connection with our horse.
Yoga helps us to practice mindfulness and focus our emotions and attention which in turn helps us with our horse riding. Only when we focus entirely on our horses and are mindful to their needs and communication, can we forge a connection.
Bearing all this in mind, yoga reminds me a lot about natural horsemanship. Listening to our horses, being mindful and living the moment; all these are central tenant of Natural Horsemanship and yoga can help us achieve them.
If you want to know more, I have recently talked with Corinne Aulakh, a yoga teacher and equestrian yoga practitioner from Costa Rica about the connection between Yoga and horses in the following interview:
And by the end of the day, being around horses should be all about fun and having a good time, both you and your horse. Equestrian yoga can help you achieve this goal.