Yoga is especially good for riders. Both your body and the horse’s look quite similar and need the same type of training. By learning to control your body, your balance, your breathing and your emotional state, you can become a better rider. Once you have learned and understood the benefits of yoga exercises, you can also use them to train your horse better. Yoga is an exercise for both body and soul. Your body control gets better both because you strengthen your muscles but also because you become aware of your body and how you use it. You practice being present, here and now. Breathing is a central part of the exercise and through breathing exercises you become aware of your breathing and how you can use it to become more focused, release muscle tension, oxygenate your body and cleanse it. Breathing is one of the body’s most important cleansing organs. 
Balance exercises such as balancing on one foot doing different movements, means that you get better balance in the saddle. The exercises aim is to strengthen the muscles that are weak and stretch those that are too short. To make your body smoother and more equilateral. In riding, it is incredibly important that you can use both your sides as equally as possible to be able to influence the horse correctly.
The horse is trained to have a long and strong topline and a short and strong bottomline. Strong abdominal muscles to help keep the back up and carry the rider without harming the horse. In yoga, this is done, among others, through the position of the downward facing dog. Hips are often stiff, short, locked, limited in their mobility in both man and horse. In order for the horse to become softer and stronger in the hips, we use exercises such as shoulder in and shoulder out, which aim to angle the hip, while the horse treads in and under the body. It becomes more elastic and strengthens the abdominal muscles.
“Opening up the chest” is a regular term in yoga. It facilitates breathing and provides better posture. For the horse that walks on all fours, it is also crucial to be able to move the front legs freely and not put to much weight on the front legs. Through calmer types of yoga, yin yoga for example. You will learn that slow conscious exercises with the right breathing technique are as good training as the more aggressive. You can take this with you when you ride and train your horse. Many times we are in too much of a hurry, often riding a little too fast and often a little too long. Doing the exercises slowly and carefully to begin with and taking regular small breaks, gives better results in the long run. To like and respect your body, to think that exercise is a gift to yourself, something that should feel good, should not wear on the body but slowly strengthen based on the conditions it has. It is a good and loving relationship that you should strive to have both for you and for your horse.