The Body Part Riders
Never Think to Train

This isn't a topic you hear much about in riding circles, and almost never from a strength and conditioning angle. But if you've ever been told you bounce at sitting trot, that you collapse a hip at canter, or that your lower back aches after riding — the pelvic floor is almost certainly involved.

What the Pelvic Floor Actually Is

It's not one muscle — it's a layered group of muscles that span the base of your pelvis, running from your pubic bone to your tailbone and from seat bone to seat bone. Think of it as a hammock that sits underneath everything else.

It works as part of a four-part system your body uses to stay stable without stiffening up:

• The diaphragm (your breathing muscle) at the top
• The deep abdominal muscles wrapping around the middle
• The deep spinal muscles at the back
• The pelvic floor at the bottom

These four work together automatically. Which is why how you breathe directly affects how stable your seat is — they're part of the same system. Hold your breath, and the whole thing falls apart.

When You're Actually Using It

Tap each one to see what's happening and why it matters.

What Goes Wrong

The pelvic floor can fail in two directions — and both create problems:

• Gripped and rigid: The most common pattern. Usually driven by tension, nerves, or trying too hard to "sit deep." A gripped pelvic floor locks the lower back and makes it impossible to follow the horse's movement. This is why anxious or tense riders bounce — it's not a lack of strength, it's a lack of give.
• Switched off entirely: The other end. No tone, no response, no stability. The pelvis slops around rather than moving with purpose.
• Asymmetrical: One side working, one side not. This shows up as a collapsed hip, uneven seat bones, or always feeling better on one rein.
• Disconnected from breathing: Chest breathing or breath-holding breaks the whole system. The pelvic floor and diaphragm need to work together — if breathing is shallow or held, pelvic floor function drops off too.
• Glute gripping as a substitute: The glutes and pelvic floor are actually antagonistic — squeezing one inhibits the other. Riders who clench their glutes to feel secure are actively switching off the very thing they need.

What Good Actually Feels Like

Exercises to Train It

The goal with all of these is responsiveness — a pelvic floor that can move, yield, and react rather than one that's either gripped tight or doing nothing. Do these off the horse first, then notice what changes when you're riding.