Stop holding your position. Start following the horse.

Bodyweight • Short daily sessions • Supports your riding
Delivered in the Onya Coaching App

If you feel tight, strong, rely on effort to stay organised or struggle to follow your horses's movement in sitting trot, canter or jumping, this programme is for you.

Many riders work hard to sit quietly, keep the leg still, and maintain a soft contact — but it feels like holding yourself together. The hips don’t quite move, the seat feels rigid, and following the horse becomes something you manage rather than allow.

That effort often shows up as:

• Lower back bracing or excessive pelvic tilt

• Upper body sway or loss of straightness

• Knee and thigh gripping with an insecure lower leg

• Sitting trot that feels bouncy, fixed, or forced

• Limited hip rotation that blocks clear, well-timed aids

This is a 28-day bodyweight mobility and movement-control programme, designed specifically for riders.

It uses 27 exercises across three rotating sessions, balancing enough variation to explore movement with enough repetition to build reliable control. Intensity is deliberately low so the work can be done regularly without interfering with riding.

The focus is on:

• Restoring usable movement through the hips and pelvis

• Allowing rotation to happen with control, not force

• Reducing the need to grip, brace, or hold position

• Helping movement be shared between hips, pelvis, and trunk

When movement is better organised, many common rider issues reduce naturally — without cueing you to “relax” or try harder.

How it works

Sessions are delivered through the Onya Coaching App, with clear instructions and video demonstrations for every exercise.

You’ll follow short, calm, repeatable sessions using a rotation of the three workouts across the week. One-way in-app messages and habits are included to support consistency.

Each session includes:

• A gentle pulse-raising and mobilisation phase

• A focused section addressing hip movement, pelvic control, and dissociation

• A short down-regulation phase so you finish feeling settled

No equipment is required. Sessions take 15–20 minutes and can be done before or after riding.

The calendar builds up to 5–6 sessions per week, but it’s designed to tolerate missed days. The effect comes from regular return, not perfect completion.

This works well as an early reset — a short, repeatable programme you can dip back into when riding starts to feel held or effortful, or as a simple entry point into more structured strength work later on.

How it should feel

These sessions should never feel exhausting.

Riders often notice:

• Less effort needed to sit or follow movement

• A quieter lower leg without holding

• Improved consistency through transitions

• A greater sense of harmony, rather than managing themselves

Changes are often subtle at first, then cumulative.

Who this is for

This programme suits riders who:

• Feel tight or restricted despite being strong

• Rely on gripping or bracing to feel secure

• Experience knee pinching, leg swing, or spurring

• Want mobility that improves control, not just range

• Want something they can do consistently without overthinking

Programme details

• Length: 28 days

• Format: Bodyweight only

• Session length: ~15–20 minutes

• Frequency: up to 5–6 sessions per week (flexible)

• Level: Foundation (Beginner / Intermediate)

• Delivery: Onya In-app workouts with full guidance

If your aim is a quieter seat, more adaptable hips, and less need to hold yourself together, this is a solid place to start.