Which came first, the foot or the hip?

BIOMECHANICS & PERFORMANCE

Your foot and your hip are in constant conversation.

The chain between your foot and your hip runs in both directions — and when it breaks down, your seat breaks down with it. Here’s what that actually means, and what to do about it.

Reading time: ~9 min  |  Level: All riders  |  Category: Seat & Biomechanics

Most riders think about their position from the top down — ear, shoulder, hip, heel. But some of

the most persistent position problems have nothing to do with what’s happening above the saddle. They start either at the foot and travel upward, or at the hip and travel down. And the reason they’re so hard to fix with riding alone is that they’re happening below the level of conscious control — in a linked chain of joints that respond to each other whether you’re thinking about it or not.

Here I show the pronation, knee pinch and resulting skewing of the body

A chain, not a list of parts

We describe the lower limb as a kinetic chain — a sequence of linked joints where movement at one level influences every other level, both above and below.¹ In riders, that chain extends through the pelvis, into the lumbar spine, and up to the thorax and shoulders.

What this means in practice is that a problem anywhere in that chain doesn’t stay put. It travels. Add the movement and purturbations from the horse you can see the problem. Crucially, it can travel in either direction — a foot that collapses inward can drag the hip into a poor position, and a hip that loses rotational control can drag the foot into one. Research confirms that foot pronation, knee valgus, and hip internal rotation tend to occur as a coupled pattern rather than independently.² The question isn’t which one you have — it’s where in the chain the conversation is going wrong.

ANATOMY NOTE

The Deep Six — Your Hip’s Rotation Engine

Six deep muscles control external rotation of the hip: piriformis, obturator internus, obturator externus, gemellus superior, gemellus inferior, and quadratus femoris. Their role goes beyond rotation — they compress the femoral head into the acetabulum, creating a stable pivot point for every movement above the hip. When they’re working well, the pelvis can rotate freely over the femur. When they’re not, that pivot disappears — and everything above them has to compensate.

Two directions, one outcome

The collapsed hip chain - foot pronating, knee dropping inward, hip in excess internal rotation - is a very consistent pattern. But it can be driven from either end, and distinguishing which end matters when it comes to fixing it.

DIRECTION 01 — BOTTOM UP The foot starts it The medial arch collapses, the calcaneus everts, and tibial internal rotation follows as a direct mechanical consequence.³ That tibial IR drives the femur into IR above it — the hip is pulled into a compromised position by what’s happening below. The deep rotators are at a mechanical disadvantage before they’ve even been asked to work.

DIRECTION 02 — TOP DOWN The hip starts it The deep rotators are weak or fatigued and can’t maintain femoral position under load. The femur defaults into internal rotation. That drives the tibia into IR below it, which pulls the calcaneus into eversion. The arch drops. The foot pronates — not because the foot is the problem, but because it’s reporting a failure from above.

The end result looks the same: foot pronated, knee valgus, hip internally rotated. But the driver is different — and if you treat the foot when the hip is the source, the pattern keeps returning the moment the hip fatigues again.

The foot that collapses midway through a ride but looks fine in a static check is almost always a hip that’s losing rotational control under fatigue — not a foot problem.

This is particularly relevant for riders, because the hip has to work continuously throughout a session to maintain a neutral position, external rotation or control internal rotation against the weight of the leg and the movement of the horse. As the deep rotators fatigue, the femur gradually drifts into IR, the chain below follows, and the seat progressively deteriorates — which is exactly what coaches and riders often notice but can’t explain.

What the breakdown does to your seat

Whichever direction the chain collapses from, the effect on the seat is the same. Once the femur is in excess IR and the deep rotators are at a disadvantage, the femoral head loses its ideal position in the acetabulum. The body responds by capping range of motion at that joint — rotation through an unstable joint is a risk, and the nervous system protects against it.¹ Pelvic rotation gets inhibited before you’ve even asked for it.

Above the pelvis, the lumbar spine compensates — but its rotation range is genuinely limited, roughly five degrees per segment.⁴ When the lumbar ceiling is reached, thoracic rotation is blocked too. The result is a rider who moves as one stiff unit rather than through independent segments.

Hip IR and femoral instability — Whether driven from the foot or originating at the hip, the femur sits in excess internal rotation. The deep rotators are inhibited or fatigued.²

Adductors compensate — With the deep rotators offline, the adductors take over stabilisation - especially in hip flexion as when riding. They grip the saddle rather than draping around it.

Pelvic rotation blocked — No stable pivot, no free rotation. The lumbar spine is recruited to compensate — it drags rather than flows.

Thoracic rotation lost — The thorax has nothing to push off against. Shoulder independence disappears. The upper body stiffens or compensates with lateral tilt or flexion.

The horse shows it — Asymmetric pelvic load transfers directly to the horse’s back. One degree of pelvic roll asymmetry off the horse predicts 2.4 degrees of asymmetry when riding.⁵ Crooked rider = crooked horse.

Crooked rider = crooked horse

A study by Engell and colleagues found that riders with asymmetrical foot pronation showed a measurable pelvic drop during walking — and that the same asymmetry appeared in the saddle, with every one degree of pelvic roll asymmetry off-horse predicting 2.4 degrees when riding.⁵ The chain connects standing on the ground to sitting on a horse in a direct, measurable way.

Saddle pressure research confirms that hip collapse increases load on the opposite side of the horse’s back, while upper body tilt increases load on the same side.⁶ If your horse is consistently harder on one rein, drifts through one shoulder, or is uneven in its back movement, it’s worth asking whether the asymmetry is coming from you.

SIGNS THIS PATTERN MAY BE PRESENT

→    One stirrup consistently feels shorter or heavier, especially later in a ride

→    Your horse resists or drifts consistently on one rein

→    You grip with your inner thigh rather than draping around the saddle

→    Your knee is pinching the saddle

→    Your coach tells you to sit straight but it already feels straight to you

→    Your shoulders feel stuck regardless of how much you try to relax or move them

→    Your position deteriorates noticeably as the ride goes on — starts reasonable, ends crooked

→    One foot turns out or rolls in when you stop thinking about it

That last point — position deteriorating through the ride - is one of the clearest signs that the hip is the driver. A structural foot problem pronates consistently from the first step. A hip that loses rotational control under fatigue produces a foot that looks fine in the first twenty minutes and collapses as the session goes on.

What you can do about it

The exercises below work the whole chain — from the foot upward and from the hip downward. The principle is the same regardless of where your chain breaks down: restore the base, build stability at the hip, then train the pelvis and thorax to move independently. Core work done before the hip is stable produces limited transfer to riding. These exercises are sequenced to avoid that mistake.

Research supports off-horse training transferring meaningfully to riding performance ⁷⁸ and in my personal experience I don't know anyone that would not benefit - particularly work targeting pelvic control and hip stability which help a multitude of riding compensations, not just the ones highlighted in this article . If you notice a significant asymmetry between sides as you work through these, that side is your priority. I recommend then working the weaker side first when doing set reps before changing sides.

Stength for capacity - Exercise Examples

Six exercises working the chain from both ends toward the middle. Start with the foundation exercises before progressing to integration. Awareness of what you’re feeling matters more than the number of reps.

EXERCISE 01 — FOUNDATION

Short Foot with Hip ER Activation

TARGET: FOOT ARCH / SUBTALAR MECHANICS / DEEP ROTATOR RECRUITMENT

Stand barefoot. Without curling your toes, draw the ball of the foot toward the heel to dome the arch — this corrects subtalar pronation from the base of the chain. Hold that arch and slowly externally rotate the hip against the floor without moving the foot. The work should feel deep in the posterior hip, not the outer thigh. You’re training both ends of the chain at once.

"Dome the arch, then screw the foot into the floor. The rotation is in the hip — the foot just anchors it."

3 × 10 reps each side. Progress to single-leg balance (optional supported) with arch maintained.

EXERCISE 02 — FOUNDATION

Clamshell — Deep Rotator Isolation

TARGET: GLUTE MED / PIRIFORMIS / OBTURATOR INTERNUS

Lie on your side, hips stacked, knees bent to 45°. Keep the pelvis completely still — no rolling back. Lift the top knee rotating in the hip only. If you feel it primarily in your outer thigh (TFL), the pelvis is rocking or you’re moving too fast. This directly addresses the hip-down version of the pattern — building the rotational control the femur needs to stay in position under load.

"The pelvis is a locked box. Only the lid moves — and the lid is your knee."

3 × 15 reps each side. Add a resistance band once the pelvis stays completely still throughout.

EXERCISE 03 — FOUNDATION

90/90 Hip Rotation

TARGET: DEEP ROTATOR RANGE / HIP CAPSULE MOBILITY / PIRIFORMIS

Sit on the floor with both hips at 90°, one leg in front, one behind. Keeping your spine tall, rotate your pelvis forward over the front leg, then transition smoothly to the other side. The goal is smooth, pain-free rotation through the hip joint — not leaning through the lower back. A significantly stiffer side tells you where the restriction is.

"Rotate from the hip, not the lower back. Spine long the whole way through."

2 × 8 slow transitions each direction. 2-second pause at each end range.

EXERCISE 04 — INTEGRATION

Single-Leg Stance with Pelvic Rotation

TARGET: HIP STABILITY UNDER LOAD / PELVIS OVER FEMUR CONTROL

Stand on one leg, soft knee, arch maintained. Slowly rotate your pelvis both directions over the standing femur — as if following a horse at trot. Watch for two things: the knee diving inward (deep rotators not holding) or the pelvis dropping on the swing side (glute med failing). Either tells you the hip-down pattern is present. This is the closest off-horse equivalent to what your hip does every stride.

"This is your sitting trot on one leg. The hip is the hinge — not the lower back, not the knee."

3 × 10 rotations each direction, each leg. Light fingertip wall contact only.

EXERCISE 05 — INTEGRATION

Seated Thoracic Rotation on Swiss Ball

TARGET: PELVIS-THORAX DISSOCIATION / THORACIC ROTATION / SEAT INDEPENDENCE

Sit on the Swiss ball, feet flat, knees at 90°, pelvis neutral. The horse's back moves in three planes at once. Practicing the movement in walk, your seat need to trace a continuous figure-of-eight eliptical: each side drops, rolls forward, rises, and passes back in a slow loop.

Start by finding that pattern with your pelvis — one seat bone drops and comes forward as the other rises and moves back. Keep it small and continuous, not a deliberate rock.

Drill one: let the pelvis follow while the shoulders stay square and quiet. Drill two: hold the pelvis still and rotate the thorax independently. Alternate between the two. Research directly links this kind of pelvic ball work to harmony with the horse.⁸

"First your pelvis follows and your shoulders stay. Then your shoulders move and your pelvis stays. Your horse needs both but most importantly we are training dissociation."

3 minutes, alternating between the two drills.

EXERCISE 06 — INTEGRATION

Wall-Supported Hip ER Squat

TARGET: FULL CHAIN UNDER LOAD — FOOT / KNEE / HIP / PELVIS

Back lightly against a wall, feet hip-width, toes slightly out (no more than 15°). Dome the arch. Squat slowly to roughly 60°, pressing the knees outward — tracking over the second toe — while keeping the arch. Hold 3 seconds at the bottom. If the knee collapses at any depth, that is your working range. This loads the whole chain simultaneously and shows you exactly where control breaks down.

"Arch, knees out, weight through the whole foot. You’re looking for the depth where the chain holds - work there to start and progress over time."

3 × 8–10 slow reps, 3-second hold at depth. Progress to unsupported once the pattern is clean throughout.

A NOTE ON ASYMMETRY

Asymmetry between sides is feedback and data from these exercises — more so than how hard they feel overall. If one side is significantly stiffer, weaker, or harder to coordinate, that’s your priority side and the likely driver of any asymmetry your horse is showing. If you’re dealing with pain rather than just stiffness or weakness, get it looked at by a physiotherapist before loading the pattern.

The hip and the foot are in constant conversation through a chain of joints that doesn’t care where the problem started. Whether your foot is driving the hip into a poor position or your hip is dragging the foot into one, the effect on your seat is the same: pelvic rotation restricted, lumbar overloaded, thoracic freedom gone, horse carrying an uneven load.

The most useful thing you can do is observe when the pattern appears. Does it show up from the first stride, or only as the ride goes on? Is it consistent, or does it come and go with fatigue? Those two questions alone will tell you a lot about where in the chain the conversation is breaking down — and that shapes everything about how you train it.

NOTE

This article is for educational purposes and does not constitute individual medical or training advice. If you are experiencing pain, get it assessed by a physiotherapist before starting corrective work. For coaching on how this pattern shows up in your riding specifically, get in touch.

As with any new exercise programme, if you have an existing injury, medical condition, or have been inactive for a prolonged period, get clearance from your GP or physiotherapist before starting. 

References

1.     Powers, C.M. (2010). The influence of abnormal hip mechanics on knee injury: a biomechanical perspective. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 40(2), pp.42–51.

2.     Dun, S. et al. (2020). Association between hip rotation and activation of the quadriceps and gluteus maximus in male runners. Journal of Athletic Training, 55(11), pp.1166–1173.

3.     Edo, M. and Yamamoto, S. (2018). Changes in kinematic chain dynamics between calcaneal pronation/supination and shank rotation during load bearing. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 30(12), pp.1481–1485.

4.     White, A.A. and Panjabi, M.M. (1990). Clinical Biomechanics of the Spine. 2nd edn. Philadelphia: Lippincott.

5.     Engell, M.T. et al. (2015). Does foot pronation in unmounted horseback riders affect pelvic movement during walking? Comparative Exercise Physiology, 11(4), pp.231–237.

6.     Clayton, H.M. and Hobbs, S.J. (2017). The role of biomechanical analysis of horse and rider in equitation science. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 190, pp.123–132.

7.     Clayton, H.M., MacKechnie-Guire, R. and Hobbs, S.J. (2023). Riders’ effects on horses — biomechanical principles with examples from the literature. Animals, 13(24), 3854.

8.     Uldahl, M., Christensen, J.W. and Clayton, H.M. (2021). Relationships between the rider’s pelvic mobility and balance on a gymnastic ball with equestrian skills and effects on horse welfare. Animals, 11(2), 453.