http://www.activateyourseat.com/

Activate Your Seat, Edinburgh (2026)

24/01/2026

As human beings we are naturally asymmetric. And our daily lives can add to this. Working to improve symmetry should be a lifelong commitment for us all.⁣ We need to work on this consistently off the horse, so that our asymmetries don’t negatively affect our horses.⁣
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All of the Activate Your Seat level 1 and 2 exercises in the bungi are designed to improve rider symmetry.⁣
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Here are three of my basic exercises, and a harder extra progression for each:⁣
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💥 Saggital plane - Collapsing the pelvis⁣
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➡️ Level 1 forward lunges - step forward into a lunge, keeping your back upright. Progress to reverse lunge to high knee. Step back into a reverse lunge and then slowly lift that leg into a high knee. Don’t let the bungi pull you off balance, keep the movement controlled throughout.⁣
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💥 Lateral plane⁣ - Collapsing a hip⁣
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➡️ Level 1 side lunge - step wide into a side lunge and push the hip back. Progress from there and step back and across the standing leg into a curtsey lunge. Make the movement as slow and controlled as possible. Keep your hips level into the curtsey, don’t let one hip tip upwards. ⁣
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💥 Transverse plane⁣ - Twisting in the saddle⁣
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➡️ Level 2 pallof press - breathe out as you push the bungi away with both hands. Keep hands straight in front of your body and don’t let the bungi twist you. Progress to pallof press with reverse lunge - step back into a reverse lunge as you push the bungi away. Control the thigh on the standing leg as you step back and don’t let the knee twist in. Turn and face the other way to do your other side.⁣
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These progressions are tough so start with one or two sets of 8-12 reps on each side and see how you feel. Is one way more difficult than the other? Which exercise do you find the hardest? Let me know!!⁣
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👷‍♀️ Remember you are your own health and safety officer so only try these exercises if you feel capable, build them up slowly and stop if you feel any pain.⁣
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If you haven’t got a bungi yet you can purchase yours from the website www.activateyourseat.com (link in my bio). ⁣
I post worldwide 🌎 ⁣
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💙 Breathe better, move better, ride better⁣
⁣
Maeve⁣
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23/01/2026

⁣🌟 Client Focus Friday 🌟 ⁣
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“I’ve been doing these exercises for probably 18 months now and they’ve made a huge difference in helping with my asymmetries and for strengthening my pelvic area.⁣
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I especially like how I can use them to loosen up my lower back and hip flexors pre-ride. They are portable enough to toss in a bag and use at home or at the barn.”⁣
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Deanna Barry, Canada⁣
Facebook review ⁣
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⁣Thank you Deanna for this fabulous review! I am so delighted you are feeling such a big difference with the programme!! ⁣
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🤩 There are now 250 five star reviews on my page, thank you!!⁣
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As a very small business, your reviews, shares, comments and recommendations really do mean the world to me so thank you so much 🥰⁣
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⁣You can purchase your own bungi and access to the online exercise videos from my website www.activateyourseat.com (link in my bio).⁣
I post worldwide 🌎 ⁣
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Happy Friday!!⁣
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💙 Breathe better, move better, ride better⁣
⁣
Maeve ⁣
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21/01/2026

Start⁣
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Know your goals⁣
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Set your intentions⁣
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Make your plan⁣
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Learn from your mistakes⁣
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Be consistent ⁣
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Know your team ⁣
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Surround yourself with people who believe in you⁣
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Start⁣
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Enjoy the process ⁣
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You’ve got this ⁣
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💙 Maeve ⁣
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21/01/2026

In my opinion, symmetry of the rider’s seat is the absolute fundamental of being fit to ride.⁣
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Sitting symmetrically on the horse and being able to use symmetrical aids is not only the key to an effective seat, but a goal all of us should strive for.⁣
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As human beings we have natural asymmetries, and our horses have natural asymmetries too. Working to try to even these up can be a lifetime achievement for many of us.⁣
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But why is rider symmetry so important? ⁣
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As riders we have a direct influence on our horses. Asymmetric riders create asymmetric horses (and vice versa).⁣
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📋A study by MacKecknie-Guire et al looked at how induced rider asymmetries affected the horse. They shortened one stirrup of the test riders and used motion capture analysis to see how the horses adapted. The horses altered their back movements and developed locomotor strategies to compensate. They showed increased limb loading on the opposite side to the shortened stirrup. (Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 2020)⁣
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📋Another study by Gunst et al looked at saddle pressure with different rider asymmetries. Tipping forward increased saddle pressure at the front of the saddle. Collapsing through one hip increased saddle pressure under the dropped hip side. Leaning to one side with the trunk increased saddle pressure on the same side as the lean. (Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 2019)⁣
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⁣As a Chartered Physiotherapist, I’ve been assessing and treating horse riders for over 25 years. I find similar patterns of weaknesses and asymmetries relating to pain and poor performance in the saddle. Clinically I find most rider positional faults relate back to one of three main issues with their seat - collapsing through the pelvis, collapsing a hip, twisting in the saddle.⁣
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This is why I developed the Activate Your Seat exercise programme done against the resistance of the bungi. Targeted resistance exercise through all three planes of movement to optimise the muscles of the rider’s seat and improve symmetry and performance in the saddle.⁣
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How do you work on your symmetry?⁣
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💙 Breathe better, move better⁣, ride better⁣
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Maeve⁣
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20/01/2026

“𝘼𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮.”⁣
𝘿𝙧 𝙍𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙆𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙚-𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚 @𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨⁣
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So basically wonky rider = wonky horse!⁣
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As a Chartered Physiotherapist who specialises in horses and riders, my job is to assess asymmetries in a rider that will affect how their horse moves. I don’t teach people how to ride, but by assessing their asymmetries and weaknesses and putting a plan in place to improve these, I can make life a lot easier for their coach.⁣
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Does your trainer constantly tell you to stop fixing with one hand, to stop tipping forward, to breathe, to stop clenching your jaw, to put more weight down one side, to turn your body more to one way, or any other positional issue? Being aware of your body and the effect that it has on your horse is crucial to improving your position and performance on your horse.⁣
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I have been assessing and treating riders for over 25 years and I can relate almost every rider positional fault I see back to one of three main issues with the rider’s seat: collapse in the saggital plane (front to back) ie. a collapsed pelvis, collapse in the frontal plane (side to side) ie. collapsing a hip, and collapse in the transverse plane ie. rotating or twisting in the saddle.⁣
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I developed the Activate Your Seat exercise programme, done against the resistance of the bungi, to target these three main issues and improve the rider’s strength, suppleness and balance in the saddle through all three planes of movement.⁣
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By improving the rider’s strength, control and balance off the horse, this improves their position on the horse. And this allows your coach to work on improving your performance and skills in the saddle rather than constantly trying to improve your position.⁣
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This week we are going to focus on rider symmetry, one of my four cornerstones of being fit to ride.⁣
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What are your issues with symmetry in the saddle?⁣
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💙 Breathe better, move better⁣, ride better⁣
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Maeve ⁣
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19/01/2026

My blue Monday in stories…
I hope you had some positives in your blue Monday.

💙 Maeve

18/01/2026

I almost called it menopausal mums midlife crisis….⁣
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But maybe the Road to Badminton Grassroots Championships sounds better.⁣
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Thought I’d start a series as we are now 16 weeks out. I will try and post an update on our prep every week, but like most of my stuff I am a type b personality so it could be last minute or occasionally missed!! This will not be a polished influencer series, this will be real life as a working mum and amateur rider. ⁣
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If you like this series and if you have any questions or suggestions on what you’d like to see, please let me know in the comments.⁣
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I will still be posting my usual rider physio and rider fitness content! ⁣
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Maeve⁣
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16/01/2026

⁣🌟 Client Focus Friday 🌟 ⁣
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“I’ve been doing the Activate Your Seat exercise program for two months now and the difference is huge!⁣
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I’ve progressed so much in my riding and the last couple of lessons my instructor has remarked on how much my posture and seat have improved. I never thought I’d hear the words ‘good posture Alannah’! ⁣
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I’d been struggling since returning to riding after a long hiatus to feel comfortable and in sync with the horse and Activate Your Seat combined with finding a great instructor has made a huge difference. ⁣
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I felt stuck in my riding, but now feel like I’m a much stronger rider and making so much progress. Thank you!”⁣
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⁣Awww, thank you Alannah for this fabulous review! I am so delighted you are feeling such a big difference with the programme!! ⁣
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🤩 There are now over 200 five star reviews on my page, thank you!!⁣
⁣
⁣
As a very small business, your reviews, shares, comments and recommendations really do mean the world to me so thank you so much 🥰⁣
⁣
⁣You can purchase your own bungi and access to the online exercise videos from my website www.activateyourseat.com (link in my bio).⁣
I post worldwide 🌎 ⁣
⁣
⁣
Happy Friday!!⁣
⁣
⁣
💙 Breathe better, move better, ride better⁣
⁣
Maeve ⁣
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15/01/2026

As discussed yesterday’s post, to be able to move with the horse and yet not look like we’re moving, and not bang or brace on his back, we need adequate force absorption. ⁣
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This comes from having good eccentric control of the muscles of our pelvis and hips, control of the muscles into a lengthened position. ⁣
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We also want to improve our diaphragmatic breathing so we improve that subconscious synchronous movement of the diaphragm, pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles, which helps control our intra abdominal pressure and allows us to effectively dissipate those forces created by the horse. ⁣
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I designed the Activate Your Seat programme to do all of this. The exercises done against the resistance of the bungi are designed to eccentrically strengthen all of the muscles of your pelvis and hips. If you haven’t got a bungi or joined my programme, you can buy your bungi and access to the online exercise videos on my website www.activateyourseat.com (link in my bio). ⁣
I post bungis worldwide 🌎 ⁣
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Here are 3 extra exercises that may help:⁣
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1️⃣ Bridge march - push down through your heels and lift your bum until you have a straight line from shoulders to heels. Then start to slowly march. Aim to keep your hips level, try not to let the pelvis dip or twist. March for 6-10 repetitions and aim for 5-6 sets. ⁣Breathe into your belly, sides and back of your ribcage in a 360 degree manner throughout. ⁣
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2️⃣ Reverse squats - place the bungi around the top of your hips, roll your pelvis back and lower into a half squat. Slowly return to standing, don’t let the bungi ping you back up! Repeat 8-12 times and aim for 2-3 sets. ⁣
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3️⃣ Reverse march in the bungi - place the bungi around the top of your hips and drop into a half squat and then maintain that push back on the bungi and slowly march feet. March 8-10 times and repeat 5-6 times.⁣
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👷‍♀️ You are your own health and safety officer so start at a level you can manage and build up slowly from there. ⁣
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Enjoy and let me know how you get on with them!! ⁣
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💙 Breathe better, move better, ride better⁣
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Maeve ⁣
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14/01/2026

Over the next four weeks, we are going to look more deeply at what I consider to be the four cornerstones of being “fit to ride.”⁣
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Cornerstone One: Force Absorption⁣
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Force absorption refers to the rider’s ability to dissipate the forces created by the horse, while simultaneously moving with the horse and positively influencing his movement.⁣
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When a rider can effectively dissipate force, it reduces repetitive strain on both the horse’s body and the rider’s own body.⁣
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This dissipation of force comes primarily through the rider’s seat. If we have a tense or fixed abdomen, we tend to brace in the saddle, which makes absorbing force much more difficult. The result? We bounce — which is uncomfortable for both rider and horse.⁣
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Many riders I assess brace their “core” or overly tense their abdomen, making it far harder to absorb the horse’s movement.⁣
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My first goal with every rider is to help them breathe more effectively using their diaphragm, the primary muscle of breathing. When we breathe well, the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and deep abdominal muscles can work together in a synchronised way to regulate intra-abdominal pressure. (If you need help with this, see my diaphragm reset video from a few months ago.)⁣
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Another key component of force dissipation is suppleness in the muscles around the pelvis and hips. Force is dissipated through eccentric muscle contraction — when a muscle lengthens while contracting. This type of contraction is essential for absorbing impact. Think of jumping down from a step and landing quietly: your leg muscles absorb the force by contracting eccentrically.⁣
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By targeting all the muscles of the rider’s seat and improving their eccentric control, we can significantly enhance their ability to dissipate the forces created by the horse.⁣
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This allows the rider to move more harmoniously with the horse and to influence his movement positively.⁣
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This is why I developed the Activate Your Seat programme, performed against the resistance of the bungi. The programme works all the muscles of the seat through range, improving strength, suppleness, symmetry, and balance in the saddle.⁣
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💙Breathe better, move better, ride better⁣
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Maeve

Activate Your Seat

24/01/2026

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