Working on the rider's seat at equestrian vaulting practice this weekend. The idea here is to open and release the hips and zip up the abdomen from the very inner core. This starts from the pelvic floor through the abdominal muscles and finally to the sternum, which is knit together.

In this exercise, the instructor is asking my daughter to sit like a rag doll astride Irish draft Shakespeare, letting everything go and flop around as the horse trots on the circle, and then to wake up the body, putting the ideal body position together piece by piece. This helps to teach the difference between a correct and incorrect position.

Hearing it is complicated enough. Actually doing it is even more so. Riding is definitely thinking sport.