[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by Uma

The archer must have muscles of steel just to stay on the horse and do all that too

For riding a horse, it's more about balance then muscle though riding is a good general work out for the body. When I rode, I preferred a light touch to cue the horse for what I wanted. I rode English with a close contact saddle which means there wasn't much padding in the saddle. To turn her, I could either turn my head or drop a seat bone. Done, but if I wanted her to bend her body into the turn then I'd use my leg and reins.

In riding lessons I used to take, there was an exercise, for the rider, called around the world. The horse would stand and the rider would turn around in the saddle. To turn around completely, you have to let go of the reins and take your feet out of the stirrups. And yes, you have to trust the horse will stay while you're making a complete circle in the saddle. That exercise teaches balance and no one in the class fell off a horse.