I was wondering what are some good ab and balance workouts that you can do at home without a horse?
Yoga and pilates are great. I run to get my endurance up, yoga for flexibility, and pilates for strength.
Core and leg exercises. Cardio for stamina. Exercise or Bosu balls can help with balance. Bosu balls are a bit on the pricier side, but there are similar half-ball styles to them for less money. Yoga and pilates, too, as luvmyhackney mentioned.
Youtube has a ton of at home work out videos. It’s a decent, inexpensive resource. I used to do a lot of the Beachbody DVDs. As much as I think the whole Beachbody atmosphere is a bit odd, the DVDs did kick my butt into shape. They’re not easy! They can be rather expensive, though, which is primarily what’s holding me back from getting back into that.
I have been working with a personal trainer for the past year or so, and its been great. I let him know that I ride and that core stability and balance are critically important. That said, we do pretty full body workouts. It has been terrific in terms of my core strength, and has really helped with chronic back pain that was exacerbated as I moved up the levels with my last horse. Yoga and pilates are also great, but I’ve found that working with someone who is focused on my specific needs has really upped my game. Plus, he gives me workouts I can do on my own or when I’m travelling for work, which has helped me keep going with the strength training.
I agree with this. I started working with a personal trainer 3 months ago and she really focuses on full body workouts. I sweat my ass off, I feel the burn (in a good way), and she knows that my big things I want to work on are balance and core strength. The Bosu ball (which is the half ball on a flat platform – the stability ball is the full size ball which I personally don’t like) has become my most hated and loved friend - it works, but it isn’t easy! I can do all the workouts at home (kettle ball, weights, and some type of bench or even just stairs or sturdy table is all you really need) other than some of the bigger machines, but there is plenty to do without those.
You can find plenty of workouts on youtube if you have lots of self motivation. Lots of variety and $0 cost outside of getting some equipment if you have none yet. I don’t have that intrinsic motivation to push myself beyond my comfort zone so that is why I stick with my PT.
Pilates is also great, but I find it to be a bit boring. Mix up your week with full body and pilates 
I also have been working with a personal trainer for 3 months now and the improvements in my riding are fantastic. While we workout at the gym, a lot of the exercises are very easy to do at home. Squats, bicycle crunches, pushups, some more squats, crunches on a balance ball, planks, some more squats, lunges.
I do cross fit 3-5 times a week and run 3 times per week. The coaches at my crossfit place are great and come up with specific exercises you can do on your own if you have specific goals, so it’s sort of a class and personal trainer in one.
This is a great ab workout that is great for when I only have 10 minutes.
I go to a fitness class at our gym 2x per week. I don’t love going to the gym, but it is helpful. I also run 3x per week, preparing for a race to keep me motivated, and rock climb, which I find goes really well with riding.
I like the Success in the Saddle workout DVDs. They can all be done without equipment, though you can add small hand weights to some exercises if desired. There are modifications to most exercises to either make them easier or more challenging, so you can make them work for your level of fitness. Each workout is only 20 minutes so it’s easy to fit into your day. I consider myself reasonably fit but they kicked my butt at first. I haven’t done them for a while since I had two horses to ride but now that I’m back down to one for a while I should probably do them again…
