Tom Nagel

Tom Nagel has spent a lifetime exploring how posture, breath, and awareness influence not just horseback riding, but living. Through his own riding journey, Tom discovered that the same principles that create balance in the saddle create balance in life. His unique insights into the role of the psoas muscles — the deep core muscles that connect the spine to the legs — have helped riders of all disciplines find greater stability, connection, and ease with their horses.

Since 2001, Tom has taught hundreds of clinics, helping people experience the “missing link” of core engagement. His Rider’s Seat clinics, featured at events like the International Centered Riding® Symposium, offer practical tools that riders can immediately feel and apply.

Beyond riding, Tom’s teaching evolved into the broader practice of Simple Pushes — small, conscious actions that restore balance in an unbalanced world. His approach invites people to recognize whether they tend to push or pull through life, and offers gentle ways to realign their energy without force.

Tom’s background includes over 40 years of Zen training, 17 years of Aikido practice, and advanced certification in Zen Bodytherapy®, a deep alignment and bodywork practice. His work bridges the physical and the mindful, helping people experience balance from the inside out.

Tom is the author of Zen & Horseback Riding (Fourth Edition) and Simple Pushes: Creating Balance in an Unbalanced World.

Through all his work, Tom’s message is simple: real change doesn't require force. It requires awareness, small steady pushes, and a willingness to begin again.