Alright, my friends. Some of you may know bits and pieces of this story.

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Over the summer, I fell off a two story deck I was building (I'm a part time missionary) and I broke both ankles. Prior to that, I was dealing with some personal issues which prevented me from getting to the barn save for actually showing when my trainers needed me to sit on something or I had made a commitment to an owner. Flash forward to mid-autumn and I re-sprained an ankle playing football, which has caused me to rest through this show season, which in five shows on a touch-and-go basis with one very kind, patient trainer and very very kind mounts as caused me to well exceed point requirements and double qualify for post-season showing despite maybe riding twelve times this year. Our regionals is in three weeks, and, while I'm 75% better, walking fine, etc, I know that only getting to the barn to train sometimes won't get me back to nationals, and neither will pushing myself. What kind of basic, non-difficult, non-lower-body-strenuous exercises do you guys do to strengthen your muscles for riding?

I know yoga balls help a lot, just for muscle memory, build-up and improving riding position. Yoga in general would probably be good, and you can probably find some really great exercises on the web

I can second yoga! Strength is great for riding but if I had to choose between that and balance, balance wins every time.

Also situps/pushups are great. Pushups can be hard on your ankles, but even push ups when you're on your knees are better than no pushups at all. Lots of core work. I also like squats, they're great for your legs, but that can be hard on your ankles. (I have ankle problems so I get where you're coming from!)

Go to the gym and get help from a professional. Or a doctor.

I second what Cassa said lol

I have a Physical Therapist, and she has given me ankle strengthening exercises, but I figured I'd check in with horse people too to see if y'all had any go-to exercises :) Doesn't hurt to have more information from different sources rather than less :)

My suggestion still stands. Yoga is relatively tame for the body and really helpful

Might sound silly, but focusing well on your walking and standing posture. A lot of times after an injury people tend to walk and stand differently whether they're aware of it or not. Spend some good time focusing on if you're walking and standing the right way to use the correct muscles. Most important thing I learned after injuries.

I had surgery on my ankle and foot 2 years ago and found that swimming was a great way to keep in shape while I was still restricted on weight-bearing activities. I also suggest some sort of flexable ankle brace ( I use Back on track) just for support and it has helped me stay comfortable while riding.