Objective To analyze the lumbar/hip imaging and surface electromyography data of professional equestrian riders, to understand the incidence of chronic diseases in the hip and lower back of the rider, and to explore the causes of chronic pain in riders. Methods Twenty-five equestrian riders from the Shanghai Equestrian Sports Management Center were divided into chronic lower-back pain and chronic hip pain groups. Twelve healthy subjects without hip or lower-back pain were included in the control group. Medical history, X-ray, and magnetic resonance imaging of the hip and lower back, and surface electromyography data of the core muscle were collected. Results The JOA score of the lumbar spine in patients with chronic lower-back pain was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The riders had relatively mild chronic hip pain, but the Harris score was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). The JOA score of the equestrian rider’s waist significantly correlated with the Pfirrmann grading. However, the visual analog scale and Harris hip pain scores were not significantly correlated with imaging parameters. The root mean square amplitudes of the rectus abdominis, erector spinalis, rectus femoris, gluteus medius, and multifidus were greater in the riding position than in the normal sitting position (P < 0.05). Conclusions The cause of chronic lower-back pain in riders may be related to soft tissue overwork and lumbar degeneration. Changes in the lumbar-hip sagittal sequence pelvic and sacral inclination angles can reflect the degree of lumbar stiffness of the riders.