Fitness for riding is becoming more and more popular. But for those who’d rather grab another glass of chardy than walk into a gym (you know who you are!) and whose world of fitness has only ever been jumping on the back of their horse, there’s no need to give up on the concept just yet.
Becoming fit for your sport should be part of riding, whether you are competing or not, if for no other reason than you are getting on the back of an animal and expecting it to carry you. The least you can do, as one half of a partnership, is hold up your part of the bargain. You should become the easiest load possible for your horse to carry. You don’t have to be at Olympic athlete status (though, go for it if that’s your thing!) but at least have the balance, stability and body awareness that will give both you and your horse a pleasant riding experience and reduce the chance of injury or muscle strain to both of you.
If you’re a ‘happy hacker’, you’ll be making your horse’s life so much easier when he’s going up and down hills or across uneven ground. If you own the latest German import, then you’ll want to be able to sit that big movement and let your horse’s full potential shine through. When training your horse, you should keep in mind that you are his ‘personal trainer’ and I don’t know about you, but I like to go to coaches who walk their talk and know what they’re on about.
Many riders have to also muck out stables, sweep, tack up, mix and carry feeds and this no doubt improves fitness levels, but how aligned is your body doing such tasks and how mindful are you when executing them?
Although we want to be fit for our particular sport, many roads lead to Rome. As long as you are focusing on the underlying aim of improving fitness, core strength, control of muscles over a joint’s range of movement and body awareness, you can’t go much wrong. It’s important to pick an activity that you like so you actually do it. It’s no use choosing the most ‘appropriate’ sport if you absolutely hate it. You’ll never do it no matter what its benefits are.
Most riders have crazy, busy lives and horses are their hobby. That’s still no excuse not to do the right thing by your equine partner. “I never have time to do it because life gets in the way.” How often have I heard that as a coach? You’re better off doing a little bit often than aim for two hours and not have the time. Although I’d personally go for the two hours, this isn’t always possible for people. When riders tell me they don’t have time I ask them if they ever leave their house without cleaning their teeth? I’ve never heard anyone answer yes to that question. It’s a priority. Think of your exercise the same way.
Another way to keep your interest and have a well rounded regime is to mix it up. This will not only keep you motivated but work different muscles. Cross training is as beneficial to humans as it is to horses, on both the mental and physical level. There’s always a new muscle to be found! It will also help improve your body awareness. You don’t want your mind to get so used to anything that it completely switches off. This will lead to bad form which can be as bad as not moving at all. Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
The other way to keep yourself motivated is to take your personality into account. Do you work best alone without distractions or in a group having a good laugh? Do you need a personal trainer to push you or are you good at pushing yourself? Do you like aggressive sports to burn off steam or are you more in need of calming movement. Find a sport that lights you up but also balances you.
You will soon realise that exercise has a huge affect on you mentally as well. This is great for the competition arena. Use your sport to help you focus and overcome obstacles and you’ll save yourself a trip to the sports psychologist. I experienced this first hand training with Adelinde Cornelissen’s coaches. One would push you out of your comfort zone until you made a mistake while the other would talk you through how to progress and break through that barrier. They would also try and distract you while you were executing a difficult exercise by talking to you, asking you questions or throwing things at you (literally!) Part of you just wanted to yell at them to stop, but instead the aim was to keep focusing on the task at hand, no matter what.
Don’t know where to start? Here are a few ideas. I spoke to some experts about their sports and the benefits of each. I think it’s important to go to trainers who are specialists in their sport rather than those with basic fitness knowledge as it leads to correct form and the greatest benefit garnered from that particular activity.
BOXING
Key Areas
– Cardio
– Reaction
– Core
– Awareness of surroundings
Victoria Secrets’ models do it, so do international rugby players….and it’s great for equestrians too! It’s a sport that I’ve been doing for a while now and have been reaping the benefits. Boxing is great for fitness cardio and getting your heart rate right up there. It’s added benefits for riders is how it trains reaction. You have to move fast with control and think quickly while working from the core. Trent Simpson, a personal trainer who is currently studying a Bachelor of Sports and Exercise Science has been training in boxing since a youngster. He works with Billy Sparsis who has himself helped train world champion fighters such as Jeff ‘Hitman’ Harding and Ted Cofie. I went to experience a gruelling one and a half hour cardio boxing session with Billy and Trent and got Trent’s ideas on the benefits of his sport.
“Boxing is a high intensity full body workout, which challenges both the aerobic and anaerobic metabolism system. Technique requires the individuals to use all parts of the body starting from the ground up to produce power for the punch. This power is transferred through the kinetic link from the leg drive, hip rotation, core activation and finally driving the arm from the body to deliver the punch. Boxing is a fun way to burn fat, tone up and get fit.
“This type of training would be ideal for horse riders as a large part of producing a powerful punch is from the legs and core and requires the individual to have good stability.”
There’s another big benefit to boxing which is essential to riders, awareness of what’s going on around you including your opponent or in our case, the horse. Trent continues, “Boxing requires good rhythm, footwork and the ability to recognise your surroundings as when facing an opponent you are looking to avoid and block punches as well as return punches. It’s a very tactical sport that requires both great mind and body activation, plus it is a great way to reduce stress.”
And how often should we use it as a cross training activity? “As boxing is considered to be a high intensity workout adequate rest is required. Two to three, one hour sessions could be included to the individuals training regiment when taking into account other training and fitness levels. Training sessions would include skipping, punching on punching bags and focus mitts. This Improves an individuals timing, strength and rhythm. Workouts are finished with strength training that may include squats, sit ups, push ups and chin ups to complete a full body workout which will result in improved cardio fitness for the individual.”
“A good coach will focus on your technique. If they don’t get your foot position and stance correct from the outset, you know they haven’t been trained properly. Footwork is the number one priority.”
YOGA
Key Areas
– Core
– Balance
– Strength
– Flexability
Ammeriek Favelle has been a yoga instructor for 15 years. She not only teaches many riders but is a rider herself. She was traditionally trained and completed a three year apprenticeship in the style of yoga called Ashthanga Vinyasa which is a strong, flowing practice.
“There are so many different types of yoga, some which are more meditative and some that are a much stronger workout. For riders I suggest a more active type, something where you’re physically challenged.
“Even good riders I find often don’t have good core development. If you can improve this, it makes a big difference to everything you do, not just riding. So, the core, development of the seat and position, leg and lower back strength and good balance. This is essential when you ride and it should be excellent! Also when you ride, there are so many different things to focus on and yoga helps you with this focus and keep it for a longer time.”
How do you pick a good instructor? “It’s hard nowdays. Some people do a three week teaching course but it doesn’t give them much of a background. They learn to teach a couple of poses and that’s it. I recommend riders try out different classes and it’s best to go to a yoga school. There are many yoga schools in most areas. Look for a teacher who focuses on good alignment, core engagement and which muscles to activate. That’s what you’re looking for; building strength and flexibility. Just try it out and see what you feel is right for your needs.”
RUNNING
Key Areas
– Core
– Cardio
– Fat burning
– Acclimatization
This is a standard fitness practice for a lot of people, but I wanted to get an expert’s perspective. Ryan Waddington is a world champion professional triathlete with a long history in distance running, having won numerous national gold medals in track and field and cross country running.
“I think it’s good to look at Kenyan runners in the Rift Valley. They grow up just doing lots of hilly runs. This is great training and really good to help switch on the core. Out of all the training methods, I think trail running would be great for riders as it’s requires a dynamic use of muscles. It uses a lot of different muscles compared to road running, but you want to make sure you don’t have any underlying ankle problems first. Riders might be cardiovascularly fit but their joints might not be ready for the impact so it’s best to start slowly. You can start by alternating 30 seconds of running and 30 seconds of walking and build up to one minute of running and 30 seconds of walking then two minutes of running and 30 seconds of walking and so on. For cross training, you never really need to do more than 10km. If you can do 20 minutes of running three times a week, you’ll really help improve your cardio fitness. This is important because beyond 25 years old, you start to lose 1% of your aerobic capacity per year. Exercising slows this process considerably. Trail running is very accessible and costs nothing. The ultimate form is sand running. (I think Ryan was referring to the beach, but I couldn’t help think that most of us have access to a sand arena! Probably not quite as fun though.)
“You usually just get better by doing it, but if you were really after a coach, it would be best to get a technique or sprint coach. Athletics NSW (or other state associations) would have a list.”
I spoke to another runner and sports physician, Jamie Harrison who has himself won four Australian 10km Championships and has represented Australia in five world cross country championships. As well as cross training, Jamie was keen to emphasise the importance of a good diet. “The horse will not be able to perform as well if it’s carrying twice the weight it needs to. Look at what you’re eating as well as your exercise. Your diet should be reasonably balanced and include lots of fruit and vegetables for nutrients. Not too much fat and not too much sugar.”
“In terms of training, research is showing that weight training is as important as aerobic exercise. Running is good as it burns calories. It can also sometimes suppress your appetite with the up and down motion. I think it would also be good for riders as you are outside and subjected to heat and the elements which helps you acclimatize and also mentally concentrate in all conditions. Because of the time a rider competes and trains, I think interval training would work best, like you would train a middle distance runner. Maybe one minute hard and then two minutes recovery. You can protect your joints by running on grass and a variety of terrains and at different speeds.”
Jamie has also spent a lot of time working with John Lang, who coached the Penrith Panthers Rugby League team to their 2003 Premiership win. “The biggest thing I learnt from John was training the individual. Know your weaknesses and improve them. This will be different for everyone.”
PILATES
Key Areas
– Core
– Alignment
– Body Control
– Range of Movement
Being an instructor myself, it’s always going to be at the top of my list. I’m a complete convert. I can’t think of an exercise system that is better suited to riding, able to hone in and isolate riding muscles, work on alignment so precisely and create good body awareness. It’s a system that can be as easy and supportive or as challenging as you like. You can use specific pilates equipment or grab a mat and go for it anywhere without any props. It’s used to keep older people moving, rehabilitate from injury and used by world class athletes to address movement inefficiencies and challenge core control at the most extreme. What’s not to love? The system was invented originally to rehabilitate soldiers and works the body from the inside out. It focuses on the deepest, postural muscles and layers on the global muscles which are the ones that actually move the body. It encourages the body to work evenly in all directions covering all planes of movement; forward (flexion), back (extension), sideways (lateral flexion) and rotation.
It’s important to find an instructor that understands your needs and is fully qualified, and I’m not just talking about a weekend course. Good instructor courses to just teach mat classes can take about a year. This is a basic qualification. A qualification to teach equipment pilates can only be acquired after this. When you are scouting around for a studio and instructor, be sure to ask about their background and training. You have a right to know. If they know something about riding as well, then it’s an added bonus. I would steer away from mass group classes unless you’ve been doing it for a while as it is very hard for the instructor to keep an eye on you and pilates is a movement technique where small changes can make a big difference.
SWIMMING
Key Areas
– Cardio
– Injury rehabilition
– No impact
– Range of movement
Australia’s climate is perfect for swimming and what better opportunity to enjoy a bit more of the great outdoors? Charmian Frend has trained no fewer than 26 English Channel swimmers in four years.
“Swimming can provide a good cardiovascular workout and good technique will improve your posture because if you have bad posture, you will swim badly. It is also great if you’re injured as it’s non weight bearing. I have an injured back so I know how helpful it can be. I can get out of a pool and feel like I can move a bit more. It can be very healing, you can just float around but still all those small stabilising muscles will be working. When you are training harder, it is very strengthening. You’ll find muscles you didn’t know you had! It’s a great exercise to help with range of motion and it loosens the muscles you can’t quite get to with stretching. It works basically all your muscle groups so it saves you going to the gym and spending money on memberships. Your breathing will be a focus which brings a new level of fitness and relaxation. It trains you to be very energy efficient. Swimming is one of those activities you can learn at any age and you can do it in the ocean or an indoor pool; on your own or with others in squads so it suits many different personalties.”
“When looking for a coach, try to find someone qualified with the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association. There are a lot of personal trainers and triathletes out there that are not qualified. It can be really frustrating. A good coach will check your body position, getting your shoulders set correctly for example and will also set you a programme and drills and homework. They will also teach you different breathing techniques.”
THE MEDICAL OPINION
Associate Professor Charles New is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons and has had 20 years experience in orthopedic and spinal surgery. He has seen his fair share of sports related injuries, including many horse riders. He has also been the doctor for numerous sports teams and the army. For a slightly different perspective, I wanted his opinion on how riders could become better athletes and hence avoid injury.
“Riders should classify themselves based both on age and level of ability. With younger riders, it’s important that not only do they operate within their ability, but they have chest protection and the best, lightest helmet available. In sports such as go-karting and minibikes I see a lot of neck problems from heavy helmets. With adolescence, there’s the introduction of brain preparation. The amygdala (part of the brain related to decision making, memory and emotional reactions) seems to mature more slowly in boys than girls so males may be seen to do things they can’t physically do. This can be dangerous on the back of a horse so riders must not be over faced and their ability monitored carefully. When we get to the young adult group, we see intoxication, fatigue and dehydration playing a bigger role on poor physical performance. Women have maximum bone density around the age of 13-14. It’s downhill after that. Add to that, if they are a smoker, which can lead to brittle bones and they have a history of osteoporosis in the family, they really should be getting their bone density checked before doing things like riding cross country. Older riders are often experienced but they think they can still do what they did 20 years ago. You may well have become deconditioned. This category will be stiffer and more brittle and won’t bounce like they used to. I’ve seen horrendous injuries to 50 year old women with osteopenia who have come off horses.
“The human body is designed to go as fast as you can run. You probably won’t injure yourself too much at that speed. But most of the time you are on a horse, you are definitely going faster than this so are at big risk of injury. This is why cross training and especially activities focusing on core strength and balance are important. The best exercises I think for riders would be things like swimming, walking, cycling and pilates. Even jumping on a pogo stick would be a good activity. Cycling and pilates are great because they stimulate the dorsal column of the spinal cord and the hind brain and increase the sense of balance.
“When it comes to all sports, there should be a pre, peri and post activity. A lot of riders do this with their horses but not themselves. Do you warm up before you get on your horse? Do you cool yourself down, take in nutrition and fluids?
“I really believe hydration is one of the biggest things to influence performance and this should be a constant focus. Riders should start preloading on their fluids about three days out from a competition. There’s a product called Endura that a lot of endurance athletes use. You can also use rehydration gels during an event. To see how you’re going with your hydration, you can weigh yourself before and after an event and see what the change is. We started doing this with one of the big football teams I used to work with because they would keep losing games in the last few minutes. If you’re a kilogram down in your weight, it means you are well behind with your fluids. This has massive influence on your concentration and performance. Often riders won’t feel overly hot because there is a constant airflow over them but you can be sure you’re losing fluids.”
“Another important element of any sport is equipment preparation. It has to be suitable for you and your ability. This is not just your tack but also your horse. Some people ride horses that are well beyond their ability which leads to injury. Don’t punch above your weight!”
WHAT THE RIDERS DO
LYNDAL OATLEY
“I do a lot actually. I try to do additional exercise five to six days a week. Sandro Boy has a huge canter, which is at the best of times not easy to contain and to sit to. I have to do additional work to strengthen my core, in particular my back, to ride him more effectively. I do a lot of pilates exercises on a balance ball to help increase my core stability. I also do a lot of plank position and stretching to ensure that I not only have the core strength to ride better, but also more suppleness.
I also work on my posture as I tend to round my shoulders too much and so I do shoulder and arm exercises. Push ups, 3kg arm weights, and use of elastic straps are my go to. I also do a lot of squats, leg raises, hip bridges and lunge hovers to strength my legs, thighs and butt.
I try to hit the treadmill also, to keep my fitness up, as riding alone is not enough. I also love the rowing machine so incorporate these into my daily routine. I am not always inspired, so when I am not I watch an episode of a TV series while on the treadmill, and even if its a walk on an incline, or a hill climb, it’s all useful! I do interval jogs with sprints at the end as I can not keep myself motivated to run long distances.”
JULIA HARGREAVES
“I do fitness training often. I try to run 4 – 8km, five or six days a week, and then for body work I do core strength six days a week. I run to try and stay light as for sure it helps! Also core work is important more for my balance so I don’t have to rely on the horse so much, or affect his concentration. I can feel a difference in my riding when I don’t do so much fitness. It’s also good for keeping my head clear! As most of us know, this sport can get the better of us a lot of the time and it’s important to keep some balance!
There’s a saying that if you don’t have time to meditate for 10 minutes, you should meditate for 30 minutes. I like to think of movement along the same lines. You will become more efficient through your day and definitely with your riding as well as recover quicker from training and competition. You will have quality riding time and your horse will love you for it!
We are trying to prevent injury not cause it, so remember, play it safe and most of all enjoy moving along with the positive development of your mind and body.”
MARY HANNA
“I have a yoga routine combined with some pilates exercises that I have done for many years on a regular basis. The pilates is very important for core strength and stability I believe. I also swim whenever I can. That really started when I had an injury to a ligament in my shoulder, and it made such a huge difference that I now never miss a chance to swim. It also helped me understand why the aqua therapy can be so helpful for our horses if they suffer tendon or ligament problems. I think if you want to be a good rider for the long term, with a strong and effective position, maintaining core strength through pilates and yoga is essential.”