Fit to ride

Have you ever crossed the finish line at an event or reached the end of a lesson and felt really breathless, to the point that you’re relieved it’s over? If the answer’s yes, you’re certainly not alone. But as riders we should give ourselves more credit – after all, while in the saddle every single part of our body is working hard to control an animal that weighs more than half a tonne and has a mind of its own.

The importance of rider fitness is often underestimated and it’s not uncommon for our horse’s fitness to be put before our own. But it’s not just your horse who’s the athlete. You are, too, so it’s time to focus on your physical ability. I’ve created the perfect cardio workout for riders, along with a warm-up, that’ll boost your fitness in no time. Let’s get going!

Delving deeper

I decided to carry out research into the physical exertion riders experience when training and competing. I wore a heartrate monitor at a one-day event and, as expected, my heart was working at a high intensity (over 90% of my heart rate max) during the cross-country phase. However, I was incredibly surprised to find similar results in the dressage and showjumping phases. In fact, over the course of the day, I would have burnt the same amount of calories if I’d run a marathon. Yes, adrenaline and nerves played a part, but that’s when I decided to start wearing my monitor while training at home. The results were a little lower than when competing, but my heart was still working very hard.

Back to basics

So, where to start? Let’s put it into the perspective of improving your horse’s fitness. It’s likely you incorporate interval training into his routine, and that’s exactly what you should consider doing yourself, too. Regularly taking your levels of exertion beyond your normal comfort zone for a short, realistic and achievable length of time will soon improve your fitness.

Heart to heart

Riding requires your entire muscular system to work together, but your muscles need oxygen to work. The harder you exercise, the faster and stronger your heart needs to beat. The heart is a muscle so can be trained to become more efficient – this means you will be less breathless, your muscles less tired and, as it pumps more oxygen to your brain, you’ll have better focus and will react more quickly to things you’re faced with. Looking at the bigger picture, increasing your cardiovascular fitness will contribute greatly to overall performance levels.

Check out Jo’s rider-based fitness plan in April Horse&Rider – get your copy now!