To fully benefit the horse-rider team, rider fitness is just as important as horse fitness.
However, for many people, the word fitness brings up connotations of pumping iron in the gym surrounded by buff bodies or lycra clad aerobics classes – a far cry from saddles and the smell of horses.
As a personal trainer and ex-gym owner, I agree that the weights room is the best place for many strength and power athletes, even as a cyclist I spent many hours in the gym. On the other hand, an equestrian athlete needs more stability, balance, and suppleness training than outright strength. Don’t get me wrong, physical strength will certainly help when you unload those feedbags and bales of hay, or if you’re a western rider and your saddle weighs more than your dog! Strength is important for daily life, however strength alone doesn’t create soft, supple, balanced, happy horses.
If you’re keen on improving as a rider then outright strength and power simply won’t cut it. In fact, many riders with considerable strength will grip creating joint & muscle tension as that’s what their body has been trained to do via time spent lifting weights in the gym.
Let’s take a quick look at the difference between strength and stability and why being supple is more beneficial for riders….
Strength is your bodies ability to recruit muscle fibres to exert force against a resistance.
Now if the rider’s body is developing force, then the horse’s body will be developing resistance to counteract that force. There is no harmony or softness when riding with strength.
Stability is your bodies ability to recruit muscle fibres to control joint position and balance to counteract movement from force.
The rider’s body is subjected to forces from the horse’s movement; therefore, the rider’s job is to remain as stable as possible despite these forces at play. It’s not the horse’s job to balance the rider, in effect it’s the rider’s job to be balanced and stable for the horse. The more stable a rider is, the softer and more elastic the horse will become.
As horse riding involves sitting on an unstable, unpredictable moving object (ie your horse!) stability training is a beneficial tool for all equestrians irrespective of their riding experience. The fitball is my favourite piece of exercise equipment for any equestrian, it’s budget friendly, and can be utilised for a simple full body workout for any level. It’s simple to use for beginners and easily adjustable as the user progresses to the advanced exercises. Try this easy free 5min Fitball Workout or join the Strong Stable Seat community for a variety of different workouts each week.
