I would challenge anybody to deny that horse riders need strength and stamina, power and speed, coordination and accuracy, balance, flexibility, agility and, most certainly, cardiovascular and respiratory endurance. What a huge expectation! However, it is no surprise that these are the exact same skills that we train in a gym environment, where we can focus entirely on the human component of the horse/rider partnership.
And, possibly more so than in any other sport, horse riders need a profound awareness of how to control each part of their body.
And we’re not just talking arms and legs here, we’re talking about the layer upon layer of deep hidden muscles which create midline stability. It takes an acutely trained rider to learn how to manipulate these muscles so that activation becomes second nature.
Consider the analogy of learning to drive a car. Foot on the clutch, change gear, foot slowly off the clutch, accelerate gently… But who thinks about these precise actions when driving? Practice has made us able to perform these tasks without any conscious thought. As a rider, are you able to activate the deep, deep muscles in your backside to create a slight rotation of the knee in order to balance without confusing your horse? Are you able to activate your deep abdominal muscles so that you can maintain perfect posture without sending out mixed messages? And are you able to do this without conscious thought?
This is where rider gym training plays such an important role. Riders need to focus on weaknesses, whether it be endurance, strength or any other of the ten recognised general physical skills listed above, so that when we are in the saddle we display the same exactitude that we expect from and train in our horse.
Next time you compete, you need to be able to say quite categorically that, in a 50/50 partnership with your horse, not only have you trained your horse but you have also trained your own body, ensuring that there is no weak link in the horse/rider team.
You need to be able to say to yourself that there is absolutely nothing more that you could have done to prepare for a competition. Then you will be justifiably happy with your joint performance, knowing that you are not letting your horse down.
Jill Williams, Range of Motion @ Brookleigh
Level 1 CrossFit Trainer
Cert IV Fitness
m: 0414 80 3333
