The Joys of Horsemanship

Recently I noticed a friend of mine's Facebook status that mentioned she had recently gone horseback riding and how good it felt to be back in the saddle. I was jealous. Enviously jealous. I love riding and it's been about 2 years since I've been in the saddle myself and I miss it dearly. But it got me thinking about riding and all of the benefits that come from it. Although, in the immortal words of my friend, Brad Fox, "But I can do ____ and get the same result and it's so much easier," there is a bit of an expense but if you look across the time v. money spectrum, you'd be hard pressed to find something that didn't "cost" you something somewhere.

Riding is a terrific activity for people of all ages, whether you dream of competing for an international dressage title, intercollegiate equestrian teams, showing locally, or are content with the recreational aspects. It goes without question, though, that the horse is one of the main athletic competitors in the ring. However, just as a pitcher and catcher create an indispensable “battery unit” in baseball, the same goes for a horse and his rider in equestrian events. One cannot perform properly without the other, especially when the fitness of both parties is involved. While the physical condition of the horse is specifically focused upon for obvious reasons, the training of a rider in preparation to exercise, practice, and compete must not be overlooked.

The especial unity of horse and rider depends on both being alert and prepared. An integrally important part of that preparation stems from being physically fit. Beginning riders will note (and more experienced ones will fondly remember) this, particularly after leaving the stables with sore thighs and rears from trying to maintain a sitting trot or the initial awkwardness of the posting rhythm.

Here are a few suggestions to develop physical fitness:

• At the base of any fitness program is the need for energy. Just as a sluggish mount hinders the workout and learning process, so will a sluggish horseman, and thus a proper nutrition regiment must be implemented. Physicians, dietitians, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (http://www.fda.gov) and the recently redeveloped U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food pyramids (http://www.mypyramid.gov) are extremely helpful in outlining individual nutritional needs.

• Good flexibility is needed when performing any athletic activity (equestrian included). Flexibility aids in preventing injuries to joint capsules and muscle strains when doing sudden, forceful motions. This is especially true in mounting in regards to the knee joint, as well the hamstring, quadricep, and calf muscles in providing the ability to create more power and ease when pulling up into the saddle. Increasing flexibility thru slow, sustained stretching reduces the frequency and likelihood of strained muscles and some knee problems that may develop. It is important to note that stretching proves most beneficial when performed after a brief, proper warm-up.

• Muscular strength plays an important role when doing such activities as mounting, posting, and balancing and stabilizing on stirrups and a moving horse. Yes, gripping the saddle can help in some circumstances, but muscles are the main workers. Strength is the ability to exert a force, and is accomplished through contraction of muscle tissue. The types of muscle contractions involved with equestrian activities are concentric (actively shortening of the muscle), eccentric (actively lengthening of the muscle), and isometric (actively contracting without movement). Concentric and eccentric contractions are examples of what happens in muscles during posting and isometric contractions help with stabilization. Strength training increases lean body mass (muscle, organs, water, bones, essential fat, etc), and increases the working potential of muscles. Fundamentally, muscular strength has its foundations in core exercises, such as bench press and power cleans, and fine-tuned with supplementary exercises, such as sit-ups and inner thigh (adductor) cross overs.

• While working on core exercises, though, it is important for riders to develop their core stability to aid in not only their strength workout, but more so to aid in dynamic balancing and posture while on horseback. The core of the body, defined as the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, is considered to be where our center of gravity resides, and where most body movements begin. A strong, but flexible core gives the body a more balanced dynamic base from which to draw its movements, ergo why it’s critical for riders to develop and improve it. Basic core stabilizing exercises can be accomplished with and without a medicine ball. A medicine ball is good to have to improve dynamic muscle stabilization, and increase the reaction of muscle contractions to help offset impending imbalance if exercises are performed properly.

• In addition to muscular strength and core stability, muscular endurance is another factor that is an essential part of riding fitness. Endurance is the ability to exert a force for a given period of time. When posting for a long period of time, holding any position on horseback, or balancing on a long canter requires muscular endurance and likewise an efficient recovery system from the effects of endurance bouts. There are three kinds of endurance: speed-explosive, anaerobic (work without oxygen), and aerobic (work with oxygen). Anaerobic and aerobic endurance are the two most utilized in equestrian activities.

It is suggested that endurance be developed through a building block approach, improving aerobic endurance and then improving anaerobic. Reasons for this are that by increasing the amount of energy produced from aerobic systems in the body, anaerobic energy (quick energy) is conserved, aerobic energy systems recover anaerobic energy systems used during anaerobic activity, put off the onset of effects produced by lactic acid, and aerobic training may reduce the chances of connective tissue injury, on or off the saddle. Aerobic endurance is not heavily used in equestrian activities and may be achieved through swimming, running, biking, elliptical machines for at least 20 minutes or longer at 70-80% of maximum heart rate – in this instance, it may be useful to obtain a heart rate monitor. Anaerobic endurance may be developed through repetitions and sets of wall sits, running sprints, and lengths of posting while trotting.

While these are a few suggestions to help improve riding performance, there are a few more to take into consideration. Be sure to consult a physician before engaging in this kind of physical development activity – he will be able to help you with where to start, give nutrition cousel, and notify you of any health restrictions and/or precautions. Likewise, he may give ideas of exercises and proper instruction as to how to perform them for strength training, muscular endurance, and core stability. A physician may also refer to a physical therapist, athletic trainer, personal trainer, or any other appropriate professionals to give more complete help with these aspects, especially with the youth and senior participants, as their specifications and requirements are slightly different.

It’s apparent that there’s much to be said about physical fitness, even in the rider’s realm. Good luck and enjoy developing the skills and techniques of riding. Be astute, and have fun.