Rider Fitness

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Struggle with tension in either you or your horse? Do you find that your feeling fatigued, like your calves are on fire halfway through your course? Do you feel less comfortable riding one direction over the other? Struggle to coordinate your aids quickly enough sometimes?  These are a few very common rider problems among all demographics. We all have a strong side and a weak side, and you'd be surprised how much you'll favor one side over the other throughout normal day to day life. In the sport of riding however, we must be equally efffective on both sides! But how can you expect to be equally effective if you aren't putting in the extra work to correct your own physical imbalances?

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We're very excited to be the first in the area to offer a comprehensive fitness program specifically designed for riders.  We all spend a considerable amount of time keeping up with fitness and training plans for the horse, all too often to neglect our own physical fitness and body awareness. But the truth is, the second you settle yourself down into the saddle your leg is no longer just a leg. Your leg is now toes, a heel, ankle, calf, knee, thigh, and pelvis. Every individual part that makes up the whole of your body has its own specific function in the saddle and can speak to the horse in its own way if you're attuned to it.

 

 With a combined background in riding, gymnastics, fitness and body-building, we've developed a program that targets imbalances and weaknesses in the body that typically go unnoticed.  Our bio-mechanic lessons start on the ground with riding-specific stretches, and then transition to the lunge line where we work on balance, strength, mobility, and flexibility.  By varying the degree of difficulty, these workouts are fantastic for people of all skill level, from your very first ride all the way up to those actively competing at the upper levels! No riding experience necessary, so even those looking for a way to develop strength, balance and mobility with low impact on joints can participate!

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The goal of this type of training is to increase body awareness and isometric control.  We are not teaching you how to ride your horse in these sessions, but how to feel and isolate individual parts of your own body.  Our fitness program is designed to enrich and compliment your current training/lesson program, not replace it.  Training sessions are spent both on the ground in a gym-type environment and in the saddle.  Students are also given individualized stretches and body weight/banded exercises to continue at home for improvement.