Ride to exercise, or exercise to ride?

Horseback riding is a fantastic exercise for many people because it intrinsically provides a light, whole-body work out. Sitting on a horse requires the rider to balance through the core muscles, both front and back, and maintain that balance while in dynamic motion. Different gaits of the horse provide varied input (working diverse muscles), as do varied terrain (i.e. uphill/downhill) and activities (i.e. posting trot vs. sitting). Riding also works inner leg muscles, which are often difficult to access through other sports, and requires a "whole body awareness/ engagement," similar to that needed for yoga, stand-up paddle boarding or martial arts.

As those of us trained to teach therapeutic riding know, horseback riding also has a positive effect on muscle tone: riding a quiet, rhythmic horse tends to increase tone in flaccid muscles, but magically, it also tends to "normalize" tone in muscles that are too tight. This is part of what makes riding a valuable exercise for many people, but in particular for those with disabilities where muscle tone is affected: cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Down Syndrome, and others.

Riding is not particularly aerobic, so it doesn't generally lead to weight loss directly, but it can be a great motivator for staying fit. Riders know we'll be asking our horses to carry our weight, so it is in their best interest, as well as ours, to keep trim/ in reasonable shape.

Having said all this, I admit that I slack in the physical fitness element of preparation for riding. I'm great at preparing intellectually to ride (I study equestrian theory and participate in lessons and clinics whenever I can!). I also believe deeply in preparing emotionally and spiritually to ride - we are after all, asking another living being to serve us under saddle and that's a huge responsibility. Being in the right frame of mind and heart is critical to ensure the well-being of horse and rider.

However, I listen to my friend L. talk about doing P90X to increase her fitness for dressage and while I admire her dedication, I inwardly just cringe. Not this girl. No exercise programs that involve a code name - can't do it.

(I am also the person who tried South Beach Diet for a day but fell off the wagon by convincing myself mayonnaise was a "healthy fat.")

Basically, I don't like prescribed exercises or diet and I have a hard time thinking of myself as an "athlete" even though I do make my living, at least in part, by participating in equestrian sport and coaching others to do so.  (My bad self-esteem, and subsequent lack of motivation, with physical activity likely goes back to the fifth grade, when I was both the tallest - 5'4" - and heaviest -125 lbs. - child in my elementary school. Our tan, hunking gym teacher Mr. G. used to stand above me during 'warm-up' and coach/ comment as I tried to lift my already womanly body out of what he called a 'girl pushup' (knees on the ground). "Somebody has not been practicing their push-ups," he would taunt, looking down. His words (oh-so-true!) have stayed with me. I didn't practice push ups then and I don't practice them now.)

But as usual, in my riding life, a horse comes along to push me to become better. Recently, I've taken a series of dressage lessons on what is probably the most athletic, conditioned horse I have ever ridden. He is highly trained in dressage, well beyond my skill level, and it has been both a privilege and exciting experience to feel his powerful stride, to try to comprehend the level of precision to which he's been trained.

One of the biggest challenges for me in riding this horse has been sitting his enormous trot. I struggle to absorb the impulsion through my core and am often sore in my hips, especially the right one, for days to follow. I do have the distinct impression that if I were fitter - specifically stronger and leaner through my core - sitting this trot would be easier for me. In other words, it might partly be a skill factor or just a need for practice and patience, but there is definitely a physical fitness component that I could work on during the time I am not on the horse.

Coincidentally, an article called "A Better Sitting Trot" by Pilates instructor Janice Dulack appeared in this month's Dressage Today. Confirming my suspicions about core strength, Dulack writes: "The junction of the spine meeting the pelvis at the lower back must be stabilized while the hip joints at the bottom of the pelvis must be mobile. If a rider has tight hips, the lower back inevitably takes all the motion of the moving horse..." Yes, that sounds about right, and ouch!, my lower back confirms daily it has been taking more than it's share of the motion...

Dulack continues, "To avoid this, the rider must learn to stabilize the joint at the top of the pelvis (lower back) with the abdominal muscles... [then] the hip joints at the bottom of the pelvis can  become the shock absorbers while riding."

Dulack's description resonates: I can easily recognize that I do brace through my lower back when I try to sit a dynamic trot and that is likely because I need to do two things: (1) increase core strength so that my back is stabilized and (2) loosen my hip joints through stretching and increased flexibility. I am going to make these two fitness goals a priority over the coming months, along with (3) the desire to just increase my general overall fitness, hoping to become a more "athletic" rider.

So... I am on a quest, looking for ways to work these three physical fitness goals into my weekly routine, with - obviously - as little real effort as possible! I know it may sound lazy, but I'm just being realistic. If I start some crazy exercise effort, I just won't stick with it. For me to become more physically fit for riding, the program will have to be time efficient, relatively easy to execute and I'll have to see results.

Please comment below if you have suggestions for a fitness program (off the horse) that has worked for you and improved your riding, whether it's geared specifically to riding or not. I will report back here on the blog if anything works well for me! Thanks in advance for any suggestions!