The reason I am an advocate for strength training is not because I believe riding is a strength based sport.

If you have strength in your body you are more likely to have control of your body.

The stronger you are the less effort your muscles have to make to give aids and hold themselves whilst absorbing the movement of the horse.

If your muscles aren’t strong, suddenly to have to give a slightly stronger aid means you will tense and brace to try and give a bit more.

If you are strong, your max effort is a long way off so a stronger aid can be applied much easier and therefore no bracing or tensing is required.

So being stronger can actually enable you to ride softer.

Now, I’m sure many of you have heard the myth that being strong makes you stiff and rigid.

Sure, loads of heavy lifting of isolated muscles is not an optimal way to improve your riding performance.

However, compound moves using multiple muscles such as Squats, Deadlifts, Lunges etc. combined with some mobility work to keep muscles long and take joints through their full range of motion will give you a degree of strength that will allow your body to stabilise and give aids with less force which in turn will allow your body to be soft.

Strength is not just about being able to apply brute force, it’s about having stability and control when force is applied, in this instance the force being applied is your horse.

So, don’t write off strength training as something that will turn you into a bulky brick wall. Think of it as Athletic Performance training in the same way that many other sports people do.  Being strong makes things/your sport less effort.

Be strong enough to ride soft.

At this time of year it can be really easy to hibernate and not bother with the horse stuff until spring!

Of course you could totally do that if you were turning your horse away for winter, but most of us don’t do that as we don’t necessarily have the facilities or we still want to do some riding over winter as we are aiming for things to do early spring.

The hardest thing can be keeping to the habit when the weather is at it’s worst then finding you’ve lost the habit even when the weather isn’t so bad. Then you feel demotivated, demoralised like you’ve failed………that’s not how we want to go into next year!

The important part is maintaining the habit of doing something with your horse.

Be flexible with what those sessions might entail.

Got an indoor? Then no excuses!

Outdoor only?

How about short sessions with one clear focus such as Leg yield in walk, trot and canter or how many transitions within and up and down gaits can you do in 15 minutes?

No facilities? School whilst hacking-straight roads are great for Shoulder in practice.

I’ve taken up in hand classical dressage which you can do in smaller spaces, on most ground as so much can be done in walk and it has a huge impact on your horses self carriage and suppleness.

You could also ask your horses physio for some exercises that would benefit your horse, most of which can normally be done in the stable-remember those carrot stretches you promised you’d do every day………

Then you plan which days you will be working your horse and have Plan A which is your ideal such as proper schooling session, hack etc then have a Plan B if the weather isn’t inspiring you or you run out of time such as 10 mins in hand or stretches.

Don’t put pressure on yourself to have a full winter of perfect, long rides every single week as unless you’re fortunate enough to have access to great all weather facilities or don’t mind a serious soaking and gale force winds the it’s just not feasible.

The important thing is sticking to the habit of working your horse 3-4 times per week or whatever amount you decide.

Get creative!

What sort of things do you do with your horse when you’re dodging weather?

When I discuss nutrition with clients it is often thought of as weight loss advice, however eating well is much more than a weight loss tool. Good nutrition has a huge effect on how you feel day to day and therefore how you interact with and train your horse.

Food is fuel. Yes it’s also tasty and I am a huge fan of all the good stuff. However I am also a huge fan of feeling energised and clear headed for as much of the day as possible.

This is where good nutrition comes in. I know it’ s the stuff of meme’s that the Equestrian diet is made up of Coffee and Chocolate bars, and Cheesy chips on show days but it’s really not the way to fuel yourself for a busy day.

Firstly good hydration is key. Some Coffee and/or energy/fizzy drinks is fine but existing on them alone is not fine. Try to get most of your hydration from water, zero sugar squash or some herbal tea. Get yourself a water bottle and aim to fill it twice every day.

I understand that 3 square sit down meals per day can be just not possible when you’ve got a full on day at the yard but that doesn’t mean surviving off sugar is the answer either.

Having access to healthy snacks can keep you feeling sharp all day without needing to stop for a full meal.

Some ideas could include:

Nuts -ok I just eat peanut butter out of the jar but whatever works.

Boiled Eggs-easy to pre prepare or you can buy them in the sandwich sections of supermarkets and petrol stations.

Fruit

Protein Shake/Smoothie-Made yourself or bought

Pre Cooked chicken-again you can make it or buy it

If you reframe your nutrition as a way to perform your best for your horse and your riding you’ll start to make it more of a priority.

Also, are Cheesy chips just for show days or are we supposed to be eating them at other times???

Do you ever think about the level of tension you hold in your body day to day?

Just walking around, sitting at a desk, driving, reading this……bring your awareness to how your body feels. Tense shoulders? Clenched fists? Often this isn’t even because we’re particularly stressed, we just get used to holding our bodies this way from times when we were stressed.

So, if we’re walking around holding areas of tension you can guarantee we handle and ride our horses holding these areas of tension.

Yet, we know any tension from us transfers directly to our horses. This could translate to our horse as nervous energy, blocking them, stiffness, heaviness or harshness when it is not intended.

If we want to achieve true softness and connection to our horses we need to get rid of this tension before we handle or work them.

The first step to dealing with this is to notice it, so if now you’ve brought your attention to it you are aware of it that’s a great start.

A pre ride warm up can be a great tension release, but sometimes it also requires a more mindful approach.

Next time you’re getting ready to ride or maybe just handle your horse take a minute to prepare your mind and body with a breathing exercise.

Start at the top of your body, notice an area of tension then take a breath in and as you breathe out imagine sending the out breath to that area and release the tension. Continue this throughout your body wherever you notice tension, or if you aren’t quite sure release your shoulders, hands, glutes and legs.

How does that feel?

Sometimes I take my online Friday stretch through this practice of releasing tension at the end of the session.  Friday Stretch is one of the 3 pre recorded sessions per week in my online programme. 

Online Classes