I, like many of you watched Badminton last weekend. Anyone else need a stiff drink to cope with all the drama so early on?

What I think is clear, is to get around Badminton you have to be a serious athlete! Having a good horse isn’t enough, even if that horse is at peak fitness you still need to be a stable ninja (new project name there maybe?) to ride that course. Strength, stability, quick reactions and endurance are some of the most obvious qualities required. Having done some social media research/stalking I'd say most if not all of those riders do work off horse to be fit enough to perform at their best.

Then I saw a post from a friend who had been to a yard demonstration at Carl Hester’s. All of the riders; who were pupils of Carl’s did work off horse to perform their Dressage best for their horse. 

These are the people many of us are aspiring to. 

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “ dress for the job you want not the job you have” we could flip that for riding (or any sport) to say “Train for the level you want not the level you have” I will say that’s a little more complicated with the riding bit but I’m not talking about that. 

If the people competing at higher levels are busting their ass in the gym, or doing Pilates, Yoga etc then surely that’s what we should be doing too if we want to improve our riding. 

If you’re not naturally inclined to do any exercise other than horse stuff, just think of it as an extension of that. 

It’s about ensuring you are fit and balanced enough to support and manage your own body weight, that you are as symmetrical as possible to prevent asymmetry in your horse and you’re fit enough to help him out if he needs it. It’s about your horses welfare. This isn’t about how you look etc, it’s about appreciating the fact you are sat on top of your horse and it is your job to make that as easy for him as possible. 

What do you do to make help your horse carry you?