Equestrian Fitness Program

The Equestrian Fitness Center strives to provide a program for achieving "total fitness" through a combination of sound nutrition and a comprehensive exercise program tailored to the needs of the individual equestrian.

Participants will be provided basic nutritional information and will need to maintain a daily diet and exercise activity log.  The exercise program integrates and stresses the three key elements for achieving equestrian fitness - flexibility, muscular conditioning, and aerobics - all of which are necessary for those serious about their riding.

A variety of individualized exercise stretches will be employed to improve the rider's suppleness. Conditioning of specific muscle groups will be accomplished through resistance training with weights and by using exercise equipment to increase the tone and strength of those muscle groups.  Since posture and balance are important in riding, many of the exercises will emphasize the lower, oblique, and upper abdominal muscles.  This will be true when working in both the gym and when being lunged on a horse.  Aerobic fitness will be achieved through brisk walks, jogging, and/or work on a treadmill, biking, or swimming.

Typically, an exercise (a specific movement with or without a weight or against a resistance force) will be repeated a number of times (e.g., groups of 5-15 repetitions).  The number of designed repetitions for a groups in an exercise is called a set.  For example, a set may consist of a group of 5 repetitions of an exercise.  Each set is followed by a rest period.  Training will usually involve 3-5 sets of each exercise in the rider's fitness program  The same concept of repetitions and sets follows through to the equestrian's fitness riding (i.e., mounted work) program.

Riding Program

Our equestrian fitness program is designed to meld with our equestrian riding program and/or complement a riders' extant instructor-provided riding program.  It focuses on two levels of rider instruction - novice and intermediate.  A brief description and summary of the corresponding program curriculum are provided below to help orient potential candidates and to provide the basic expectations at each of the two program levels.

This level of instruction and rider fitness is expected to provide the beginning or novice rider with a basic foundation for achieving a balanced seat and controlling the horse. In general, it is intended for individuals who have less than 2 years of riding experience and/or have not yet mastered the skills expected of a rider to transition to the intermediate level. It may also be pursued by an individual who has been away from riding for years and wants to get back in equestrian sport activities. The following elements will be covered at the Novice Level:

Ground Skills:

Grooming

Leading of the horse in hand

Basic equine anatomical landmarks

Tacking and untacking

Mounting and dismounting

Proper names of bridle and saddle parts

Proper cleaning of tack

Basic nutrition

First aid

Mounted Skills:

Positioning the seat (balance) and legs

Introduction to the leg aids

Holding the reins

Introduction to the rein aids (contact and tempo control)

Introduction to the weight (seat) aids

Beginning to coordinate integration of aids

Basic Riding Exercises and Dressage Movements:

Moving off and riding at medium walk

Riding a horse on-the-bit

Transitioning from walk to working trot

Working trot – rising and sitting

Transitioning downward from trot to walk

Striking-off from trot to working canter

Working canter

Transitioning downward from canter to trot

Transitioning downward from walk to halt

Turning on the forehand

Changing rein on straight lines

Working on a circle in all paces (walk, trot, and canter)

Changing rein out of a circle in walk and trot

Novice riders are expected to take at least four lessons per month, and the nature of the lessons is dependent on the rider’s experience. An individual who has never ridden will start with a series of lead-line lessons. Each rider will be evaluated in order to tailor the program to their individual needs. Lessons are progressive. For example, during the first month the rider will be mounted on a school horse and given lead-line and/or lunge lessons, depending of the rider’s experience. During the second month, lunge lessons will continue and riding skills introduced. An increased emphasis will be placed on riding skills during the third month. During the fourth month, lunging continues with more emphasis on riding skills with exercises.

To develop and optimize the physical fitness required of a novice rider, the novice rider will need to do the following physical workout, as a minimum.

3 times a week do a 20-minute brisk walk or a 10-minute rising trot

2 times a week do specified abdominal (lower, oblique, and upper) exercises

3 times a week do the specified stretching exercises

The novice rider will also need to maintain a daily log of physical exercises, how they are doing, and dietary intake.

This level of instruction and rider fitness is intended to provide the rider with a solid foundation for achieving an effective seat for controlling the horse and accomplishing coordinated integration of the aids (seat, reins, and legs) to connect the horse from back to front. In general, it is intended for individuals who have had at least 2 years of riding experience; have shown a horse under saddle; can ride the three gaits of walk, trot, and canter; and can achieve a timely square halt. Our intermediate-level curriculum covers the following topical areas:

Unmounted Skills:

Introduction to principles and concepts of lunging and acquiring lunge techniques

Lunging equipment and preparation (e.g., bandaging) of the horse for lunging

Adjusting side reins, lunge line, and lunge whip

Positioning and working the horse-in-hand

Braiding techniques for the dressage show horse

Mounted Skills:

Positioning the dressage seat (balance)

Acquiring the weight (seat) aids of putting weight on one or both seat bones

Acquiring the rein aids of regulating, yielding, supporting, and non-allowing rein

Acquiring the ability of appropriately using the whip in leg aids

Acquiring the skill for coordinating the timing and integration of all the aids

Basic Riding Exercises and Dressage Movements:

Transitions from one gait to another

Pace variations within walk, trot, and canter

Loops on the long side

Serpentines

Changing rein on a figure eight

Changing rein through the circle

Leg yielding at the walk

Rein-back

Final riding exercises and dressage movements to be accomplished at the intermediate level include:

Half halt and full halt

Leg yield in the trot

Line-to-line leg yielding in the walk

The Volte (small circle that is 6 meters in diameter)

Half-circle, returning to the track

Double loop on the long side

Turn around the haunches

Collected and extended trot and canter

Counter-canter

Intermediate riders are expected to take at least four lessons per month, and the nature of the lessons is dependent on the rider’s experience and progress. Lessons generally progress from week to week. The majority of the lessons will involve mounted work, with warm-up lunge lessons as needed. Intermediate riders may bring their own horse or use one of the Center’s school horses.

To develop and optimize the physical fitness required of an intermediate rider, the intermediate rider will need to do the following physical workout, as a minimum.

3 times a week do a 20-minute brisk walk or a 10-minute rising trot

2 times a week do specified abdominal (lower, oblique, and upper) exercises

2 times a week do specified lunges and squats

3 times a week do the specified stretching exercises

The intermediate rider will also need to maintain a daily log of physical exercises, how they are doing, and dietary intake.