Maintaining (or building) rider fitness.

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Just wondering what exercise you do to keep riding fit, how often you do it and at what level you ride at? With no horse for me to ride at least until September, if not longer, I'd like to keep at some level of fitness so if I do get the chance to ride a friend's horse or something I can make the most of it (ie not wasting the session not being able to do a good trot) and won't be completely crippled the next day!!
 
Interesting thread! :) I'll be following this one, have been wondering a bit myself what folks get up to fitness-wise when they're not in the saddle.

ATM I supplement riding with yoga and cycling. I cycle at a gentle pace to work, to the yard and to the shops, so I average around 50km/30mi a week, sometimes more. The yoga seems to have helped my riding a lot, I was dreadfully lopsided when I got back in the saddle after a long break so the yoga straightened me out and improved my balance. No more slipping saddle or wobbly feet, much to my horse's relief! I'm 5"3 and I weigh just about 9 stone, so I'm not a peak performance athlete or anything. I'd probably be fitter if I stopped wolfing down entire family packs of muffins in one go.
 
I also cycle and do yoga, with the odd swim thrown in. BF and I do a fair bit of walking too. I am a road cyclist rather than mountain biker. I try to get out a couple of times a week on the bike doing maybe 10-17 miles depending on how much time I have. If I have more time at a weekend then I'll do a longer ride. I also try to get on the turbo trainer a couple of times a week, even if it's just for half an hour. I have a road race training DVD which is superb and builds strength and fitness quickly. I have done time trials on the bike in the past but I don't have the time to fit in the training now.

Horse wise.... I am 5ft4, weight 9 maybe 9.5st (I don't know, I just go by if my clothes still fit). I usually ride 5x per week, horse is schooled once for me too so he gets 6 days a week. Am doing general all round riding, done a couple of BE80s and UA 90 this season, SJ at 90cm (in competition), some DR, hacking. In a normal week I tend to school x2 then maybe a short hack (40 min) followed by a short schooling session, jump once, do 1-2 longer hacks and maybe have a lesson. Getting back into cycling (I had a break of about 18 months - 2 years) has made a huge difference to my riding. My core strength is better and I now feel OK when I've finished my XC at an event whereas last summer I'd be nearly dead by half way around the course.
 
I'm struggling to fit everything in, getting pony fit plus training for a 10k run and a triathlon plus teaching pole fitness classes and doing circus training. So my latest plan is up at 5-5:30, take pony for a run on a lead with me up to 5k. Then cycle 8 miles to my parents, pick up car as I need it for work, after work drive back to parents, leave car and cycle 8 miles home. Then 3 weekdays I'll ride and the other 2 I'll go and teach my classes. The pole has the greatest effect on my core and upper body strength and the running is best for giving me energy and cutting body fat...especially running with the pony, who has a nice metronome trot and who tries to bite me if I slow down!
 
KatPT said:
I'm struggling to fit everything in, getting pony fit plus training for a 10k run and a triathlon plus teaching pole fitness classes and doing circus training. So my latest plan is up at 5-5:30, take pony for a run on a lead with me up to 5k. Then cycle 8 miles to my parents, pick up car as I need it for work, after work drive back to parents, leave car and cycle 8 miles home. Then 3 weekdays I'll ride and the other 2 I'll go and teach my classes. The pole has the greatest effect on my core and upper body strength and the running is best for giving me energy and cutting body fat...especially running with the pony, who has a nice metronome trot and who tries to bite me if I slow down!
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Lol, pony trying to bite you if you slow down must be a very goodway to keep going!

I also do pole fitness, which has been great for my core and upper body strength, and flexibility. I can only ride once a week so try to keep fit with other things in between. I go to the gym 2-4 times per week, mixture of strength and core excercises. I was doing a yoga/pilates type class but they keep changing it. Also sometimes do insanity on a saturday morning but really must get back to swimming twice a week in the morning before work but just can't motivate myself to get up!

I've noticed a good difference in my riding fitness as I csn have a lesson and not end up remotely out of breath or tired (but unfortunetly still rather red in the face I suspect!) Core strength has come on brilliantly as well, I've really noticed a difference as I had none whatsoever a year ago.
 
Pony and I do endurance so my fitness is equally as important as hers. Our routine is roughly this:

Ride 5 times a week. One is a schooling session. Two interval sessions. Two long and slow hacks (3 hours plus). If we have a ride then replace one interval and one long hack with a 32 or 40 km ride (65km by the end of the season, touch wood.....!)

Run: 4 times a week. Two interval or hill work sessions around 45-50 mins (yuck!) and two long, slow (between 10-15 km). I try and fit in a race every 6 weeks or so to make sure I train properly.

Cycle: purely for pleasure!!! Commute to work when I stay at OH's place. Or a play on the trails (MTB!) and lanes usually with a pub stop at the weekend after riding.

I also try and squeeze in a Pilates class once a week for core strength but that is intermittent at the moment.

Probably not as much as I should do but it's enough for now. I work full-time as well as study for a part-time MA and there are only 24 hours in a day......!
 
Wow, how do you all find time?

I'm normally up between 6 and half past, have breakfast and do a few household jobs (dishwasher etc) then out the door to work at about half 7 (earlier in the winter when horse is stabled overnight). I go straight to the yard after work and by the time I have done my yard jobs and ridden I'm lucky to be home before 9pm. I even struggle to find time to walk the dog during the week (luckily he is old and has short legs so can cope with saving a good run for the weekend)

I used to play roller derby, and do yoga and swimming but I was running myself into the ground trying to fit it all in. When the weather is nice I do sometimes cycle to the yard at weekend which is about 12 miles each way. I'm hoping to move to a yard closer to home soon so maybe I'll have a bit more time on my hands then and be able to cycle to the yard more often.
 
JulesRules said:
Wow, how do you all find time?
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Good question! I do run myself into the ground if I'm honest unless I'm totally organised, which is where running with the horse sometimes comes in handy as it means I can foresake the evening ride if I'm really exhausted. I also live in chaos as fitting the chores in in the week isn't a priority! In the winter I just ride and do pole/spinning classes as I don't have the daylight for running.
 
How do I find the time? Not sure! I am super-organised (can't be without my diary!). We have gym facilities at work so I do alot of my runs at lunchtime. I don't watch much TV (only the football at the moment!). And my OH is super-fit so exercise is our social thing a lot of the time. Oh, and I do minimal housework ;-)
 
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