26/03/2026
Doing the wrong kind of rider fitness
Is like training your horse a brilliant walk pirouette for your 160km endurance
yes it’s time spent training, but there’s not the performance outcome that you actually want
Rider actions and decision making can directly influence equine welfare and performance - which is why it’s important that you understand the demands of your sport and therefore how fit you need to be to support your equine partner.
Usually we’d use research to know exactly the demands of sport but much of the research has been done on the horse rather than the rider, so we don’t have exact data for endurance, they’ve taken data from other disciplines and drawn conclusions from that. Jane Williams has done a useful research paper on this.
Research also tells us that just riding is not enough to prepare equestrians for the demands of riding. Its widely misunderstood how fit you need to be to complete this well as a helpful partner to your horse
Endurance is a broad discipline with distance going up to 160km, so the demands of your endurance ride is going to depend on your distance.
Here’s heart rate data from research in other disciplines so it’s considerable cardiac strain
Heart rate increasing through the gaits, so the faster the gait , the higher your heart rate.
Long durations of 2 point requires ability to sustain a high heart rate and blood lactate in the legs - so conditioning will offset early onset of blood lactate concentration.
Research suggests your chosen seat will impact energy expenditure - rising trot expends more energy than sitting or desert seat.
Janes paper outlines the importance of compound lifts, trunk training, training in a full range of motion to prevent injury, shoulder complex work (like rows and scapular work), hip mobilisation and posterior chain strengthening. It recommends maximal isometrics, squats with pulses to improve stability mechanics.
Follow along for part 2.
Here’s the link to Jane Williams research paper on the Performance Demands in the Endurance Rider:https://pure.hartpury.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/21090025/Performance_demands_in_the_Endurance_Rider.pdf
