How does body shape affect your riding?
We asked top riders from across the disciplines to tell us what body shape challenges they face
Rider fitness
While our horses’ fitness is a high priority for most riders, not all of us take our own fitness so seriously. But times are changing and riders at every level are realising that rider fitness plays a major role if you want to be successful. Being fit for the task in hand also helps to prevent injuries, with back pain being a common problem that can often be helped with regular exercises off your horse.
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How many calories do you burn riding and looking after horses? Find out...
Thanks to a fitness tracker and its workout setting, H&H has been able to calculate approximate values for the number of calories burned carrying out various horsey tasks, perfect to give you an idea of how you can burn off any Christmas excess around the yard
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The ultimate yard workout for horse owners
Who needs the gym when you’ve got a horse? You may find you're doing a workout at the yard without even realising it...
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Equestrianism has chance to lead the way for sportswomen on taboo topics *H&H Plus*
The BBC Elite British Sportswomen survey highlighted issues including personal health and starting a family, so how does equestrian sport measure up?
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Rider fitness: what do we really mean by ‘core’ and how does it work?
Sports therapist Debbie Rolmanis explains the importance of a rider’s core — and busts some misconceptions about it
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Riding with unlevel stirrups can affect horse’s movement, research finds *H&H Plus*
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Lockdown fitness – week five: plank exercises for riders of all levels *H&H Plus*
In the last of this five-part fitness series, chartered physio Sarah Claridge suggests a variety-packed fitness routine, with a demanding plank exercise to round it off...
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Why focusing on your breathing could transform your riding
Sports therapist Debbie Rolmanis explains the importance of breathing properly for riders, and offers a useful exercise to help you improve your technique
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Lockdown fitness – week four: strength and conditioning exercises for riders *H&H Plus*
Whether you’re doing yard chores or gearing up to compete again, chartered physio Sarah Claridge recommends these strength and conditioning exercises to improve your fitness levels
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How racing and eventing training techniques can benefit each other *H&H Plus*
Each equestrian sport can benefit from the specialist expertise of another. Catherine Austen investigates the advantages of interaction between eventing and racing
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Lockdown fitness – week three: Hone your riding muscles through dynamic power *H&H Plus*
Dynamic power is the focus of this fitness session with chartered physio Sarah Claridge – to hone your muscles for rising trot, the two-point canter and landing after a fence
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New studies highlight the importance of biomechanics for horse and rider *H&H Plus*
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Lockdown fitness – week two: improve flexibility plus hip and pelvis control *H&H Plus*
In the second of this five-part fitness series, chartered physio Sarah Claridge targets flexibility to help you bend with your horse on a circle, and build control of your hips and pelvis
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Lockdown fitness – week one: Three targeted exercises for riders *H&H Plus*
There are a myriad of exercise videos currently circulating, but riders require a certain type of fitness and flexibility. In the first part of this new series, chartered physio Sarah Claridge suggests three rider-focused exercises
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4 fitness exercises to do in isolation that could improve your riding
We have teamed up with Phoebe Parkinson, a human and equine osteopath who specialises in rider strength and conditioning, to bring you some easy exercises you can do in isolation to benefit your riding once you can get back in the saddle
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Why you feel 90 years old when you stand up from picking out your horse’s hooves (and what to do about it)
Looking after horses is physical work — and whatever age you are, aches and pains are all too familiar. Physiotherapist Nikki Robinson gives her expert advice on how to reduce any tension and pain
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5 top tips for improving your riding fitness (while you’re in the office)
If you work full time in an office and can’t ride before or after work in the week, there are ways to exercise at your desk to help with your riding fitness. H&H finds out how
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Joanna Thurman-Baker’s dressage blog: some riders should go to the gym less — this is dancing with your horse, not SAS Who Dares Wins
Joanna shares her opinion on rider fitness
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Why top riders have caught the CrossFit bug
Riders have cranked up their own fitness regimes to get the best results in the saddle, and the latest craze is the American import CrossFit
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Convenience and a healthy diet — how to manage it as a busy rider
How to eat well without compromising taste and time
