Fitness That Makes Sense
What makes the difference is the way that common riding problems are addressed and overcome. Ever heard of the saying, “If you keep doing what you’re doing you’ll have more of what you’ve got!”. The effective rider changes strategy when a problem occurrs and instead of continuing on the same path will choose a different approach.
Equestrifit® is a new innovation in training for riders that makes sense! Riders can make specific gains in their fitness while off the horse with equipment and programming that can be used anywhere! It is a program designed specifically for equestrians that is aligned with relaxation, balance, fluidity of movement, independent limb control and core stability.
Break It Down
Top riders are masters at self-awareness and analysis. This requires full-body awareness, relaxation and good core stability to enable each limb to work with precision and proficiency.
You may have already been made aware of your faults on the horse. A coach may have pointed out an area of weakness in your lessons or a judge may have marked you down in a dressage event and highlighted certain postural or positional faults.
Equestrifit® can work with your trainer or do a riding analysis on the horse to pinpoint these areas that need to be targeted in your riding.
Some common riding problems that can be caused by poor fitness or posture on the horse are:
- Horse not responding well to your aids.
- Aids don’t look invisible to the eyes of the judges as rider is unbalanced.
- Horse not moving well.
- Refusing jumps or knocking off rails.
- Horse is not travelling straight.
- Horse heavy on the forehand.
These are just a few of some common rider problems. While some errors can be attributed to the horse, in regards to it’s own level of fitness, feeding program etc. If these factors have been addressed you may be able to break down your own areas of weakness into various components of riding and answer them honestly and frankly. For example:
| Is my problem to do with... | As it will affect... | Need to work on... |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | My ability to relax and move calmly and softly on the horse | Breathing, relaxation, for stability, strength and stamina |
| Poor posture and flexibility | The judges marks for visual presentation and imbalance on the horse | Muscle flexibility and posture |
| Balance | Even weight distribution on the horse - interfere with horses speed, straightness and jumping technique | Body balance, muscle length & strength, range of movement in joints especially the lower limbs |
| Rhythm | Horse speed and timing | Body movement / fluidity & flow factor |
| Application of the horse aids | Clear communication with the horse | Independent control of the limbs, working posture, stamina and strength |
The example above shows that various components of riding that can be trained off the horse. The Equestrifit® one on one training based in Karaka, Auckland is a program that has been designed to work through these individual components while supplying detailed feed-back. Because every rider has different challenges with their riding, every program will be different. At all times the rider can be assured that their one on one program assessment will identify specific problems and enable the rider to correct the problems they may have. A prescriptive exercise regime will then be written and worked through to correct these problems in the studio gym.
The attention to the specifics of testing and training are some of the unique benefits behind the Equestrifit® training program. Riders can present with quite major issues and leave the program with renewed optimism for riding.
There are also small group fitness classes available that target the same areas of fitness common to all riders that are run at the Equstrifit® gym in Karaka. They are limited to small groups of 4 to enable quality of training and performed on StrapX. A new innovation in fitness training. The client can also train at home with their own StrapX unit and work independently towards their own individual rider fitness goals.
Equestrifit® Core Rider Fitness program will advance your riding performance to the next level.