Part of developing as a dressage rider – especially a dressage rider over 60 – is making sure that one’s body is strong enough in the right places to control both one’s own riding and the horse. This means having strong legs, flexible hips and a stable core.
Of course, there is no substitute for the real thing, for actually being in the saddle.
I once told my canoeing daughter, the way to really improve is ‘Bum in boat and paddle!’ In my case, now, it’s, ‘Bum in saddle and ride’.
Sounds easy, right? The only problem is that a whole lot of things keep getting in the way!
One of these is that it’s actually quite costly to keep your bum in that saddle. That’s why I began looking for other ways to build the muscle and physical control necessary for following my dressage career. Kind of looking for the best exercises for dressage riders over 60.
It basically means finding the correct sort of physical training to do out of the saddle that will help me in the saddle. Fortunately for me and my (brilliant) dressage career, I have a bit of a jump start here.
Before shifting my focus towards dressage, even before beginning horse riding in Joburg, I’ve always been involved in sport and other exercise. At the moment, I run/walk at least 15 kms a week, play tennis, do horse riding and go to gym. I do at least some exercise every day. In fact, I’ve just done my 200th Parkrun!
My motivation for doing exercise has been to keep fit and to lose extra weight. Anyone over 60 knows that the latter is not quite as easy as when we were younger.
Boring things like a slower metabolism and hormones get in the way. Then, of course, there are other small irritations, like old sports-related injuries that seem to jump out and say, ‘Remember me?’
I can’t let little things like that get me down, can I? And I can certainly not let them get in the way of me being in the saddle.
So, I did what anyone would do in the situation: I looked for inspiration on Instagram. Boy! Did my FBI agent (AKA my algorithm) love that. For just about ever, I’ve been fed videos on the best exercises for horse riders. Of course, when I click on one, or send myself the link, the systems put up their antennae and send me even more videos.
Amongst all of this, surely, lies the exercise regime that will help me not only to develop the right muscles and control for riding dressage, but also help me achieve my other lifestyle goals.
Once I’ve waded through all the options, weeded out what doesn’t make sense for me and tried a few different combinations, I may be well on my way to finding the best fitness programme for this dressage rider over 60 – the perfect companion to “bum in saddle and ride”!
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