MARCH/APRIL 2014 THE RIDER /31 Fitness For Riders: Improving Your Endurance and Stamina for Better Riding


self up and hold yourself sym- metrically, your horse has to make up for it. This puts un- necessary asymmetrical strain on his muscles and joints. You don’t notice it, but over time and distance, you can ultimately be


OTRA News Continued from page 30


nately, the Mezzanine is not barrier-free. The ride schedule will be available for pick up at Can Am. You can join OTRA or renew your membership as well. See you there.


Otra Fun-D-Ride 2014 Trail Challenge & Auction


MAY 31st and JUNE 1st 2014 Dufferin Forest – Main Tract On Airport Rd North Of Mansfield REGISTRATION: Must register with payment no later than May 25th, 2014


This is a fund Raising ride for OTRA – all profits are designated for Trails. Arrival Friday is permit- ted and we hope to have a Dutch Oven Cookoff and for a small fee you can taste test the results. Sat- urday afternoon we will be hosting a trail challenge (better get practicing). We have a Beef BBQ Sat- urday evening. There will be guided trail rides Saturday and Sunday or ride on your own. (no maps) You may stay until Monday.


To register send payment to: Janice Clegg 705-434-0816 at 6267 Con Rd 2 RR#3 Everett L0M 1J0 Or e-transfer to pineriverranch@gmail.com


NAME _________________________________ ADDRESS_______________________________ PHONE/EMAIL _________________________________________________________________ OTRA MEMBER $50 (number attending) _________________ $__________________________ CHILDREN UNDER 10 FREE (number attending) ______________________________________


4 Horse Sundowner Larger Stalls for LARGE horses


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Dinette, AM/FM Radio with interior and exterior speakers. Fridge, 2 Burner Cooktop, Awning, Sink, Microwave, Rear Ramp, Drop Down Windows. SALE $32,495


12' Dress in front, Air Conditioning, Rear Ramp with 50/50 split doors, Drop Down Windows, Sliding Windows in Rear Doors, Awning, Mangers, Mid Tack, Escape door to Horses. SALE $9,995


4 Horse Featherlite All Aluminum 1988


4 Horse Featherlite


- Stock Combo with dress. Just Arrived! SALE $10,995 Others in stock, inventory changes daily!


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for all OTRA Members and $10 will be sent to OTRA from each new membership with US Rider. Drop by the booth at Can Am if you have any questions about this offer. Our AGM is being held in Mezzanine at the Orangeville Fairgrounds during Can-Am. Unfortu-


darn funny! US Rider (Roadside Assistance) is offering new members a $15 discount on the activation fee


fixes are, they do not actually train your muscles and ligaments for the more permanent, longer term. Unless you have a fairly high degree of physical stamina, your body will fatigue in your ride. Believe me, it fatigues a lot faster than you think. I have watched riders lose their core tone within 10 minutes for exam- ple, or start to drop their shoul- der that always collapses…and then spend the rest of the ride having to try and keep correcting these problems because they are interfering with their horse’s straightness or impulsion. This is not good. I have observed other riders fatigue who were not aware that some of their body had gone ‘off duty’, and the result was that the horse had to compensate. When you don’t hold your-


physical endurance is really important as a rider. It can be trendy to use quick little gim- micks and tricks to get yourself to sit right or use the right mus- cle, or do something you have been having trouble with. These tricks are absolutely valuable while you are riding. However helpful such little


Improving your personal


knowing the right thing to do is not enough, because if your body physically fatigues on you, no amount of knowing will add muscle stamina that is not there. As a rule of thumb, most sports train physical ability of the ath- lete to a higher percentage (approximately 30%) of the out- put required ‘in game’. In other words, to have automatic mus- cle responses and total ability to carry yourself without fatiguing through a 40 minute ride, you need to train for sustained physi- cal effort for close to 60 minutes. You also need to do things that make your heart pump much harder in your exercise, than you ever hope it needs to in your ride.


‘room’ in your muscle tissue to store energy and process oxygen. When you don’t, you fatigue more quickly. So being strong is important. An example is core


breath (except for very short bits with quick recovery), then you are not actually fit enough for your ride. I have recently become the strength and conditioning coach for ultra-marathon endurance rider Sarah Cuthbertson. She is going to ride the Mongol Derby over 1000km. She is going to have a very heavy personal fit- ness training schedule to prepare herself to avoid injury, stay strong, and interfere with her horses the least possible over that race. You don’t have to train like a fiend to have enough stamina for your regular rides. Getting better endurance as a rider has two parts to it. First, you need to have the


If your ride gets you out of


the biggest factor behind a seem- ingly unrelated issue, like a split, joint soreness or even lameness. When I get together with equine chiropractors and massage thera- pists, we are nearly always in agreement about the ways riders’ asymmetry and lack of carriage puts their horses ‘out’. Therapy for your horse costs you money. As I mentioned above,


with another time in your week where you do some higher inten- sity but shorter training (like jog- ging up and down a hill, using a treadmill for 20 minutes or doing an aerobics class) will improve how your body can respond under sudden demand. This will improve your ability to do things like a jump course or the hardest part of your flat workout, or working with a youngster who does unexpected things, without worrying that your body will not be able to supply oxygen quickly enough to your brain or muscles in those critical moments.


Happy Riding and Training! Used Trailers For Sale


2006 EXIss 4 HOrsE LIVING QuartErs


Immaculate condition - All Aluminum 7'5" wide, Toilet, Shower, Wooden cabinets, 4 Horse, Collapsible Rear tack, Upgraded Black Exterior,


Awning, Interlocking Aluminum on side, Sink, A/C, Ramp


improving stamina for a rider who has one or two horses which they ride 1-6 times a week, would include at least two times a week when you perform some exercises to strengthen your thighs, back and shoulders, and at least two times a week when you train cardio-vascular capacity. One of the sessions should last longer than your average ride, but does not have to be extreme output. For exam- ple, powerwalking with a friend for an hour would train your body to have higher cardio-vas- cular output for a sustained peri- od that exceeds the time in your ride when you need the most energy. Combining a walk like that


improve the way your body pro- cesses oxygen, because the car- dio-respiratory process is what makes your muscles work. If you have low capacity, or can’t keep up activity for long, your oxygen supply to your muscles will also be affected and you will be less able to maintain your posture or the accuracy or strength of your aids. A realistic schedule for


training. Core training builds up your core strength so that using it while you are riding is easy and automatic and you don’t have to keep correcting your posture. Second, you have to


© Heather R. Sansom About Equifitt and Heather: Equifitt training draws on mul- tiple sport and fitness disci- plines to help riders of all ages


and types balance their bodies and reach their riding and fit- ness goals. Heather is a certi- fied personal trainer, Level 1 Centered Riding® Instructor


and Equine Canada Competi- tion Coach. Heather does rider fitness coaching with clients around the world via Skype- bring the trainer to you.


Exciting opportunity to support an equestrian ultra-marathon athlete


ultra-marathon to raise funds for Thoroughbred race- horse rescue and rehabilitation. She has built a real- ly great website that has media footage and inter- views from last years’ ride- it’s very much like watching a ‘reality show’ for horse people. Very moving, dramatic and interesting. You can check out her website to find out more about the Mongol Derby, or about the Thoroughbred rescue and how to sup- port Sarah or the Thor- oughbreds: http://Eat- SleepRideRepeat.com


Heather Sansom.


The ride is 1000km (620miles) and lasts nearly a week. She will relay using up to 25 Mongolian horses. On a ride like that, she can’t afford to suffer fatigue or allow her body to compromise the horse’s movements. She will have to have maximum self- carriage, and be ready and able to get off and run beside her horses at times, wearing a heavy back- pack containing all her clothing and personal items. Sarah is using her participation in this extreme


endurance rider Sarah Cuthbertson. I am Sarah’s strength and conditioning coach (personal fitness trainer) to help her prepare her body for the longest and most grueling endurance race out there. Sarah has a comprehensive training plan to get her from today, to ride-ready in August. Being an endurance rider, she is no stranger to long term gradual planning to fit up for a big event. She lives about 5 hours away from me, so we are doing her coaching for the next several months via Skype- (some days, you just have to love technology and how it makes things possible and affordable!) Sarah is one of 35 riders selected to participate in the Mongol Derby in August 2014.


I am so pumped up about recently becoming involved with the team supporting


$29,995


$9,995


$32,495


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