DECEMBER 2019 THE RIDER /47 Rider Fitness: It’s How You Carry Yourself, Not the Number on the Scale By


Heather Sansom


ments. Most riders benefit from regular work on


their balance and symmetry, because we naturally lose both with age and use, unless we intentionally train and maintain. Some simple balance and con- trol exercise that I like are:


For many years riders will ask me whether


there is an ideal rider body type or weight. Some disciplines seem to foster a more body-conscious subculture than others, and there is always pressure to have a ‘good’ leg (good contact with the horse). Also, people want to know that they are not dam- aging their horse. Weight and body shape are con- troversial in many sports, but especially so where there is a majority of female participants. Many of us got into riding in the first place because of not identifying as ‘sporty’ when it comes to other sports. Riding is a refuge from athletic and aes- thetic pressures for many. In my profession as a fitness and condition-


ing coach, and riding instructor, I am keenly aware of the body image pressures on my clients. Both the industry and my personal story also make me highly sensitive to disordered eating and body dys- morphia. The last thing a rider wants when she goes to the barn, is to be confronted with media or cultural expectations and judgments about who she is and how ‘successful’ she has been at matching these criteria. We ride to lose ourselves in harmony with


another living animal; to be outdoors; to be in a ‘safe’ space where we can break free of the limits of two-leggedness, technology, and human height ranges. Trying on riding clothing can be a harrow- ing experience if you do not fit standard sizes. Even then, the sizing can often seem as if it was designed for pre-teens and not mature adult bodies. It takes energy to ignore the number, find some- thing you feel good in, and get out of there and back to the barn where your horse doesn’t see num- bers- either age or weight, hair colour, body art, piercings, divorce, work pressures, net worth, etc. My answer to clients, clinic participants,


and readers every time is the same: it really isn’t so much about how much you weigh, as it is about how you carry it. Of course as a professional in sport and health promotion, I advocate that we all try to achieve a healthy body-fat ratio and lead a healthy lifestyle. Also, the ectomorphic body- types selected to model the riding apparel in our equestrian magazines are not representative of the human population. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes, including trending rounder and softer (endo- morph), and trending stockier or more muscular (mesomorph). You can’t diet and train your way from one body type to another. However, while you’re on your way to a


healthier you, you still plan on riding. I hasten to point out (to my largely female riding audience) that grown men with middle aged paunches (weighing in at or over 200lbs) ride quarter horses (at 15hh, give or take) at more than a gentle walk (calf roping for example). Other small horses rid- den by people over 180lbs on a regular basis in- clude Arabians, Barbs, Icelandic, Fjord, and Paso Finos to name a few. Of course, some horses have more sensitive backs or back issues, and every horse has an upper limit in who should be on their back. However, the most important factor in your horse’s comfort under you, is how you carry your- self.


Recent Danish research presented at the In-


ternational Society for Equitation Science confer- ence confirms what we have known anecdotally for some time: a slim rider who is off balance is worse for the horse than an overweight rider who can carry herself. Chiropractors, farriers, massage therapists, riding coaches and others that I have consulted with do all confirm that imbalances in the horse are usually a reflection of the rider. How- ever, this study went a step further, showing that the horse is actually physiologically stressed (heart rate and other biomarkers) more by an unbalanced rider than an overweight one. (See: https://equi- tationscience.com/media/rider-weight-on-horses- welfare ). Imagine piggy-backing a person who is tossing themselves around from side to side vs. sit- ting in a centred and quiet position on your back.


When you have a higher fat:muscle ratio,


you do have more ‘loose ballast’ to carry. This means that if you get tossed a little to the side by


© Illustration by Margaret, Henderson, copied from Sansom, H. Fit to Ride in Nine Weeks (published by Trafalgar Square, available through Amazon, Horsebooks.com, or http://equifitt.com/fit2ride/ )


your horse’s motion, part of your body keeps going in that direction, increasing your loss of balance or degree of getting behind or ahead of your horse’s motion. Think of the situation like people on a bus, all of a sudden crowding to one side as the bus turns a corner, or a barrel rolling on the floor of a tippy boat. However, riders of all sizes and shapes can be very elegant and effective riders by training your body to carry itself more symmetrically, and by staying closer to your horse’s centre of gravity. To discover your asymmetry, the research


team recommended standing on two scales and using fitness ball work. You can also make a very easy balance board such as the ones I use with clients all the time. The thinner the strip of wood down the middle, the more challenging it is to bal- ance.


the saddle.


© Heather Sansom. Single Leg Squat with Reaching, originally published in Sansom, H. Gentle Workout for Mature Riders, available at


1. Side hop and one-legged mini squat. Crouch down and take a hop to one side, landing on one foot, dropping yourself into a one legged squat. The motion should be slow, except for the hop it- self. The secret is to keep your centre of gravity low, and to keep tension out of your body- the same things you need while riding.


2. Single leg mini-squat work while reaching the other leg to various points near you. I often refer to this one as ‘around the world’ in my published exercise programs. Many riders find it is easy on one side, but more challenging on the other. This is a clue to the way your body organizes itself in


© Heather Sansom, View of Lower Body Squat- ting on Balance Board, copied from Sansom, H. Fit to Ride in Nine Weeks (published by Trafalgar Square, available through Amazon, Horsebooks.com, or http://equifitt.com/fit2ride/ )


4. Holding a riding position without falling to one side, while standing on the balance board or an- other unstable surface, while someone pushes or pulls you from one side (i.e. pulls your hand or pushes your shoulder). All of these exercises require integration of


your core muscles to stabilize and support you, in the same way you need them to keep you in the centre of your horse while you are riding. The study discussed also went on to note that riders with more weight improved their natural asymme- try, because the extra weight made them more con- scious of unwanted weight shifts. What this means is that even riders who would like to lose some weight can use the body they have today as an ally in better riding. If this article has challenged you to work


more on either balance, coordination, or core work, I can recommend my ebooks ‘Gentle Workout for Mature Riders’ and ‘Killer Core Workout for Rid- ers’ (www.equifitt.com/ebooks4riders/ ). Also, remember that a personalized assess-


ment, training plan, and live coaching are available around the world via online coaching (www.equifitt.com/coachonline/ ). If you want to take your training to a new level or make it more tailored to your needs, online coaching might be an efficient and timely option for you. Coaching with me can include physical fitness and other health goals, healthy mindset coaching, and riding instruction (as long as you have internet and a part- ner to hold a device in the area you ride). Packages include assessment of your asymmetry and balanc- ing needs, from ground based live assessment on- line, and riding videos or pictures you send me (unless I’m skyping in to your ride). The Equifitt motto has been ‘balanced training for better riding’ for many years. Improving the balance in your body, your riding, or between your body, mind, barn time, and rest of life always brings rewards.


Happy Riding and Training!


© Heather R. Sansom, PhD. www.equifitt.com


Leading Equestrian Fitness since 2007. Fitness, Wellbeing, Biomechanics. Available for clinics & individualized online coaching.


Advertise Your


© Heather Sansom, copied from Sansom, H. Fit to Ride in Nine Weeks (published by Trafalgar Square, available through Amazon, Horsebooks.com, or http://equifitt.com/fit2ride/ ) Passive asymmetry is not as important as


what you do when you are in motion or working hard. I recommend that riders squat until they are tired and do other exercise on the board, scales, or ball so that they can see what happens when they are too busy to concentrate on position, or get tired. In clinics, I get riders to do different mounted ex- ercises, riding their horse in patterns to a point where their ‘false’ self carriage (trying to hold themselves correctly in public) gives way to their default natural riding habit, which lets me see where they have asymmetry in strength, flexibility, or muscle recruitment. A lot of the time, we don’t know when our weight is ‘off’ from the horse’s perspective, because they are so good at carrying us anyway. Then it shows up as an issue in their back, legs, or issues with performance of move-


http://equifitt.com/ebooks4riders/ ) © Heather Sansom. Single Leg Balance Squat on Haybale, originally published in Sansom, H. Gentle Workout for Mature Riders, available at http://equifitt.com/ebooks4riders/ )


3. Performing squats while holding a weight load on the balance board. If you have a tendency to let your weight get tossed side to side in the saddle, it will happen on the balance board when you try to lift a weight.


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