14/ FEBRUARY 2023 THE RIDER Rider Fitness: Hidden Benefits of Heart Health for Riders


monitors on their horses so that they can see heart strain long before physical out- ward signs (breathing heavy, sweating, reducing speed) become apparent. Heart strain is not good. What is happening is that your heart is silently working extra hard to meet your needs. Since the heart pump mechanism is stimulated by elec- trical currents, your heart is getting more than it needs. It’s like revving an engine too high in a low gear: you may make it, but it’s not doing any good for your car. Effectively, you’re stressing your


By Heather Sansom. Welcome to 2023! I know you are


reading this a few weeks into the New Year, but it’s my first newsletter of the year. The beginning of the New Year is a bonanza for the fitness industry: prime time to get your attention with sales and promotions, capitalizing on those reso- lutions you made. There is a debate about the value of resolutions. However, whatever you want to call your inten- tions for 2023, most riders have them. It’s the time of year we think about events we want to be able to participate in with our horses, or objectives that we have for training. While I know many riders that are


keen exercise lifestyle adherents, many people who ride will tell me that they are ‘non sporty’ and never considered them- selves the athletic type. Riding appeals for many different reasons. This month’s tip is about making an appeal to riders to take care of your heart health this year. There are several good reasons to do so.


The issue that concerns me from


the perspective of your longevity as a rider, is heart health. Heart health is a widespread population issue. In Canada 1/12 people are diagnosed with heart disease (see Health Canada) which means that many more suffer from non-


optimal heart fitness. In other words, 2- 4 out of ten riders really need to do something to help their heart health. The first reason, is that you want to stay around to enjoy your horses. The second reason is that heart


health is all about how your heart pumps oxygen-carrying blood to your body. It’s about oxygen for cells, and circulation you need to feel accurately, and respond accurately when you are riding. So, good cardio-vascular health improves your body awareness, aids, balance and muscle tone throughout your ride. Being able to manage your body better helps you stay out of your horse’s way, mini- mizing the likelihood of your body po- sition and usage causing him to compensate, leading to back soreness or soundness issues. The key reason that I get concerned


about riders’ heart health though is the fact that you may not even know how unfit you are. Before you ever start huff- ing and puffing, your heart is working hard to respond to the demands of your ride. Endurance riders put heart rate


heart out. Most people don’t realize that their heart is being strained as much as it is by riding, but research has shown that it does for several decades (see Westerling article, reference is below). Prolonged stress is what leads to inflam- mation and disease conditions over time. Then, later in life or at an inopportune moment, a medical situation occurs, or your doctor gives you stern warning. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the majority of heart dis- ease related issues can be prevented by healthy lifestyle. Also, heart attacks can and do occur for people with active lifestyles who consider themselves healthy, when they exceed the amount of cumulative strain their heart can han- dle. Your heart not only manages de- mand in the saddle, but also when your blood pressure rises at the office, in traf- fic, thinking about your to-do list, or dealing with other concerns in your life. Now, the good news for riders is


that you do not necessarily have to go to a gym or take up jogging to tune up your body’s combustion engine. The Heart and Stroke and Cardiac foundations in Canada mainly promote more walking. The main idea is that whatever your car- dio-vascular activities are now, the goal is to kick it up a notch. Don’t rush out there and over-do it, especially if you are over 50. What you want to do instead, is plan a realistic, achievable, enjoyable


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way to increase the number of minutes per day/week that you intentionally ele- vate your heart rate above what you think you need for riding. Slow, steady and consistent is the key.You do not even need to do the same activity multi- ple times a week. The heart is a muscle.By training


your heart, you increase the size of the chambers which allows your heart to pump less vigorously to get the same amount of blood and oxygen around your body as it needs.Essentially, your heart is more able to say ‘I got this’ with- out the strain when you are in the sad- dle.While mindfulness, stretching, strength training and many other well- being and conditioning activities also have benefits, you cannot meditate your heart muscle into physical growth or less strain if it is unfit. Some tools can be helpful, like


heart rate monitoring. If you don’t have a Fitbit or similar device, you can al- ways check your pulse manually.If you don’t have a step counter, you can al- ways time the minutes spent in elevated heart rate.It’s important to train within your zone though, especially if you are over 50 so that your exercise trains, not strains, your heart.Everyone can im- prove their heart health: every age, body shape and general fitness level.If you have a leg injury, you can use arm and torso exercises.If you are significantly


overweight, HeartWise programs start with just getting out there and walking in little speed intervals.Since most peo- ple in North America could improve their heart health, getting your friends and family into it would do them a serv- ice too.Whatever you choose to do, re- member to warm up and cool down, for the same reasons you make sure you do the same for your horse. We ride because horses are in our


hearts and blood.Why not commit to having the heart for it?


References and Links: Health


and Canada Stroke link:


https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/ser- vices/publications/diseases-conditions/heart- disease-canada.html Heart


Foundation:


https://www.heartandstroke.ca/get-healthy Westerling, D. (1983). A study of physical de- mands in riding. European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology, 50(3), 373-382.


https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF0 0423243


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


Personal Trainer, Riding Coach, Therapist Fitness, biomechanics and riding instruction. Personalized Coaching Available online Check out the leading 9 week rider fitness plan book (complete with anatomy illustra- tions)- available in print or as a download!: www.equifitt.com/fit2ride


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