At this time of year (February) this is a very genuine question that we should all be asking ourselves. Unless you are lucky enough to have had access to an indoor school over the winter, it is very likely that both you and your horse have had quite a bit of time off. It’s wet, cold, windy and sometimes icy. Throw in the shorter days with less riding time and it’s not surprising that our ponies (and us!) come out of winter carrying a few extra pounds.
And then what do we do…?
We start eying up some upcoming camps, clinics and shows and want to get going straight away. So here’s your heads up people… now, as in February, is the perfect time to start planning both yours and your horse’s fitness plan to be ready for all the exciting things you want to do in the spring.
Whatever you do, don’t expect to turn up to a clinic or camp having not ridden for a couple of months, it’s not fair on you, your horse and your coach and it will also increase the risk of your horse getting injured.
Our EquiTeam Veterinary approved fitness programme has been designed to help build up your horse’s fitness gradually over a six week period and get them ready to be able to easily do a couple of dressage tests, jump a round of show jumps or go to a clinic. In human terms it’s your horse’s couch to 5k. If you’ve got plans to do some XC and/or events or some long distance rides then it will give you a solid base to build on so they are fit and ready for when these competitions get going in the spring.
You can also listen to our Listen with EquiTeam podcast ‘Is your horse fit for purpose’ where we chat about the benefits of hacking, how to minimise the risk of injury and how best to plan ahead so you can get to that all important camp, lesson or competition.
If that’s your horse sorted what about your own fitness levels?
Last year we wrote a blog titled ‘Are you letting yourself down?’ The idea for the blog came about after watching some riders at one of EquiTeam’s dressage camps struggle to ride for the full 40 minutes of their lessons and how much this impacted their ability to enjoy their lesson.
The blog created quite a bit of discussion within our EquiTeam Connected Facebook group and whilst never the intention, perhaps touched a nerve for a few people.
The good news is that we can help you get fit! One of our membership benefits is weekly fitness videos from the fantastic Lauren Semple at Equestrian Fitness Scotland. Lauren has also put together a fitness test which gives a great starting point to track your fitness levels and we have a rider fitness plan – 5 weeks to 5km. You can also access the bespoke fitness five week fitness plans advising you about which exercises to do so you can get fit along with your horse.
When planning both yours and your horse’s fitness programme remember to allow a couple of additional weeks to allow for the unexpected that inevitably occurs with horses and life.
There really is no excuse for you and your horse not to be fit and ready for some fun, come April time. Start planning now, get some dates in your diary and if you are not already a member and just missing a little bit of motivation and encouragement then come and join our awesome EquiTeam community.
