EquiTeam coach Liz Daniels, chats about getting the most from your coaching sessions.
I’m not going to be popular for the topic of this blog – but if it helps to inspire one person then I’ll happily take the wrath of a few others.
Last week we ran our popular Equiteam Dressage Camps, with Tom Graham UKCC Level 4 BD coach hosting the sessions. As with our own confidence camps the dressage camps have two ridden sessions a day, but unlike our camps, the dressage ones are just two days.
For the first time in eight years of running camps with Lou, I was so delighted to make it to one as a ‘camper’, no coaching for me – no pressure Tom!
But this also meant that as well as being able to ride, I was able to watch and absorb.
I love listening, asking questions, and learning; but as I lapped up the information there was a reoccurring theme…
Rider fitness - or lack of it!
So many riders were unable to sustain riding for their lessons of 40 minutes for a paired lesson in the morning, and 30 minutes as an individual lesson in the afternoon – and as I watched it was really apparent to me just how much they were missing out on.
Don't shoot me down
Now before you start to really pull out the pistols shoot me down; I do not believe that to enjoy your lessons that you need to be training to be the next Jessica Ennis-Hill; or that all riders should be a size 8; or that your horse should be three-day event fit. But I do believe that in order to maximise your learning it is really beneficial to both horse and rider to be ‘Fit for purpose’.
So why does being unfit mean that you might be missing out? Are you ready for your two minute science lesson?!
The science
In basic terms, when you are exercising your heart beats faster, as the speed and depth of your breathing increases. This allows a greater intake of oxygen which is then transported around your body in your blood (pumped by your heart) to the muscles that need it the most.
As everything increases, so does the production of carbon dioxide, which is removed from your body as you exhale.
Exercise has been proven to have many positive effects on our health and well-being, including boosting our brain function and mental health… BUT as your legs begin to ‘feel the burn’ and turn to jelly, your lungs are on fire and the dreaded sweat patches are real as you wish you’d put an extra layer of deodorant on – you reach your peak physical activity and performance.
Digging deep
When we ride on our own we very rarely push through this barrier… why? Because let’s be honest it’s a bit uncomfortable.
During a lesson we seem to dig a bit deeper and manage to go for a bit longer – but you then have to try and sustain that whilst listening to and absorbing information as your muscles tire quickly.
As a coach I notice that people start to ask you to repeat yourself more, or they don’t quite hear what you say, rider responses to situations are slightly delayed, and with that comes a slight loss of balance, or strength in the muscles to correct a situation.
Basically the body is working so hard that it can’t quite compute or retain information until the rider gets to the point where they need a break.
I also notice that riders become heavier in the saddle as they struggle to hold their posture, so the horse, who is often also at their maximum is expected to do more and also tires, which then requires more leg and so it is a recurring circle of physical exertion.
We all have different levels of fitness and you expect to come away from a lesson having worked hard – but in situations where you have two lessons (or ride two horses) a day your legs are already tired, and so you tire faster and are unable to ride for the full duration of the second session.
As I sat and watched Tom’s lessons I noted that people, who all ride really very well, were perhaps compromising their maximum learning potential because of their fitness. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to learn – or didn’t take anything valuable away – of course they did, but I sat and wondered how much extra they would have taken away and progressed if their base line fitness had allowed for just a little more?
Just some food for thought! And it’s also much more enjoyable when you’re not sore!
Liz x
Have you listened to EquiTeam’s podcast – How losing four stone and getting fit changed my life. In this episode, Carolyn Macdonald explains about how her riding has improved beyond recognition as she lost four stone and increased her fitness.
EquiTeam members can access a huge range of fitness videos and downloads specifically aimed at improving rider fitness by visiting Fit to Ride. Not yet a member – find out how to join
