Riding and exercise post COVID..

The following approach to returning to exercise following COVID-19 has been recently developed by authors who work in elite sport, exercise medicine and sports cardiology across Australia.

Encouragingly, the authors reported that the majority of vaccinated elite athletes with uncomplicated recoveries achieved close to pre infection fitness values within 7-14 days, however, “advice to the recreationally active individual, where there is less pressure to return to maximal fitness levels quickly, is to do so in a more conservative fashion,” p. 545. “There is strong evidence that moderate physical activity (eg doing 7000 steps per day) is associated with reduced all-cause mortality. Therefore, we should encourage a quick return to moderate exercise with a more cautious return to higher intensity exercise,” p. 546.

The flow chart below is a great summary from page 545 which outlines a graduated return to exercise following COVID:

I hope you have found this blog interesting. Blogs do not replace individualised medical advice. If you have any health concerns, always consult your medical practitioner.

Reference: Hughes. D.C., Orchard, J. W., Partridge, E. M. et al (2022) Return to exercise post COVID-19 infection: A pragmatic approach in mid-2022, JSAMS, 25, 544-547.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9170595/pdf/main.pdf Link to Open Access article

Is pain impacting your riding? You are not alone..

Interesting articles by lewis et al 2017 and 2018 re sj and dressage riders in pain..

If you’re a rider in pain - seek an assessment with your Physio or GP. Assistant Pop and I are always happy to help.. or at least point you in the right direction.

50 elite female dressage riders competing Small or Big Tour at Hartpury Festival of Dressage CDI *** responses to lewis et al pain Questionnaire:

Age range: 19-52

Results:

o   74% of elite dressage riders competed whilst experiencing back pain

o   54% had past medical history of fractures and/or dislocations

o   Of the 74% with back pain:

§  62% classified as chronic pain

o   Other painful regions included hips (8%), ankle (8%), shoulder (5%).

o   51% relieved symptoms with over the counter (OTC) medication

o   Rider perspective: 59% felt that pain impacted their performance

Lewis, V., & Kennerley, R. (2017). A preliminary study to investigate the prevalence of pain in elite dressage riders during competition in the United Kingdom. Journal of Comparative Exercise Physiology 13(4): 259-263

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80 competitive Showjumping riders responses to lewis et al pain Questionnaire:

Mean age 23 years, 89% female.

Results:

o   59% were experiencing pain

§  67% chronic pain

§  85% pain in the lower back and neck

§  47% knee pain

§  36% ankle pain

o   Median duration of pain 2-5 years! depending on region.

o   Only 15% reportedly had a medical diagnosis

o   67% OTC medication

o   Only 25% utilised an exercise program

o   85% perceived pain impacted their riding performance.

Lewis, V., Dumbell, L., & Magnoni, F. (2018). A preliminary study to investigate the prevalence of pain in competitive showjumping equestrian athletes. J Phy Fit Treatment & Sportsl 4(3): 555637.

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my 2 cents worth:

• From these studies and many others, it is apparent that the incidence of lower back pain in riders is much higher then in the non-riding population. Dressage riders appear to be even more likely to experience lower back pain than other equestrian disciplines. There are many theories as to why this is… A blog for another day..

• These studies highlight the chronic (persistent) nature of painful problems that plague riders.

• Concerningly, the majority of riders in these studies did not have a medical diagnosis for their painful problem, and most were not seeking any treatment/management/exercise program for their issues. Instead, majority of riders in pain in these studies were self medicating with over the counter medication - sadly an all too common story.

• I’m sure if the riders horse had a lameness issue or a sore back, it would be seen by the vet, physio, saddle fitter etc and a diagnosis and management plan would be implemented ASAP. The rider athlete should be receiving evidence based care too - with an active management plan in place. For the sake of riders health, wellbeing, quality of life, let alone performance and longevity in the saddle, the “she’ll be right” attitude should be buried in the sand and our heads extracted whilst we are at it.

Top hat debate and alarming equestrian injury stats!

How alarming is the following statistic:

“.. 45.2% of sports-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI) from 2003 to 2012 in adults were from equestrian sports — the highest single contributing sport to this injury type of the five sports categories evaluated,” p.17, Gates and Yin, 2020.

Today I am going to highlight some of the stats I found interesting (and alarming) from hot off the press research by Gates and Yin (2020) - a retrospective review of the U.S. National Trauma Data Bank from 2003 - 2012.. I will also add my 2 cents worth to the top hat debate..

Concussion:

Just like sprained ankles are often down played, mismanaged and misdiagnosed, so are concussions - but with potentially lethal implications and long term consequences.

Concussion is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caused by a knock or force to the head or anywhere on the body ie you don’t need to hit your head when you fall off to be concussed.  Transient neurological symptoms following concussion can take hours or days to evolve. Given the prevalence of TBI in equestrian sports, it is crucial that riders, coaches, officials, parents have knowledge of concussion/TBI and are able to act accordingly.

“ Onlookers should suspect concussion when an injury results in a knock to the head or body that transmits a force to the head. A hard knock is not required, concussion can occur from minor knocks.” p.5 Concussion in Sport Australia: Position Statement.

The link to the Concussion in Sport Australia Position Statement 2019 is at the bottom of this blog and worth a read. Pleasingly, Equestrian Australia have aligned with this. “If in doubt, sit them out.”

If there is any possibility of a TBI having occured (most falls/altercations with horses really..) the rider “should be removed from practice or competition and have medical evaluation before they are given clearance to return to their sport”.

More alarming stats from Gates and Yin (2020) and injury prevention measures:

“Multiple studies cite that approximately one quarter of equestrians seen in an emergency room after a fall have an associated head injury,” p. 19.

Why you SHOULD wear a helmet:

“Helmets are believed to reduce head injury severity but have not been shown to reduce incidence of TBI, specifically concussions. Equestrians not wearing a helmet are more likely to sustain intracranial hemorrhage in an accident. Lack of helmet use also has been correlated with an increased injury severity overall, higher Injury Severity Scores and increased odds of loss of consciousness,” p.19.

Studies imply that modern day safety approved helmets reduce skull fracture likelihood and aim to reduce impact severity (Gates and Yin, 2020).

Spinal injuries and vests:

“Spinal injuries are reported to be present in 2.4% to 14% of all equestrian injuries and most commonly involve the lumbar or thoracic spine. Of 50 cases of riding-related spinal fractures, 51% were lumbar, 32% were thoracic, and 17% were in the cervical spine,” p. 19.

Safety vests: …”to date have not been shown to significantly decrease the risk or severity of spinal injuries. The neck is not protected by safety vests, leaving the cervical spine at risk for injuries,” p. 20.

Policy:

As mentioned above, EA have adopted the Concussion in Sport Australia Guidelines and are endeavouring to promote education, procedures and policy in the area of concussion and acute injury management and prevention. See the link below re this.

“FEI competitions are required to have personnel trained in emergency medical care over the duration of the competition, and a medical coverage plan that details procedures, ambulance coverage, and local hospitals with emergency trauma services. The FEI also requires that there is a dedicated medical provider, a quiet area onsite for evaluation of athletes with the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, and a plan for acute stabilization of athletes with neurological injuries,” Gates and Yin, 2020, p. 20.

Future injury prevention measures as suggested by Gates and Yin (2020):

• “More can be done to increase certified helmet use by equestrians and to improve helmet design to reduce the risk of TBI,” p. 22.

• “Current equestrian helmets reduce the risk of skull fractures without providing adequate protection against concussions. Future equestrian helmets could consider advanced technologies, such as those seen in recent football helmets, which aim to reduce rotational acceleration forces to the brain,” p.21

• “Given that equestrians who sustain multiple falls are at a higher risk for neurological deficits, equestrian education on concussions is warranted. Currently, 40% of equestrians report never receiving education on concussions, with 15% garnering information from their trainers. Educating both the equestrians themselves as well as their trainers/ coaches could help prevent injuries and ensure an informed return to sport after a concussive injury,” p.21.

• ..”Rotational falls: It has been suggested that solid jumps themselves are the primary risk factor for cross-country eventing injuries to both horses and equestrian, and future technologies should aim to mitigate the risk factors associated with solid obstacles and take into consideration the visual judgment capabilities of the horse,” p. 21.

• “Equestrian training programs that focus on basic skills such as improving appropriate use of rein pressure, leg stability, the rider's center of balance, and general horse safety have been correlated with improved equestrian safety and could help mitigate injury risk,” p.22.

My 2 cents worth..

Freak accidents happen no matter how well we know our horses. Wearing a helmet offers some protection which is is better than no protection. Considering the above alarming stats, I think its a no brainer!

I do hope the above common sense injury prevention measures for the future as suggested by Gates and Yin (2020) are followed through and that this blog has been helpful for the cause.

Please feel free to share and comment. Healthy discussion is always encouraged. Happy and safe riding, Zoe.

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Gates, J. K., & Yin, C. Y. (2020). Head and spinal injuries in equestrian sports: Update on epidemiology, clinical outcomes and injury prevention. Head, Neck, and Spine 19(1): 17-23.  

https://www.concussioninsport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/683501/February_2019_-_Concussion_Position_Statement_AC.pdf

https://www.equestrian.org.au/news/%E2%80%9Cif-doubt-%E2%80%93-sit-them-out%E2%80%9D-ea-concussion-protocols-implementation-all-disciplines-1-july-2019

Riders, Coaches, Judges + other horsey enthusiasts.. Add this article to your reading list if you haven’t already, you wont regret it!

The objective of this weeks blog is to share some of the learnings from Hobbs et al (2020) awesomely comprehensive review. Applicable to riders (non dressage riders too), coaches, judges and all horsey enthusiasts. Click on the text below for the full open access paper and for references..

Hobbs, S. J., St George, L., Reed, J., Stockley, R., Thetford, C., Sinclair, J., … & Clayton, H. M. (2020). A scoping review of determinants of performance in dressage. PeerJ. 8:e9022.

I will highlight the points that I found particularly interesting, but first, lets introduce the paper:

Aim: “As a first step in achieving an evidence-based classification system for the sport of Para Dressage, there is a clear need to define elite dressage performance”… p.1. “The aim of this review is therefore to identify objective measurements of horse performance in dressage and the functional abilities of the rider that may influence them to achieve higher scores.” p.3.

Design: 58 articles were reviewed (14 for horse and 44 for rider) by Hobbs and colleagues.

NB: This review is commissioned by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) as part of a bigger project..

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Beautiful Abbie O’Brien and Revelwood Fleur show us how its done..

“A basic requirement of a competent dressage rider is to have an independent seat, which implies that movements of the rider’s pelvis follow and compensate for the horse’s trunk movements allowing the arms and legs to act independently to follow the horse’s head and neck motion and to give aids to the horse.,” p.9

Walk:

“Horses usually walk symmetrically unless they are unloading a lame limb (Buchner et al., 1995) or show marked sidedness (Byström et al., 2018), although rider asymmetry, such as differences in rein tension, can also influence horse symmetry (Terada, Clayton & Kato, 2006; Kuhnke et al., 2010; Eisersiö et al., 2015),” p. 10.

“Münz, Eckardt & Witte (2014) suggested that the pelvis of less skilled athletes moves ‘‘ahead’’ of the horses’ movement and Wolframm, Bosga & Meulenbroek (2013) found lower interclass correlations between horse and rider motion in walk compared to canter. Out of phase timing of the rider with the horse may disrupt the rhythm of the horse and result in greater energy expenditure for the less skilled athlete to maintain an active walk,” p.11.

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TROT…

“In skilled riders, pelvic motion is independent of trunk, head or other segment motion, which requires dynamic postural control (Engell et al., 2016). When the rider achieves an advanced level of dynamic postural control, it improves the harmony between horse and rider (Peham et al., 2001; Münz, Eckardt & Witte, 2014), and translates to higher average dressage scores (Peham et al., 2001),” p.13.

Trot:

• Horse

“Shorter stance durations, greater fetlock extension, faster extension of the hock and rotation of the pelvis in late stance, and flexion of the hindlimb joints are all related to the ability of the horse to store and release energy and they are largely responsible for creating impulsion. The physiological condition and conformational traits of the horse will influence the horses’ ability to store and release energy (Back et al., 1994; Holmström, Fredricson & Drevemo, Hobbs et al. (2020), PeerJ, DOI 10.7717/peerj.9022 12/25 1994b; Morales et al., 1998),” p.12.

“Kinematic suitability for dressage has been compared between different breeds (Barrey et al., 2002), as such, horses may be selected for their ability to produce higher forces at the ground, which will increase dorsoventral displacement and therefore give the impression of greater ‘elevation’,” p.12.

• Rider

“For the rider, gaits with suspension phases require pelvic mobility and control in order to follow and amplify the horse’s motion (Münz, Eckardt & Witte, 2014; Byström et al., 2015; Engell et al., 2016),” p.13.

“In skilled riders, the pelvis rotates from anterior to posterior tilt over the stride cycle with a smaller amount of lateral tilt (Münz, Eckardt & Witte, 2014), whilst the trunk maintains a more consistent vertical posture and the head a more consistent and stiller horizontal posture (Eckardt & Witte, 2016),” p.13. i.e. the rider pelvis should move in a coordinated way in the frontal plane, but the trunk shouldn’t be excessively side bending (like a banana).

“The posture of the pelvis and upper body segments dictates how pressure is distributed under the saddle (De Cocq et al., 2009; Gunst et al., 2019), which affects the aids communicated to the horse and also impacts on the horses’ balance (De Cocq et al., 2010b),” p.13.

• Muscle activity:

“Skilled riders control body position by coordinating activity level and antagonistic timing of Erector Spinae and Rectus Abdominis muscles (Terada, 2000; Pantall, Barton & Collins, 2009), whilst novice riders display energetically inefficient co-activation of Erector Spinae and Rectus Abdominis muscles (Pantall, Barton & Collins, 2009) and use Adductor Magnus to stabilize the trunk (Terada, 2000),” p.13. i.e novice riders use their back and abdominal muscles in a less co-ordinated manner, and use their inner thigh muscles to stabilise their trunk.

'“Phasic activity in Rectus Abdominis in mid-stance is used to stabilize the rider’s trunk and enable the rider to follow the horse’s movement by rotating the pelvis posteriorly as the horse’s body reverses direction from downward to upward motion (Terada et al., 2004; Pantall, Barton & Collins, 2009),” p.13. i.e. six pack muscle important.

“In addition, phasic activity of the upper and middle Trapezius in early stance is used to stabilize the head, neck and scapula during impact of the diagonal limbs (Terada et al., 2004),” p.13.

“Pelvic motion from anterior to posterior tilt of the rider was found to significantly increase nose up trunk tilt of the horse during trotting (Münz, Eckardt & Witte, 2014). Variations in rider pelvic posture are reported (Byström et al., 2009; Münz et al., 2013; Eckardt, Münz & Witte, 2014; Münz, Eckardt & Witte, 2014; Alexander et al., 2015; Byström et al., 2015; Eckardt & Witte, 2016; Engell et al., 2016), but also depend on the goal of the rider. When actively influencing the horse to improve collection in trot, skilled riders have greater posterior pelvic tilt throughout the stride (Byström et al., 2015; Engell et al., 2016)",” p.14. i.e. riders back the opposite of hollow/sway/rigid.

“ Terada, Clayton & Kato (2006) showed that pitching rotations of the rider’s trunk were compensated by coordinated flexion-extension of the shoulder and elbow joints so the distance from the rider’s wrist to the bit changed by no more than 1.5 cm. These movements were controlled by activation of Biceps Brachii in early stance and Triceps Brachii in late stance (Terada, 2000),” p.14. i.e. to maintain steady contact, use of biceps and triceps in a coordinated manner is required.

• Passage and Piaffe:

“Posture of the rider is reported to change with increasing collection of the horse, such as in passage and piaffe. When giving an aid to collect, the rider’s pelvis rotates posteriorly and the trunk rotates anteriorly, thereby flexing the lumbar spine (Byström et al., 2015). Possibly due to the greater vertical excursion of both the horse and rider, pelvic rotation and displacement are more closely coupled to the horse (Byström et al., 2015),” p.16. i.e. riders back the opposite of hollow/sway/rigid.

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Canter…

“A reduction in rider trunk lateral bending ROM is likely to reduce amplification of the asymmetry of the gait and improve medio-lateral and rotational stability in the horse (Symes & Ellis, 2009),” p.15.

i.e. the riders trunk shouldn’t be excessively side bending (like a banana).

Canter:

“Heightened pelvic mobility and postural control are required by the rider to maintain balance and harmony with the horse (Olivier et al., 2017), although greater synchronicity is possible due to canter being a three-beat gait (Wolframm, Bosga & Meulenbroek, 2013),” p.14.

“As trunk ROM of the horse in pitch and longitudinal forces increase, a closer coupling of the pelvis in anterior-posterior tilt and greater control of the upper body are required in order to follow the phasic motions of the horse (Lovett, Hodson-Tole & Nankervis, 2005; Wolframm, Bosga & Meulenbroek, 2013; Münz, Eckardt & Witte, 2014),” p.15.

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Conclusion:

“From this model it could be concluded that the posture and ROM of the rider’s pelvis, trunk, knee and head and, importantly, the timing of rider pelvic and trunk motion in relation to the movement of the horse are likely to influence temporal, trunk motion and impulsion variables in the horse. The information from this model will be used to develop an empirical study to test the relative strength of association between impairment and performance in able-bodied and Para Dressage riders,” p.17.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss or ask any questions re this fabulous scientific review. Always happy to translate the science speak into everyday language.

Check out the full open access paper with reference list:

Hobbs, S. J., St George, L., Reed, J., Stockley, R., Thetford, C., Sinclair, J., Williams, J., Nankervis, K., & Clayton, H. M. (2020). A scoping review of determinants of performance in dressage. PeerJ. 8:e9022.

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Physical Pre-Requisites to Ride at Your Best: Part B

FAQ: What sort of unmounted exercise should I do to be able to ride at my best?

Answer: That depends on you and your strengths and weaknesses. The first step in choosing the best type of exercise for you is being able to identify your physical deficits (which is the aim of the assessment component of all of The Riders Physio, Rider Consults). From there, you need to develop a fitness program that targets these deficits to transform them into your strengths.

And wallah!

Physical attributes of the top riders include:

• Good cardiovascular fitness (see Part A of this blog)

• Super coordination, balance, and body awareness

• Great trunk and pelvic control (‘core’ strength)

• Adequate muscle strength in key areas

• Adequate mobility/flexibility in key areas

• Symmetry and ‘sidedness’ - able to use and position both sides of their body evenly

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This is a massive topic, I’ll share a few interesting snippets from relevant scientific research and literature in the area below:

Muscle activity for correct trunk position:

Elite riders achieve a more controlled upright trunk position compared to novice riders due to high levels of sustained tonic muscular contraction within the trunk (Douglas, Price and Peters, 2012, Terada et al, 2004).

Terada et al (2004) found that the predominant type of muscle contraction was for co-ordination and postural stabilisation, rather than for the production of power.

Experienced riders tend to have a close to vertical trunk orientation (4°). Novice riders tend to throw the trunk backwards and forwards due to unexpected translational forces (Terada et al, 2006, Terada et al, 2004, Schils et al, 1993).

More experienced riders anticipate movements of the horse leading to synchronised movement of the rider/horse unit. This is achieved by controlled/co-ordinated contractions of the riders abdominal and erector spinae muscles (Terada, 2000).

Byström et al (2009) researched sit trot kinematics and found: during the deceleration/mid stance phase, the rider is pressed against the saddle and the stirrups, the rider’s lumbar back hollows, leg joints flex and the head and feet move forwards. Through-out the propulsion phase, the rider is pushed out of the saddle, the lumbar spine straightens the legs extend and the head and feet move backwards, likely to be due to the horses push-off forces being transmitted through the rider. This study concluded that experienced riders were more consistent and less phase-shifted compared to novice riders due to the riders functional control and skill level.

Rider Symmetry and ‘Sidedness’:

Symes and Ellis (2009) found all riders (17 competitive dressage riders) in their study rode asymmetrically. They concluded that, “cross training is not a concept normally found within rider training but building core stability and flexibility through an exercise programme such as Pilates may reduce the movement asymmetry”.

A study by Symes and Ellis (2009) found that the riders sat with their thoracic girdle unevenly positioned, rotated to the left.

Differences in axial rotation of the riders trunk is linked to asymmetry in activation of the back muscles, which may predispose the rider to pain/injury (Kraft et al, 2007).

The results from Byström et al (2009) are in agreement with Symes and Ellis (2009) suggesting that riders do not perform symmetric movements.

Terada (2000) confirmed that the rider extends their shoulder and elbow joint to enable even contact with the bit during the stride cycle.

• If the riders trunk is rotated more in one direction, or the rider is significantly less co-ordinated on one side it is likely that uneven bit contact will result. 

Gunst (2019) research into rider symmetry found an increase mean force of saddle pressure mat readings on the left (5%) and that riders with left leg dominance exhibited greater shift of force to the left side of the saddle pressure mat.

A small study by Nevison and Timmis (2013) researched the effect of Physiotherapy Intervention on muscular restriction around the pelvis and hips just prior to riding and found improvement in riders postural stability and symmetry in the saddle.

A study by Hampson and Randle (2015) researched the effect of an 8 week unmounted equestrian core fitness program. Results showed a significant improvement in left-right mean pressure difference on an electronic saddle mat and a 8.4% mean increase in horses stride length in trot after the program.

Take home message:

Working on your fitness off the horse can have a huge impact on your physical capacity and subsequently, your performance in the saddle. Try to identify your ‘weaknesses’ that impact your riding and then work on them (you can get specialised help with this from your sports physio.. This is certainly a passion of mine!).

Tip: If we keep things simple, when selecting what sort of exercise to get involved in.. Select a couple of these listed below that aren’t your forte and find a type of exercise that ticks the box to add into your weekly schedule:

• Cardiovascular fitness (see Part A of this blog) — e.g. run/skip/cycle

• Coordination, balance, and body awareness — e.g. pilates, tai chi

• Trunk and pelvic motor control (‘core’ strength) — e.g. pilates, yoga

• Muscle strength in key areas — e.g. resistance exercises @ gym/home

• Mobility/flexibility in key areas — e.g. pilates, yoga

• Use of both sides of body evenly — e.g. pilates, gym

Get in touch if you have any questions or if you wish to organise a Riders Consult to get assessed and receive your own individualised rider fitness plan.

Stay tuned for the next blog instalment of Zoe’s learnings and musings. Feel free to get in touch to request a future blog topic.

Byström, A., Rhodin, M., Von Peinen, K., Weishaupt, M. A., & Roepstorff, L. (2009). Basic kinematics of the saddle and rider in high-level dressage horses trotting on a treadmill. Equine Veterinary Journal 41:280–284.

Douglas, J. L., Price, M., & Peters, D. M. (2012). A systematic review of physical fitness, physiological demands and biomechanical performance in equestrian athletes. Comparative Exercise Physiology. 8(1): 53-62.

Gunst, S., Dittmann, M. T., Arpagaus, S., Roepstorff, C., Latif, S. N., Klaassen, B., … & Weishaupt, M. A. (2019). Influence of functional rider and horse asymmetries on saddle force distribution during stance and in sitting trot. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 78:20–28.

Hampson, A., & Randle, H. (2015). The influence of an 8-week rider core fitness program on the equine back at sitting trot. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. 15: 1145-1159.

Hobbs, S. J., St George, L., Reed, J., Stockley, R., Thetford, C., Sinclair, J., … & Clayton, H. M. (2020). A scoping review of determinants of performance in dressage. PeerJ. 8:e9022.

Kraft, C., Urban, N., Ilg, A., Wallny, T.M., Scharfstädt, M., Jäger, M. & Pennekamp, P. (2007). Influence of the riding discipline and riding intensity on the incidence of back pain in competitive horseback riders. Sportverletzung Sportschaden 21: 29-33.

Meyers, M. (2006). Effect of equitation training on health and physical fitness of college females. European Journal of Applied Physiology 98: 177-184.

Nevison, C. M., & Timmis, M. A. (2013). The effect of phgysiotherapy intervention to the pelvic region of experienced riders on seated postural stability and the symmetry of pressure distribution on the saddle: A preliminary study. Journal of Veterinary Behaviour 8: 261-264

Schils, S. J., Greer, N. L., Stoner, L. J., & Kobluk, C. N. (1993). Kinematic analysis of the equestrian— walk, posting trot and sitting trot. Human Movement Science 12:693–712.

Symes, D., & Ellis, R. (2009). A preliminary study into rider asymmetry within equitation. The Veterinary Journal 181: 34-37.

Terada, K., Clayton, H. M., & Kato, K. (2006) Stabilization of wrist position during horseback riding at trot. Equine and Comparative Exercise Physiology 3:179–184 .

Terada, K., Mullineaux, D., Lanovaz, J., Kato, K., & Clayton, H. (2004). Electromyographic analysis of the rider’s muscles at trot. Equine and Comparative Exercise Physiology 1:193–198

Terada, K. (2000). Comparison of head movement and EMG activity of muscles between advanced and novice horseback riders at different gaits. Journal of Equine Science 11:83–90.

Physical Pre-Requisites to Ride at Your Best: Part A Cardiovascular Fitness

FAQ: Why should I do unmounted exercise when I ride for many hours a week?

Answer: Research suggests you should, experts strongly recommend it, and anecdotally heaps of top riders find it improves their riding performance.

Here is some snippets from relevant scientific research in the area..

• The riders heart rate can get up to 85% of its maximal capacity during sit trot and canter (Devienne and Guezennec, 2000, Roberts, Shearman and Marlin, 2010 and Westerling, 1983)

• Heart rate, oxygen consumption (VO2) and energy cost is greater with ‘lethargic horses’ (Devienne and Guezennec, 2000).

• Sung et al (2015) found that elite riders tended to have a higher heart rate than amateur riders during riding (jumping).

• A study into 18-25yo competitive riders found they had suboptimal fitness levels compared to age matched subjects from non-equestrian sports. They concluded that riding as your only form of exercise may not elicit enough of a sustained aerobic challenge to enhance your cardiorespiratory fitness (Meyers and Sterling, 2000).

• “The performance of competitive riders is influenced by their aerobic capacity; therefore it is in their best interest to do additional aerobic fitness training,” (Devienne and Guezennec, 2000).

• “Equestrian athletes spend many hours each week ensuring proper nutrition, exercise and training, and excellent medical care is provided for their horse. However, many riders overlook these important areas for themselves,” (Roberts, Shearman and Marlin, 2010).

• “In the interest of the horse, the fitness and competence of the rider are regarded as essential.” “A tired horse will be hindered by a tired rider”. “The data support a requirement for equestrian athletes to undertake supplemental training, in addition to riding to increase strength and aerobic fitness,”(Roberts, Shearman and Marlin, 2010).

  NB: Studies into the aerobic demands of elite equestrian sports are lacking, most studies have included amateur riders in a non-competition environment. Riding at a FEI level during a competition is likely to induce a higher heart rate than during simulated competition or laboratory based experimental situations.

Interestingly, even very fit FEI riders note red lining (85% or higher of heart rate max) at times during lessons and competitions, with similar heart rates to that of when running hard.

Do your own experiment: Do you have a smart watch or have you ridden with a heart rate monitor? What’s your maximum heart rate during a test at a competition or during a lesson? Does it compare to when you do a hard run/cycle/swim/climb stairs? If you don’t have a gadget, manually take your pulse for 15sec, x4 to work out beats/min.

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate#/media/File:Exercise_zones_Fox_and_Haskell.svg

TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Optimising your aerobic capacity (cardiovascular fitness) makes you more accustomed to the physical stress placed on your body during competitions and hard rides, allowing you to ride at your best at all times, even when the pressure is on. On a side note.. Achieving 75min of vigorous activity or 150min of moderate activity per week is recommended by WHO to stave of most chronic illnesses, stress, anxiety, depression, boost your immune system and the list goes on. So you will hopefully live until you’re 110!

NB: Seek advice from your health care professional or GP’s prior to embarking on a new or different exercise regime. This blog is intended for general advice. Get in touch for your own individualised rider fitness program.

Tune in for part B

Muscle activity, posture, symmetry and more coming soon..

Devienne, M. F., & Guezennec, C.Y. (2000). Energy expenditure of horse riding. Eur J App Physiol. 82: 499-503.

Douglas, J. L., Price, M., & Peters, D. M. (2012). A systematic review of physical fitness, physiological demands and biomechanical performance in equestrian athletes. Comparative Exercise Physiology. 8(1): 53-62.

Meyers, M. C., & Sterling, J.C. (2000). Physical, hematological, and exercise response of collegiate female equestrian athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 40: 131-138.

Roberts, M., Shearman, J., & Marlin, M. (2010). A comparison of the metabolic cost of the three phases of the one-day event in female collegiate riders. Comparative Exercise Physiology. 6(3): 129-135.

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