Get fit… What does that mean? You could be at your peak of fitness right now…but still, if you don’t ride often, you’ll find that you’re going to be sore in places you didn’t know existed after riding 6-8 hours on a horse! It’s best to find and wake up those muscles before your horse riding holiday begins. It’s much harder to enjoy the views if you are uncomfortable and/or are in pain the entire trip!

Or you could be like me, menopausal, with various aches and pains, like plantar fasciitis that has kept me from doing a lot of exercising the past couple years. So you have a lot a catching up to do (like me!).

You’ll want to get fit BEFORE your horse riding holiday to avoid injury – short term and long term. Added muscle strength protects your structure. It’s strength-imbalance that causes most injuries. A well-rounded routine can rebalance the body, which can reduce the likelihood of tweaking musccles and causing serious injury. If you just jump right up on a horse without any physical preparation, you could perhaps pull a muscle in your back and create a permanent, recurring injury. That’s just an example. So lets get supple and have a GREAT horse riding holiday, pain free!

What Muscles Will Be Used When Riding Horses?

Great question! Let’s go over what muscles you need to train up to get the most out of your horse riding holiday! That way you can target some areas you feel need more help.

• Leg Strength
• Core Strength
• Back Strength
• Flexibility

Leg Strength helps you use your leg while riding and also helps support your horse, creating a more connected and confident ride for both horse and rider.

Core Strength increases a rider’s ability to balance and support the horse without relying on their hands. It also helps you hold your balance, whether the horse is walking, running, or even shying from something.

Back Strength helps when you are riding a stronger horse and you need that strength to help manage him.

Flexibility is important because it keeps your muscles from tightening and causing hip and back problems.

Good overall fitness, strength and endurance help a lot because as you can see, riding uses many parts of the body. All your muscles are working to hold yourself upright on a moving horse, and the faster you go, the more those muscles work!

How to Get Fit for Your Horse Riding Holiday

First off, before doing any of the exercises or programs listed in here, please consult your physician. Make sure you’re not going to do something that will hurt you permanently or keep you from going on your horse riding vacation.

There are several things you can do to get fit for your horse riding holiday. Remember to take it easy as you get started and don’t push yourself too hard in the beginning. It’s best to start several months before your trip so you are feeling great about riding and not aching!

Exercising to Get Fit for Your Horse Riding Holiday

There is quite a bit of information out there for equestrian workouts. However, a lot of them are specifically designed for the competitive equestrian. Here is a list of exercises to check out. Again, make sure your doctor approves of any of these workouts before you start. All of these seem pretty good, except for the crunches. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve heard they’re not the best for us older folk. I’ll be going for the planks instead.

Here’s another great article on How to Become a Better Horseback Rider from the University of Kentucky equestrian coach, Sue Stanley.

There’s also some books that are great for helping you get fit for your horse riding holiday. You can Shop at Amazon here. There’s also exercise aids that you can get, too, to be able to follow the some of the videos below.

For those of you who like visual aides instead of written instruction, I’m sharing my library of videos to help you get fit for your horse riding holiday. These include some specific videos on various body parts you might need to strengthen, like knees and core muscles. You can pick and choose which one or ones might be best for you!

Yoga for Horse Riding Fitness

Yoga is a great way to get fit for your horse riding holiday. It not only relieves stress, but can also increase flexibility, strength and balance. Yoga is also great for strengthening your core, which is one of the main muscle groups you’ll need to strengthen. Here’s a couple great books on equestrian yoga:

There are also a lot of videos on YouTube for helping you get fit for your horse riding holiday. I’ve gathered a few of them here.

Other Ways to Get Fit for your Horse Riding Holiday

Go Horse Riding Locally

The BEST thing you can do, if possible, is to get out and get riding before you go. If you don’t have your own horse, there are several options to be able to get on a horse before your horse riding holiday.

Take Lessons

There are usually training facilities near every city. These stables have horses for you to learn or re-learn on. Just let them know why you are requesting their services, and they’ll accommodate you. Even if you have to drive a bit to get to the stable, wouldn’t it be worth it to get in shape for your trip?

Lease a Horse

It might be worth your time to look into leasing a horse for 3-6 months before your horse riding holiday, to get into great riding shape!

Work Off Riding Time

Check in with local stables and see if you can work off riding time. Many stables need a hand with feeding horses or mucking out stalls and are happy to “pay” you with riding time. This is also a great way to get in overall shape for your horse riding holiday!

Volunteer at a Theraputic Center or Horse Rescue

Sometimes, horse rescues may need volunteers to help train and exercise their horses. While this will vary depending on the particular rescue and its policies, if you are a talented rider, then you may be able to volunteer at a horse rescue and get some riding time in in the process. If you’re interested in this possibility, call some local rescues to see if they need any help exercising their horses. Even if they don’t have any riding opportunities for you, volunteering at a rescue may allow you to spend some quality time around horses, thus helping you get fit for your horse riding holiday. Plus, you’re helping out a great cause!

Swimming for fitness

Swimming can be the most underrated form of exercise, and certainly not one that comes first to mind when getting fit for your horse riding holiday. However, swimming can actually be one of the best overall forms of fitness, in that it encompasses strength, stamina, flexibility and cardio, all in one shot!  Here’s a video that explains more.

Get Moving!

It’s also a good idea to do some form of cardio, whether it be a cardio class, biking, running, swimming, or just walking. Every time you move, it helps your body get in shape. So get out there and get moving, so you can get fit for your horse riding holiday!

*This article is meant to be only an outline for ways to get fit for your horse riding vacation; you can do your own research to find out exactly what muscles do what, if you want, and ask your doctor what works best for you. I am not a professional.