Cross-Training: the Rider

Many riders use riding as their sole form of exercise. While riding does make you strong and fit, there’s more to it than just riding. To be a good rider, we have to make sure we’re doing the best by our bodies and our minds. In fact, many if not all of the top riders cross-train so that their riding is maximized. To be an effective rider, then, is to be somewhat multidisciplinary. Cross-training can help us with addressing muscle imbalances that impact our riding as well as help us understand concepts that are sometimes hard to grasp otherwise. Some methods of cross-training are more effective than others; Pilates and yoga has a more direct impact on postural muscles than, say, football.

Physical Cross-Training

Addressing the physical side of cross-training is important for all athletic pursuits (and really, for being healthy in general). There are several options available to us that are very helpful.

Pilates

Pilates is one of my favorites. It emphasizes postural muscles over larger muscles and helps to strengthen these small muscles so that we’re using our larger muscles more effectively. Pilates also emphasizes appropriate flexibility within the body’s natural range of motion. This is important, as going beyond natural range of motion can damage the joints over time. There’s also very minimal impact in Pilates, so if you have arthritis, disc problems, or other conditions/injuries, it is generally quite safe. However, there are a lot of Pilates instructors who do not have adequate training and can cause damage. Additionally, the exercises are very precise, so it’s hard to practice Pilates effectively without a good instructor. Look for certified instructors who teach on equipment, not just mat classes, and look at what their certification requires. I did my training in BASI Pilates (though I never had the chance to finish my certification… some day), and it is still my favorite. I have had good instructors who were Balanced Body, Stott, and classically certified.

The downsides to Pilates is that it is so postural focused that it can miss some other elements that are important. Riding is pretty good for cardio, but it wouldn’t hurt to add some cardio if your riding is slower-paced (mostly walk, not much trot or canter). Something else I feel is important to fitness is speed/agility/quickness (SAQ), especially for aging riders. This can sharpen your reflexes and help prevent falls (both falling off a horse and falling on the ground) and other injuries. Pilates does not really have SAQ elements, so it’s worth adding some SAQ drills either on your own or through other forms of exercise. While Pilates is great for postural strength, it does not do much for general strength, as it was meant for rehabilitation and preventing injury, not for raw strength, so if you need more strength for lifting buckets, etc., it won’t do the job (but may help prevent injury while you lift buckets…).

Calisthenics

Calisthenics, or bodyweight exercises, are a very old form of fitness and is also one of my favorite recommendations. Most people have done some form calisthenics, such as sit-ups, push-ups, triceps dips, chin-ups, etc. There are many exercises available, and the beauty of calisthenics is that you don’t need a lot of equipment (if any, though gymnastics rings are helpful for certain exercises). Calisthenics can help with postural muscles as well as for general strength, and the exercises are widely adaptable to make them easier or harder depending on fitness level or physical limitation. You can also more easily practice calisthenics without an instructor, though an instructor will help you make sure you’re practicing the exercises with optimal form and to greatest effect. However, if you have a lot of really strong compensations and postural issues, calisthenics can be a little intense.

CrossFit

CrossFit is another strength-building discipline that can help with fitness as well. While Pilates focuses on postural muscles, CrossFit works on general strength as well as speed/agility/quickness. Postural muscles are developed through proper form, both with weights and without. Cross-fit also does more SAQ work and cardio. However, my chief complaint about CrossFit is it is very easy to over-tax your muscles before they’re ready, and many people injure themselves because of this. It is also more disastrous if you use poor form lifting a heavy weight while, say, performing a squat (squatting with a round back with no weights isn’t great but won’t blow out a disc; if you’re squatting 200lbs with a round back, that disc is probably a goner).

Regular Ol’ Personal Training

Good personal training will blend all or some of these elements but with a personalized touch and someone who can watch to make sure your form is right. They can also help tailor exercises to your physical needs and direct you to someone if they feel you need additional attention in an area outside of their expertise. Make sure the personal trainer you pick is certified and has good knowledge of anatomy.

Cross-Training for the Brain

Riders also need to cross-train their minds, such as through reading/education and problem-solving activities. Other elements of brain-training include mindfulness exercises and practicing turning off the sympathetic system (such as with breathing exercises). However, the mental aspect is not the only part of brain-training. Neurological coordination is also a large element to brain-training. Much of riding is learning body control, not developing strength (though you need strength as well). While a lot of physical exercises work on that, it is also important to dedicate some time to coordination on its own. Playing musical instruments is good for coordination and connecting neural pathways, so if you play one or have played one, go practice! Balance exercises are also really good for neuro-training, as is practicing walking or standing on various terrain or unstable surfaces (safely, of course!).

Addressing Both at Once

Yoga

Yoga is very similar in physical principle to Pilates but different in practice. Yoga uses poses to strengthen and stretch the muscles as well as to help with mindfulness and meditation. Like Pilates, it is very low-impact and therefore relatively safe. It adds the mental discipline and relaxation as well, so if you are stressed and tend to let the stress spill over to your riding, this is a great way to “cleanse” before going to your horse. However, my biggest criticism is that it is easy to accidentally push past the natural range of motion, especially with an instructor who doesn’t have a good understanding of anatomy (or if you’re self-guided). It also tends to emphasize postural habits that may already a struggle (such as hyperlordosis, or a “hollow back”). For this reason, I highly recommend using an instructor at least in the beginning. Look for an instructor who does have anatomy training and who really understands their form of yoga. Yoga shares the same other downsides as Pilates in that it doesn’t do much for cardio and also doesn’t address SAQ like I’d like to see.

Martial Arts

Martial arts are another one of my favorite cross-training methods. There is a certain mental discipline and calm that one develops through martial arts, as well as an ability to read another being and act quickly (like physical chess). It is also good physical exercise, blending elements of calisthenics and even yoga through the exercises and forms. Different martial arts have different qualities. Eastern martial arts, like Karate, Tai Chi (even though this is mostly contact-less now), Kung Fu, or even Muay Thai mostly focus on empty-hand combat and have a strong emphasis on mental discipline and energetic discipline. These are useful and important for riding, as it can help you stay calm if your horse is panicking, and it can help you with confidence and having a stronger presence. Martial arts with weapons usually add to the empty-hand foundation but are more secondary in the Eastern tradition. Eastern martial arts can be further divided into internal and external martial arts. Internal martial arts are more like Kung Fu and its forms: energy-focused, slower, more deliberate (even in their combat forms). External are more explosive in movement and have become more sport-focused, such as Karate and Tae Kwon Do.

Western martial arts, such as boxing, wrestling, historical European martial arts, and Olympic fencing have similar mental discipline with less of the energy focus, and this can be more appealing to people who are suspicious of Eastern spirituality or energy work. Boxing and wrestling are more physically intense, while fencing and HEMA are more mentally intense.

Target martial arts, such as archery and shooting, share both Eastern and Western traditions but are much less physical and much more coordination focused. However, these are still martial arts and still have many of the same benefits even if they are less physically demanding (note: they are still quite physical, as drawing a bow and absorbing recoil from a gun takes fitness, but they are less so than punching/kicking/wrestling).

My background is in Karate, Tae Kwon Do, archery, and HEMA longsword. I’m a history nerd, so I prefer HEMA because it actively attempts to stay closer to historical reproduction, while a lot of TKD and Karate dojos/studios focus a lot on sport (high kicks and point areas) and less on the historical movements (lower, closer movements that are a bit more practical). However, martial arts have many different styles, so you can find what suits you best.

Something I am compelled to say about martial arts: just because they were developed for fighting and combat does not mean you have to be a violent person to enjoy them. Most serious martial artists I’ve known are quite peaceful people. They’re not looking for a fight all the time; fighting is a last resort (or is done for fun). There is a certain camaraderie developed between a wide range of people, from big, beefy, tattooed guys to small teenaged girls, from lawyers to actors to veterans. There are bad eggs, of course, but the overall culture and attitude is much more fun-loving and peaceful than people realize.

Dance

Dance is another one of my favorite cross-training methods, though there are many kinds of dance (SO many). For riding specifically, I prefer ballroom dancing. However, the poise and control that other forms of dance require are also excellent for riding.

The reason I specifically prefer ballroom dancing for riders is because of the leading/following. Many people think that riding is making the horse move, a bit like wrestling, but really, it should be on that light touch level like ballroom. It’s very hard to describe, but leading and following has a very subtle feel where you could resist or force if you wanted, but there’s no need. It’s almost hard to tell who initiates the thought, and there’s a great deal of trust that your partner will not lead you astray (or drop you). You learn to feel movement rather than watch for it, which can be really helpful for learning to feel when riding. Plus, coordinating the steps for different dances is great neurological training.

Other forms of dance can help with the coordination aspect, postural strength, and more, but unless you dance with a partner, it’s hard to get that full benefit that would help with riding.

In Summary

There are so many different styles of cross-training that can help riding, and I really encourage my students to practice multiple forms (even if just trying them out so they get a feel) if they want to get good in their riding. It’s easy to develop muscle imbalances as well as psychological “tunnel vision.” Cross-training helps to improve your riding and practice elements of riding that are difficult to practice just by riding. For example: if you tend to sit heavy in the left seat because your right hip is tight, it’s easier to fix that in Pilates than it is in the saddle; if you struggle with a lack of confidence, it’s easier to work on that waving a sword than it is with your horse; if you struggle with feel and rhythm, it’s easier to work on that dancing with a good dance partner who can give you verbal feedback than it is with a horse that is mute. Even if you don’t pursue these things all the time, once or twice a month can help. However, if you can add some cross-training to your riding, you’ll find that you make much more progress in much less time, and you’ll have a better understanding of riding than you might otherwise.