Everyone in the Feedmark team has been cheering sponsored rider Will Furlong after his latest achievement, writes Carolyn Henderson. Super-talented Will has just completed a top event – this time, without a horse. Will finished the Brighton half-marathon and already has a full marathon in his sights. He’s proved that he’s fit for the job…and it’s making some of us feel rather guilty. How many of you, like us, have been concentrating on getting your horses fit for Spring and conveniently forgetting about your own fitness? After all, riding and looking after horses is a fitness regime in itself, isn’t it? Actually…no. It’s a nice thought, but it doesn’t work. Mucking out will help burn calories, but it won’t make you fit enough or flexible enough to be a help to your horse, unless you’re throwing in some clever moves as you shovel the you-know-what. Nor can we hang on to the idea that riding automatically makes you fit to ride, although if you have perfect flexibility and core stability, you can look away now. Still with me? That’s not surprising. If top competitors give so much dedication to their own fitness, we lesser mortals certainly need to. With riding, as with any other sport, quality means as much as quantity. If you ride every day but lack balance and suppleness, you’re riding around the same vicious circle. Practice makes perfect, but only if you’re practising in the right way. If you’re not, you’re repeating the same mistakes, which inevitably become more ingrained.
On a serious note, you owe it to yourself and your horse to be fit enough. If you’ve religiously built up his fitness and are looking forward to your first cross-country course or event – at any level – will your stamina, suppleness and reactions match his? If they won’t, you’re putting yourself and him at risk. Just imagine you’re getting near the end of the course and also getting slightly off the pace. Maybe you’re a bit out of breath; maybe you aren’t quite as balanced as when you set off. That’s when accidents happen, and horses and riders get hurt. Ah, you might be saying. I don’t need to worry, because I only hack. Wrong! You still need to be fit to ride, because you and your horse need to be in balance. So, what’s the answer? Basically, it’s finding strategies that will help you and which you also enjoy. Running and swimming are great for building cardio-vascular fitness. They don’t float my boat, mainly because my knees creak and I’m scared of water. A brisk walk and short bursts of skipping with a rope are much more fun – or maybe you agree with my treadmill-addicted friend, who watches TV while she pounds the rubber highway.
If I had to choose just one activity, though, it would be Pilates. Thanks to a horse-owning friend who is also a qualified Pilates instructor, I’ve become hooked. In fact, if it wasn’t for Pilates – and a beautifully designed saddle, which is another story - I might not be riding at all. An involuntary dismount from a startled four-year-old which saw me damage a leg ligament and hurt my back nearly retired me to the spectator lines, but Pilates helped me get back to riding. I hope you’re fit for anything this season. And if you have any tips for staying that way, we’d love to hear them – so do get in touch, either via www.feedmark.eu or through the Feedmark Facebook page.