by Shelley Thomas | May 2, 2022 | equestrian, fitness
In my last two blog posts HERE and HERE, I’ve been talking about mobility, control, and load with riders. These are important elements to have in equestrian fitness programs to get your body ready to perform at its best. These same principles apply to horses. We need... 
by Shelley Thomas | Apr 25, 2022 | equestrian, fitness
I feel like hip flexors are often demonized as a rider’s worst enemy. There are so many articles/blogs/social media posts that blame tight hip flexors as the reason riders have hip restrictions which lead to stiffness and tension on a horse. I’d like to dive into this... 
by Shelley Thomas | Apr 18, 2022 | fitness
As an equestrian, you know how important it is to be fit to ride your horse, but designing an effective fitness program is challenging. Do you just lift weights? Do some cardio? Take up yoga or Pilates? Of course the answer is “it depends” because it’s based on the... 
by Shelley Thomas | May 10, 2020 | equestrian, fitness
Ankle dorsiflexion, or how much you can bend your ankle, is an important motion for riders. If you ride with shorter stirrups, such as in a jump saddle, you need to have ankle dorsiflexion to keep your heels down and stay aligned in the saddle. Your ankle also acts as... 
by Shelley Thomas | Jan 12, 2020 | competition, equestrian, fitness, goal setting
A couple of weeks ago I was at a goal setting meeting with my riding coach, Stephanie Goodman. It was a group meeting for the barn to talk about 2020 plans and longer term vision. During that meeting, people were voicing their 2020 goals and plans with their horse. At... 
by Shelley Thomas | Aug 6, 2019 | competition, core, equestrian, fitness, Uncategorized
There’s a principle in sports performance called specificity of practice. Basically, research shows that to be good at something you have to practice THAT thing. For riders that means . . . To be a good dressage rider, you have to ride dressage. To show jump well, you...
