Horse rider fitness company RiderCise is on a mission! The aim is to raise awareness of poor rider fitness impacting the welfare of the ridden horse. RiderCise offers online rider-specific exercise programmes devised by Clare Gangadeen. Clare is a personal trainer, soft-tissue therapist and avid equestrian who is passionate about the role of riding-specific conditioning. This includes balance, mobility and core strength. Conditioning enables the rider to be safer and more responsive, but also supports the horse’s wellbeing and way of going. 

Invest in your riding fitness

There’s a lot more to getting ‘fit to ride’ than just improving your own fitness and knocking an inch off that waistline. Horse owners spend a lot of their hard-earned money every year on their equines. They are dedicated to their horse’s welling, from training gadgets and feed supplements to complementary therapies such as massage and hydrotherapy. This leaves RiderCise founder Clare Gangadeen with a key question. Why aren’t riders more in tune with the impact of their fitness on their mount? Clare comments:

“I often hear complaints about riding aches and pains after a tough lesson or a few hours hacking. I struggle to understand why riders believe that this is ‘just the way it is’. 

Equestrians are known for our ‘can do attitude’, however I don’t really think that the majority of riders understand the negative impact that riding their horse when stiff, sore and in pain can have. I truly believe that if they did, they would reconsider before getting on board. 

Rider Fitness, or rather Conditioning, doesn’t only reduce the after-riding aches and pains. It also gives you confidence and self-belief as you gain control of your body and feel stronger, more mobile, agile and responsive.” 

All riders need to be aware of their fitness in the saddle

Clare isn’t suggesting that riders don’t care about the impact of their lack of fitness on their horse. She is highlighting that many riders won’t even be aware of the connection – and on a mission to change that. Horse riding is a sport, and in other popular sports even the lowest-level amateur athletes follow training plans. They will be a mixture of strength, agility and skill training aimed at improving their ability and reducing the severity of injuries that can occur when participating. Clare’s vision is that all riders, from leisure riders to professional riders and trainers, become aware of the role of rider fitness on the welfare of their horse, and incorporate rider fitness into their routine. 

Clare’s unique combination of professional expertise and the desire to help riders improve their fitness led her to create RiderCise. RiderCise offers a series of accessible online fitness programmes targeted solely at the horse rider. Ridercise exercises can be done anywhere and at any time of day, making them work around horse commitments. The programmes are exceptionally good value for money too. A 6-week programme costs less than two personal training sessions, and they don’t require lots of expensive gym equipment. Is it time for you to get fit to ride?

Take a look around by visiting the RiderCise website: