My first trip to the Kentucky Horse Park was a complete spur of the moment. My husband & I had been on a pretty long road trip visiting friends & family in several different states. We were at our last stop on the way home, and I realized that cross country at Rolex was in a day and a half. So being the amazing hubby that he is, he agreed to detour 12 hours to Kentucky just in time for XC day instead of getting home a couple days early.
Serious husband bonus points for that move.
We arrived in the evening on Friday and no one was to be found anywhere so we went out and walked the course. And yes, NOW I know you’re not supposed to do that, but this was YEARS ago and we didn’t know. As we were walking the course one of the riders passed us wearing jogging clothes and head phones. He ran the entire course on foot. Cue Chariots of Fire…….
I was in awe.
All I could think was…………..
1. If I had XC at Rolex the next day, I would be somewhere vomiting not “jogging” around the course.
2. (At the time) I couldn’t run from one jump to the next without needing an oxygen tent, let alone the entire course. I decided being able to run my XC course on foot was a very LOFTY but worthwhile goal. I saw it some where up there with actually riding in Rolex one day. Something to be dreamed of, but very possibly unattainable.
And what I’ve learned since that day about a decade ago, is success in this sport has a lot more to do with fitness than I ever imagined.
If you’re so tired after walking your course that you can’t kick your horse when needed…………things don’t go well.
If you’re struggling to keep your gallop position at the end of the course because your legs have given out, where is the extra “gitterdone” going to come from when your horse spooks at the last combination?
I saw a girl gallop around her first 1* clean and then stop at the last fence…. TWICE…… because she flat ran out of steam and could barely sit up or keep her leg on.
I would ride courses and barely remember the instructions I got on the course walk. Half the time if I did remember what I was supposed to do, I couldn’t actually do it.
I couldn’t sit up and get way back in the tack to jump into the water because I didn’t have the core body strength to do it. Not because I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.
If the coach asked what striding I got in the combinations I had no idea. I always thought it was because I was scared……. how was I supposed to remember striding when all I was trying to do was breathe and stay on top???
Well……. part of that was right. The reason I had to concentrate so hard on breathing was because I was an unfit sloth.
I couldn’t remember things because all the oxygen was headed to my legs to stay on and there wasn’t enough left over to run any extra brain cells.
Fast forward to today, 7 months after I started my working student gig and a few months after I was told point blank “you need to go to the gym.” So I’ve been going. And I’ve been getting ready to run the 5K at Rolex again.
Actually, let’s back up to Thursday. I did my course walk with the fearless leader, and I wore my running clothes. The challenge was on. Even The Ninja was ready to run the course.
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I walked the course. And then I ran it. And then I ran back to the stables, which were REALLY far away. Then I lapped the stabling twice to get to 5K.
And that’s when I realized that I did it. All those years ago when I thought that Rolex rider was a superstar because he could run his 4K course. And I just ran 5…………
Then today I rode two cross country courses, and not only was I able to get up in the tack and down in the tack when I needed. I remembered all the instructions from the course walk, implemented them and was able to give an accurate “after action report” about how many strides I got where and exactly how things went.
That’s when I realized that so much of my former Bad Eventer-ness
was actually
my complete and total lack of fitness.
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I find that my confidence is very tied in with my fitness. Straight up scared when I'm worried about staying on.
yes, so glad you posted this. Been following you for years. Fitness of both horse and rider so key to safe and fun times.
I totes need to up my fitness game too!
Any tips for gym exercises etc that you found particularly helpful in a "rider get fit" capacity vs other gym based motivations?
I think what made the biggest difference for me was cardio. Riding is plenty of core, legs, and muscle toning, but it never got my heart rate up enough to condition for the full on terror, I mean adrenalin rush that is XC. Being able to run a few miles without DYING has made a huge difference in how I feel on XC. I also do arms/back/abs so when my naughty OTTB goes into race mode I can have a fighting chance.
Preach it, sister!!
I experience the same phenomenon….
This is so true and so good and so accurate.