Ride Fit Blog

You’re STUCK! You just can’t seem to get the timing for that flying change right, you can’t seem to quite make that jump from First Level to Second Level, you can’t quite see the striding for a 3′ course, but you can jump 2’6″ just fine, or you just can’t stop feeling anxious about the canter […]

At a Ridefit clinic I taught recently, one of the riders was a fit and flexible woman who regularly participates in ballet classes. Her balance on the ground is highly developed, and so I expected her balance on her horse to be equally impressive. Yet, her balance on her horse simply did not measure up to […]

We all get sidelined from riding, from time to time. Whether it’s because our horse is on the DL, or life happenings coming to bear, we all have those times when we are unable to ride due to circumstances beyond our control. During one such layup, I remember thinking that if I just had 2 […]

Do you suffer from tight hamstrings? It has been well established in the medical community that tight hamstrings are a primary contributor to low back pain. So, it’s critically important for riders to address these tight hamstrings and build greater mobility into our lower bodies.   Let’s take a look at why tight hamstrings can present […]

Yoga, spinning, Pilates, CrossFit®, P90X®, Zoomba®, the Bar Method, POUND… there are as many fitness programs and fads in the world as there are people to use them. Each one has its unique appeal and touted benefit, though all provide essentially the same underlying benefit – they challenge the body’s habituated movement patterns, develop muscular […]

Ridefit 90-Day Rider Team Challenge   Get fit, ride better, and win great prizes all at the same time!   How it works: You and at least two of your fellow students (with the same riding instructor/trainer) can challenge each other to see who can earn the title “Most Improved Rider” by signing up for […]

  “I’m a professional, so I stay fit by riding all day.” “Between feeding, cleaning stalls, turning out horses, blanketing, grooming, bucking hay & shavings, and working around the farm all day, I stay plenty fit.” “I take lessons to ride better and get more fit.” “I play recreational sports on the weekends, and that […]

If you are one of the millions of people who don’t get enough fresh food in their diet, especially fresh vegetables, this smoothie will be a game changer for you. It may even save your life! Revolutionize your health, with this vitamin and nutrient packed smoothie: Revolution Smoothie 1 oz Univera Xtra concentrate 3 oz […]

Do you have as much energy as you would like? Have you ever thought that if only you had a little more energy, your life would be different? Do you find that you can’t wake up in the morning without a cup of coffee? Do you work during the day and by the time you […]

What would you say if I told you “Your body rides better than you do!”? You might say, “Say what?! How can my body ride better than I do? That’s silly. I *am* my body, aren’t I?” Well, let’s take a look at it, shall we? First, for clarity, let’s define a few different mental […]

Are you a “balanced” rider? Have you ever gotten left behind or fallen forward when your horse changed gears suddenly or unexpectedly (or expectedly)? Have you ever been told that you are sitting or leaning to one side or the other, or have trouble with uneven stirrup leathers? Gotten “jumped” out of the saddle? Then […]

My job as an equestrian fitness trainer is to do more than just make a rider more physically fit. It’s also to make the rider’s body more balanced, more stable, more mobile, and more athletic. To understand exactly what that means, read last week’s post. This week’s post is all about what happens when the […]

We’ve all seen them: those beautiful riders that just seem to naturally “flow” with the horse. It seems to require no effort for them to stay perfectly balanced on top of big moving horses and over crazy jumps that everyone else struggles with, making it look easy. Their horses never seem to fall on their […]

What’s stopping you from reaching your riding goals? Tammy Prevo, creator of the Ridefit fitness program for riders, talks about how you can improve your riding despite some common limitations faced by many riders. You don’t have to stay stuck, even if you can’t ride regularly!

Every horse is naturally somewhat asymmetrical, and as riders we are always working to help the horse become more symmetrical in its own body. But, what about our own body? Are you actively working to make yourself more symmetrical, or are you unwittingly making your natural asymmetry worse? Find out as Tammy Prevo, creator of […]

Does working hard at barn chores make you fit enough for riding? Find out why you may not be doing yourself or your horse a service by limiting yourself to just barn chores for exercise!

After being heavily involved in riding and training horses for more than 30 years, I have long noticed a disturbing trend: when it comes to the horse’s health, we horse people will do just about anything – suffer any inconvenience, pay any price, use any equine specialist, buy any hay/grain/supplement, special saddle pad, saddle, boots, […]

According to the US Department of Health, 75-80% of all adults will experience back pain. Indeed, low back pain is the leading cause of disability in adults under age 45.(1) Due to the concussive forces inherent to riding and the potential for falls from height, equestrians are particularly susceptible to back pain and injuries. Incorrect […]

Through the years I have often heard that the only way to become a better rider is to ride more. I never questioned that statement, because it seemed completely logical and rang of truth. However, as an amateur rider with a full-time corporate job, home and family to care for, and struggling just to have […]

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