“You’re just sitting there!”: why a rider is needed in equestrian sport and what kind of work he does

It is not uncommon in everyday life for an equestrian athlete to hear the phrase: “You just sit there and the horse does everything for you!”. And not only hear it, but also read it in an article or a post on social networks. Now we will analyze why equestrian sport is a sport and what is the job of a rider.

To do several tasks at once

A rider must be ready to do several tasks in parallel. For example, when he works with a horse in the arena, where there can be more than four pairs at the same time, he must be able to coordinate in order not to interfere with others. At the same time – not to lose control of the horse.

Athletes must control every movement of the horse, which weighs about 500 kilograms, when it gallops from one barrier to another. And this is not an easy task.

Thinking strategically and making quick decisions

Working with a horse is not only about control, but also about thinking strategically and making decisions quickly. In show jumping competitions, riders are given time to study the course before they go out to perform. They go through it not to be horrified by the height of the obstacles they will have to overcome, but to build a path between the barriers and calculate the distance.

The rider has to estimate every corner where they can cut and realize where it is dangerous to do so, with their feet they estimate the number of gallops of the horse: 3.5-4 human steps equals one gallop. They also estimate at what angle it is better to approach the barrier.

In addition, athletes think through several plans, because at any moment something can go wrong. You need to be able to quickly change from plan A to plan B to keep yourself and your horse safe.

Have good physical fitness

Many of those who are not involved in equestrian sports think that getting on a horse and “jumping off” a route is commonplace. Of course, an equestrian athlete is offended to hear such statements in his address, as it requires a long and painstaking work on himself. Even an amateur level rider knows that after an ordinary training session not only his hands, but also his legs and back will be sore.

In equestrian sport, as well as, for example, in soccer, physical preparation is very important. During riding many muscle groups are involved: legs, arms, back and even the pelvis. And to perform even at the amateur level, you need to be physically strong. A lot of professional athletes even after working with a lot of heads (that’s what they call horses), in their free time from the stable can devote a few hours to training in the gym.

Dealing with moral obstacles

Riders are not only strong physically, but also mentally. For them, life at the stables is routine. They arrive early in the morning and spend their time chipping the stalls, feeding the horses, and grooming them. Then they prepare the arena for training and make a route. And then they have to clean up afterwards. In such a situation the phrase: “If you like to ride, you like to drive a sled” is suitable. Riders go home, as a rule, after the horse’s dinner.

It often happens that a rider comes home and because of unsuccessful training sheds a lot of tears, his hands are down, it seems that everything is against you and you want to quit the sport. Unfulfilled dreams and injuries happen much more often than victories at tournaments. And the career of an athlete builds long enough, it can take several years, because the preparation of a pair of rider-horse to perform at the top tournaments is a lot of work.

But still everyone should know: to achieve something, you need to spend a lot of effort and patience – the result will come to the one who earned it with sweat, blood and tears! And only thanks to his determination an athlete can taste a worthy victory.