OTHER SPORTS
21 ways they make you a better rider
EVENT RIDER AND former rugby player Alex Bragg says his background in another sport has given him physical advantages, such as core strength and stamina, and a good mentality for eventing.
“I learnt from rugby that although you might be the guy in the front scoring the tries, you need a team behind you with the same attitude, the same sort of direction and the same goal [to succeed],” he says. “It has helped me to nurture the team behind the scenes, rather than just focusing on being an individual rider in a competition.”
Alex says it’s crucial for athletes to ensure they are sufficiently fit and prepared, whatever their sport.
“When your horse is towards the end of the course, he is fatigued, not just physically but mentally, so you need to be there for him to make the right decisions,” he says. “You cannot afford to be tired; you have to be sharp and present.”
Dressage rider Alice Oppenheimer has also seen the benefits of another sport.
Alice is training for the London Marathon, and although she says she is not a natural runner, she has noticed a positive influence on her riding.
She usually supplements her riding with cardiovascular workouts, like HIIT sessions, but she says running has built her endurance.
“Initially everything was really sore, but when I built up the fitness and got into the swing of it, it helped strengthen my hip flexors and my hamstrings,” she says. “I don’t enjoy running, I’m doing it for charity, so these benefits are a bonus.”
Alice says her experience training dressage horses has helped her accept that everyone takes to new exercises at different rates.
“When you train an individual horse they all progress at different rates, and I think it’s the same for me with marathon training,” she says.
“It’s a journey that challenges me and that’s where I think the two sports overlap in a lot of ways.”