Why Doesn’t Riding Have An Athletic Culture? Embracing Rider Wellness with Ifa Simmonds

When you go to a horse show, you can see riders diligently warming up their horses prior to competition, making sure their partner is both mentally and physically ready for the task ahead. But you rarely (if ever) see those same riders warming themselves up before they mount up, making sure they are just as prepared. Why is there such a vast disconnect between horse preparation and wellness  and rider self-care, and how is it affecting our sport? 

On today’s podcast, Caroline is joined by Ifa Simmonds of Ifa Fit. Ifa’s Equestrian Fitness Academy (EFA) is a holistic online program with categorized fitness training, nutrition, and mindset programs geared to improve riders from the inside out. The program's signature system helps riders in the 4 pillars equestrians often look to improve upon (Stability, Suppleness, Strength & Stamina). He also believes in a holistic approach to fitness - not just lunges and crunches. 

In their wide-reaching, thoughtful discussion, Caroline and Ifa touch on many topics around fitness and wellness in the equestrian world, including:

• What it truly means to be an “Athlete” - and how to determine if you are one (or not)

• If there is an Athlete’s Culture in equestrian sport (or not)

• The concept of “wellness” and what it fully means

• Consistency, and how to use it effectively

• The difference between intention and action, and how it affects our riding

• Habits, and how early adoption can help ingrain helpful ones (and not-so-helpful ones!)

• Trigger warning - body weight, and how Ifa feels it does or doesn’t correlate to performance

• Rest, recovery, and how to think about both as part of your overall performance and fitness