About: About Me

ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Katie, founder of Event Rider Fitness. Horses have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, I don't remember learning to ride & I've spent of my life involved in the eventing and showjumping worlds as both a competitor & groom.

I was lucky enough to compete up to 3* level Eventing & represented Team GB at the Pony European Championships, winning Team Silver and finishing 6th individually. Horses are a huge part of my life & you can find me riding everyday! With my first hand knowledge & experiences, I understand the physical & mental demands of Equestrian sport & know exactly how to implement a training programme around your horsey life but more importantly, I know what you need to actually see & feel the difference in your riding.

I know what it's like to juggle horses alongside everyday life, to chase goals that matter to you & understand just how much our own bodies influence the way we ride & how we show up for not just ourselves, but our horses too. For as long as I can remember I have been a bit of a fitness fanatic, long-distance running & hockey teams were my love in my school years, alongside the horses and today I train pretty much everyday.

I've been lucky enough to experience London Marathon twice, Amsterdam & Manchester Marathon before discovering my love for strength training and triathlon alongside some crazy challenges like an MMA fight. I've always enjoyed challenging myself physically but more than anything I love the way training makes you feel & the confidence it builds.

My journey with fitness hasn't always been a healthy one however. In my teenage years I struggled with an eating disorder and believed that being lighter would automatically make me a better rider. Looking back now, I realise how much that mindset held me back not just physically, but mentally too. As I got better I re discovered my love for what my body could do for me on & off horses & when I found strength training, that was when things really changed.

I firmly believe riders do not need to become smaller to perform better. I believe they need to become stronger, more capable and more confident. That's the philosophy behind the way I coach & everything I now do. Event Rider Fitness was created because I saw a big gap in the equestrian world but also because I discovered I could combine the love I have for fitness with the love I'd always had for the horses & make sure no other Equestrian women spent years making the same mistakes I did.

We invest so much time, money & effort into making sure our horses are fit, strong & prepared to perform at their absolute best yet so many riders don't even think about giving their own bodies the same level of care & attention. We accept feeling exhausted halfway through a lesson, struggling to hold our position, lacking confidence & just trying to "get on with it" believing that riding alone is enough but it doesn't have to be that way. When your body becomes stronger, your riding changes & your horse notices it too.

You become better balanced, more stable, more effective with your aids and more confident in & out of the saddle. Most importantly, you can get back to enjoying your riding knowing you're back doing the very best for your horse & finally prioritising yourself. I've dedicated my career since 2018 to helping female equestrians of all levels & disciplines achieve exactly that so they can get back to making the most out of every day. Equestrianism can be a tough sport & I am committed to helping all levels & abilities of riders to improve their fitness levels & performance that leads to results improving & getting those wins!

Whether someone is starting their fitness journey for the first time, preparing for their next competition season or simply wants to feel stronger every time they ride, my coaching is built around 1 simple principle, helping riders become stronger athletes so they can be the rider they want loving their time with the horses & feeling confident again.

Because fitness isn't about spending hours in the gym or chasing the perfect body. It's about giving yourself the strength, confidence and resilience to enjoy every ride, every part of your life and feel your best knowing you're doing your horse justice.

I am a firm believer if we treat our horses like athletes then why not ourselves?

An absolutely tragic weekend for the whole Equestrian community 💔💔💔

A complete shock & tragedy & all of my thoughts go to the riders, their family & all connections. I can’t even imagine how they must feel.

It’s been an absolute shock & sadly it’s a reminder just how precious every single moment of life can be❤️❤️

A stark reminder that tomorrow is never guaranteed, make the best of every moment & the most out of every day because who knows what tomorrow will bring.

My heart goes out to all of those affected by these tragedies. I know I gave my horses a tighter hug than ever ❤️❤️Spend your time doing what you love, with who you love & be grateful for every moment you get 💔💔

#equestrians #eventing

If your horse was lame what would you do?

Would you just give him bute & carry on?

I’d imagine the vast majority of riders would answer that with a resounding no.

Most wouldn't dream of it.

Yet when it comes to ourselves, so many riders do just that.

A 2018 study found that 96% of event riders experienced pain during & after competing.

What shocked me the most wasn’t that.

It’s the way riders cope with pain.

96% relied on pain medication, while 19% had physiotherapy.

And this isn’t unique to Eventing where this attitude of carry on & use painkillers comes in.

In a separate study 74% of dressage riders reported being in pain whilst riding.

69% self medicated & only 18% used physio to help.

A separate study into showjumping found 85% of showjumpers experienced back & neck pain when riding.

76% of these used some form of medication to cope.

Interestingly 47% of show jumpers had physio & 25% did their own exercise programme to help.

The issue is, we seem to have this mindset as Equestrians that pain is just something to “put up with”

We’ve normalised rider pain.

It’s become something we just carry on through.

I’m not suggesting we all stop riding when something hurts but painkillers have a place.

They can be appropriate but they are NOT a long term solution for riders in pain.

Pain is a signal from your body.

In the Eventing study the mean age of participants was 32. Yes 32 not 52.

If you feel like that in your 30’s how do you think you’ll feel riding in your 60’s?

If you're stronger on one side than the other, lacking the strength to cope with the demands of riding, have movement restrictions or an old injury that never fully recovered, painkillers won't fix the underlying cause.

I’m not suggesting we never use painkillers but if you’re using them to keep training & competing, it’s worth asking why. Because it’s not a long term strategy for a healthy or well rider.

You need to understand why you’re in pain & the cause.

Riders are tough & hugely resilient & it’s to be admired.

But riding & “putting up” with pain shouldn't be a badge of honour.

Just like our horses, we have one body, look after it

#equestrian

Tight hips don’t just leave riders feeling stiff…they affect HOW you can move in the saddle & what your horse feels 🏇🏇

When Equestrians don’t have enough range of motion through the hips our body will try to find that movement from somewhere else to compensate & often?

That ends up being your lower back ❌

Not what you want.

That’s where exercises like the Good Morning come in & help you to improve your hip range but also start loading your glutes so they finally start working for you 👌👌

Improving tight hips isn’t just about stretching ❌

Good Mornings are great for;

🏇Strengthening your glutes
🏇Teaching you to hip hinge
🏇Building mobility & strength within your safe range

Don’t chase getting lower here, work with YOUR range of motion & as your strength & mobility improves so will your movement 👌👌

Give this a save & start adding these into your own training days. ☑️

For more Rider Specific Training that actually helps you to ride better & help your horse comment ME below and I’ll share my FREE 30 Days Coaching Series with you ⬇️⬇️⬇️

#equestrianfitness #eventing #showjumper #dressage #horseygirl

64, running 23 minute 5ks, moving better than ever, consistently strength training & riding with more confidence, better balance & posture 🙌🏼🏇💯

I hear female Equestrians all of the time saying, I’ve left it too late or I’m too old to make a difference now & that is simply NOT true ❌

This absolute rockstar has been working with me in Ride Strong for 2 years now & she is stronger & fitter than ever 💪💪

And it shows in her riding & the confidence she can give her horse 💯🏇

Like any rider over the years she’s had her fair share of falls, some really bad injuries & that dented her confidence in her riding and what her body could do a lot.

But she realised if she still wanted to be riding at her best, enjoying the horses & making the most of every day she needed to prioritise her own training too & that’s exactly what she’s done.

When she started she’d never strength trained
She wasn’t a runner
She didn’t have her own consistent training

And in 2 years she’s transformed all of that 👌🙌🏼🏇

If anyone tells you age is a limiter, don’t listen because this lady proves that age is simply just a number, no more than that.

Consistency, structure, hard work & support is all you need & the belief you can do this 💪💪

Spaces are available now inside the 1-2-1 coaching programmes at ERF, if you’d like more info DM or comment RIDE below ⬇️

Because at the end of the day this is what it’s all about it right?

Protecting your body so you can keep riding in your 60s, 70s and long beyond 🙌🏼🙌🏼

#equestrianfitness #equestrianrider #horseriderfitness #dressage #happyhacking

Event Rider Fitness has had a serious glow up 🥳🥳👌👌🏇🏇

I was doing a little investigating the other day & realised that my website was incredibly out of date 🤦🏼‍♀️I’ve been magically expecting you to know how ERF works & then I realised my website didn’t even show you so my bad big time…but the glow up is no here & hopefully makes things super clear 🙌🏼🏇

There are 3 ways to work with me with in ERF…

🏇FIRST STRIDE
3 x 30 minute rider specific home sessions each week. The perfect start for Equestrian women who are new to their own fitness training or wanting to regain a routine, time short & need a plan to follow ☑️

It’s an 8 week group coaching programme & its £99

🏇RIDE STRONG
The first level of 1-2-1 coaching working directly with me everyday. Rider specific strength & conditioning with weekly check ins, daily access to me, training feedback & much more.

Perfect for Equestrians who want a more personalised approach. £40 per week.

🏇PERFORM
My fully bespoke Equestrian training programme. Your programme is entirely built around YOU, your goals, injuries, your life & your horse.

This is ideal for any rider who wants a fully personalised experience & are serious about results

You can join First Stride & Ride Strong directly through my website now 🥳

If you’re interested in Perform, you need to apply so I can make sure it’s the right fit for you.

If you’re interested in finding out more head to the “Find My Programme” page where each is explained in more detail, you can find the link in my bio.

ERF is for Equesteian females of all disciplines & levels to get you back riding at your best 💯

If you’d like to chat about which programme might be best for you or want any further info then DM me and let’s chat 👌👌🏇🏇

#equestrianfitness #horseriderfitness #eventing #dressage #showjumping

Unpopular opinion incoming…between doing my own horses & working this weekend I was watching Aston International.

And if I’m completely honest what I was seeing from riders simply wasn’t good enough.

Everyone’s been getting advice on Facebook whilst it’s been 33 degrees whether they should be out competing or not.

Is it too much for my horse?

I don’t know if he’s fit enough.

Whilst it’s hotter. Harder ground. Galloping across the country, your horse is having to work harder.

And honestly?

The majority of riders I watched in the Novice couldn’t hold a 2-point seat at all, let alone for the full 5 mins & stay off their horses back.

Not every rider, but the vast majority couldn’t.

Before anyone comes at me, this is not an attack on eventing.

I love this sport. I’ve competed alot. Eventing is my blood.

I understand the work that goes into getting a horse fit to run cross country safely especially in this heat.

But when Equestrian sports are under huge scrutiny we, as riders, need to do better.

And that’s exactly why I think we need to talk MORE about rider fitness & physical capability too.

I spent a hugely inspiring day at Hartpury this week listening to research all about the female equestrian athlete & 1 point has really stayed in my head.

Horses work harder when we ride them.

(Obviously)

But actually think about that for a second.

We obsess over their fitness.

Their weight.
Their recovery.
Their soundness.
Their workload.

Yet, when the conversation turns to rider fitness, it’s treated as an optional extra or something to do “if you get time”.

Many riders joke about not “having enough steam” but it’s not a joke.

I’m not saying every rider needs to be a full time gym goer.

Or train like an elite Tennis player.

But I do think we need to be honest.

Because we can do better.

Alot better.

If you don’t have the strength to support your own body, your horse is certainly going to be picking up the slack & working harder.

Rider fitness isn’t just about better performance.

It’s a horse welfare conversation.

And it should be.

Maybe we’re not talking about it enough as watching 2 hours + of XC I think we can do better

#eventinglife

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