The Importance of Cross-training

One of my favorite riders, Ingrid Klimke, is a top internationally-recognized rider in both eventing and dressage. She cross-trains all of her horses, despite what they might be bred to do or currently competing in. Even dressage phenomenon Damon Hill (who recently scored a 90.375% in his GP Freestyle)  "enjoy[ed] the days when he [did] his dressage training outdoors on the hills and [had] a lot of fun with the gymnastic jumping" (via Ingrid Klimke's website). I'm sure any horse would enjoy working outside the dressage sandbox, just as I enjoy times when I get to leave my work computer!

I wouldn't have discovered the BHB's love for dressage without cross-training! He enjoys breaking up the normal routine with training in other disciplines. The Irish Draught is bred to be a multipurpose horse, so he quite talented in other arenas. Lately, we've added quite a bit of jumping into his exercise routine to chip into the seemingly endless energy he's amounted with all of the ice days we've had in the past month. I find dressage and jumping compliment each other very well, and progressing in one of them has a positive impact on the other one. 

For instance, dressage is wonderful for creating high levels of body control/awareness in the horse (and rider), while jumping increases hind end power and helps to open the shoulders. The BHB has improved his jumping with the power and control of his hindquarters that was gained through dressage work. I find jumping to be a nice cardio workout for me, and riding in a jump saddle with short stirrups at the posting trot builds leg strength. I used to be able to out-squat most of the guys on my high school's football team thanks to the hours I spent in a jump saddle everyday. Foxhunting is great for teaching a horse to move forward, be bolder, deal with crowds, and keep balanced on any terrain. The horses gain quite a bit of stamina while foxhunting too since hunts typically last 3-4 hours and consist mostly of galloping and trotting. 

I could go on all night about the many other physical and mental benefits cross-training has on allowing a horse and rider to reach their maximum potential. But I won't. Instead, I hope that you keep your mind open to other riding opportunities that can improve your horse and your own riding.