Make the most of winter training

Some of our BE Accredited Coaches share their top training tips to help you make the most of the break in the competition season.

Analyse video footage

Watching video footage of yourself both training at home and in competition can be extremely beneficial; it will enable you to see where you are going wrong – and, importantly, what you are doing right.

Iron out weaknesses

Making major changes, including introducing new movements or ironing out bad habits, shouldn’t be left until the last minute which can affect a partnership’s confidence before a competition. Give you and your horse time to work on these areas before the start of the new season.

Work on your fitness

You don’t want to make big changes during the season that could affect your performance. During the winter, however, is the ideal time to experiment – whether it’s taking up a new form of exercise or stepping up your existing programme. Make a note every day of your resting heart rate, mood, general muscle soreness, energy levels, training and any notes. That way, if things start to go badly, you can identify a pattern or cause. Re-assess your progress every four to six weeks.

Go eventing

The BE winter series – Baileys Arena Eventing and Jump Training – is one of the best ways to blow away the pre-season cobwebs. It allows you to get your eye in over show jumps and cross country type fences and receive expert feedback on your jumping skills.

Recreate a competition environment

If you can’t compete as much as you would like, regularly putting yourself in a position where you are riding under pressure at home will allow you to be better prepared come the beginning of the season.

Sign up to British Eventing courses

The British Eventing-run winter training clinics are a brilliant way to hone your skills in all three disciplines and give yourself the best possible preparation for the season ahead. Find courses near you HERE.

Plan for next season

Planning ahead is crucial no matter what level you compete at. What would you like your end goal to be, which competitions should you attend and decide on a training schedules. And write it all down!

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