Endurance Riding Optimized: Horse & Rider Readiness for the Long Game
Want to get started in endurance riding, move up in distance, and keep riding for years to come? Endurance Riding Optimized is about whole-horse, whole-rider readiness for the distance trail.
Join endurance rider, personal trainer, and nutrition coach Tamara Baysinger of The Sweaty Equestrian for practical episodes about conditioning your endurance horse, preparing for your first LD, 50-mile ride, improving rider fitness, navigating ride camp and vet checks, solving common training challenges, moving up to 100's, and building the skills and experience that help horse and rider succeed at distance riding.
If you’ve wondered How do I get started in endurance riding? How do I condition my horse for endurance? Are we ready for our first ride or to move up in distance? How fit do I need to be as a rider? How can I ride longer without getting tired? or How can I keep endurance riding as I get older?—then hit that "subscribe" button and come along for the ride.
Episodes
43 episodes
Ep34 - Strategies for Slowing Down at the Start of an Endurance Ride
Links:The start of an endurance ride is challenging for many riders, especially when their horses want to go too fast. In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger - aka The Sweaty Equestrian - shares a combinat...
Ep33 - Chilled-Out Conditioning for Type A Endurance Riders
How much conditioning does your horse really need to get ready for endurance riding? In this episode, personal trainer and endurance rider Tamara Baysinger - aka The Sweaty Equestrian - explains why newer endurance horses benefit from a simple ...
Ep32 - Introducing: Endurance Riding Optimized
Exciting changes are coming to the podcast! In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger shares why Equestrian Fitness for the Long Ride is expanding to become Endurance Riding Optimized. Get a heads-up on what to expe...
Ep31 - Endurance Riding is More About Endurance Than Riding
Do you want to ride Tevis someday? Or ride your first 50? Or pursue some other big riding or personal fitness goal? In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger challenges you to balance that big dream with the mundane...
Ep30 - Will This Belief Limit Your Performance at Your Next Endurance Ride?
This is not a good time to start a rider fitness program...or is it? Speaking from experience, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger, aka The Sweaty Equestrian, challenges the common assumption that there's no point starting a f...
Ep29 - You Can Ride Longer Without Getting Tired
Tired of getting tired on long rides with your horse? You can actually train your body to use fuel more efficiently, so you have the energy to stay in the saddle longer. In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger, ak...
Ep28 - Why I Can Eat Junk Food at an Endurance Ride (and So Can You)
Why can some riders miss a few workouts or eat the occasional junk meal without losing progress, while others feel the effects immediately? Endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger explains metabolic flexibility: your body’s abilit...
Ep27 - Highs, Lows, and Lessons at the Midnight Rider Endurance Ride
It's story time! Endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger shares the highs, lows, and lessons learned from her horse's second 50-mile endurance ride at the Midnight Rider Endurance Ride.
Ep26 - What is the Best Kind of Exercise for Equestrians?
With so many fitness options out there, it’s easy for riders to wonder: What is the best kind of exercise for equestrians?In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger breaks down the benefits and shortcomings of...
Ep25 - How Will Taking a GLP-1 Affect My Distance Riding?
Are GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound a good idea for equestrians? In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger takes a balanced look at GLP-1s for riders: when they may be helpful, why they ar...
Ep24 - What to Do When the Farm Work Isn't Working Anymore
Are farm chores and riding no longer keeping you as strong, lean, and energetic as they used to? In this episode of Equestrian Fitness for the Long Ride, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger talks about why active hors...
Ep23 How Electrolytes for the Rider Help You Support Your Horse on the Endurance Trail
Is fatigue or brain fog interfering with your ability enjoy your horse time this summer? There may be a simple solution: Electrolytes. Active riders - especially those who eat a healthy diet - may need more sodium, potassium, and magnesium than...
Ep22 My New Horse's First Endurance Ride
In this episode of Equestrian Fitness for the Long Ride, personal trainer and endurance rider Tamara Baysinger shares the story of her new horse’s first endurance ride — from the nerves and preparation to the surprises, lessons, and li...
Ep21 The #1 Supplement Every Equestrian Should Consider
We all know that horseback riding carries a serious risk of concussion and head trauma. But has anyone told you about an inexpensive, well-researched supplement that can mitigate the impact of TBI? Listen in as endurance rider, personal trainer...
Ep20 How to Improve Your Riding in 90 Minutes a Week
Can you really improve your riding in just 90 minutes a week? In this episode, personal trainer and endurance rider Tamara Baysinger of The Sweaty Equestrian breaks down how intentional, out-of-saddle rider fitness can help equestrians b...
Ep19 How to Prepare Your Body for Hot Summer Endurance Rides
Hot weather can affect your performance, focus, safety, and stamina at any equestrian event — not just your horse’s. In this episode of Equestrian Fitness for the Long Ride, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger explain...
Ep18 - The 5 Phases of Rider Fitness
Which phase of rider fitness are you in right now? In this episode of Equestrian Fitness for the Long Ride, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger introduces the 5 phases of rider fitness — from “I don’t need that...
Ep17 One Guaranteed Way Riders Can Improve Bone Density
In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger talks about why bone density matters so much for riders—especially women. Because equestrians face a higher risk of fractures from falls and other horse-related, protecting ...
Ep16 The #1 Reason for Rider Fitness Failure (and How to Avoid It)
Everybody knows it's hard to stick to a fitness program, and equestrians are no different. But why? In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger, aka The Sweaty Equestrian, shares the most common reason riders fall off...
Ep15 - How to Get Back Into Your Rider Fitness Routine After a Break
Getting back into a rider fitness routine after a break can feel surprisingly hard, whether the disruption came from travel, horse events, injury, or everyday busyness. In this episode, personal trainer and endurance rider Tamara Baysinger expl...
Ep14 Three Questions to Redefine Success in the Face of Failure
In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger, aka The Sweaty Equestrian, shares a real-life look at what it means to redefine success when setbacks threaten our goals. With spring goals shifting for both her own traini...
Ep13 Injured, Not Helpless, Part 2 - How Riders Can Rebuild Confidence and Find Joy While Healing
A riding injury affects more than your body. It can shake confidence, bring up fear and frustration, and leave you feeling unlike yourself. In this episode, rider fitness coach Tamara Baysinger, aka The Sweaty Equestrian, explores the mental si...
Ep12 Injured, Not Helpless - Part 1: How Riders Can Maintain Fitness While Healing
A riding injury can make it feel like your progress, plans, and confidence are all on hold. But injured does not have to mean helpless! In this episode, rider fitness coach Tamara Baysinger, aka The Sweaty Equestrian, explores how riders can pr...
Ep11 What if "Rider Fitness" Isn't the Best Way to Build Rider Fitness?
What if "rider fitness" isn't the best way to build rider fitness? In this episode, endurance rider and personal trainer Tamara Baysinger - aka The Sweaty Equestrian - tackles a question many riders ask: Where should I start with rider fitness?...
Ep10 How Does Wear and Tear Arthritis Affect Rider Fitness?
Have you been told your joints are showing wear and tear? Osteoarthritis - especially in the back, hips, and knees - is a daunting specter for riders. We need those joints to ride our horses well! Does a diagnosis of OA mean we should ease off ...