Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks!: The Ultimate Exercise Plan: Achieve Straightness, Suppleness, and Stamina In the Saddle Paperback – June 14, 2016

Really effective workouts using minimal equipment. I have taken my time going from one "week" to the next, as advised, since the exercises were not yet easy for me. For many, it will take longer than 9 weeks to get fit! That is not really a surprise, is it? She does a great job illustrating the exercises, so you do them right, and also explains the benefits in relation to riding horses.

Really enjoying the clear cut explanations and visuals of this book. I've tried some other rider fitness books and found them vague and focused more on working on strength and flexibility in the saddle rather than on the ground first. Does a really nice job of pointing out where stiffness in certain/weakness areas can result in inability to create/maintain the riding position your striving for and mess up communication with the horse. I'm really working on my hip flexors now.

Great book. Lots of anatomy and info about beginner toning for riding activity. Presented in a nice format. Looking forward to some winter riding after being away for over a year.Recommended as supplement to fitness for equine activity!

I’m just beginning the program and have gotten into riding after several years. So far, I love it. It does require some added equipment, but you can get it as you progress. I’ve been rebuilding my core strength and endurance. This is a huge help.

Think the description of how a rider's posture and balance impacts the horse and vice versa was spot on. She makes a lot of worthwhile points about rider fitness, why it is important, and how you can achieve it. Also think the exercises recommended were decent. But as a licensed and practicing physical therapist and a certified fitness instructor, I thought the photos depicting various exercises were in many cases lacking. For a book that is espousing the importance of posture, the people performing the exercises in the pictures provided often demonstrate poor alignment, specifically head and neck alignment. For example, when performing an exercise like the diver (can't remember what she called it in the book), you are essentially on one leg, hip flexed to 90 degrees with opposite leg extend out and in line with arms which are stretching forward, the neck should be relaxed, chin gently tucked, and in line with the rest of the spine. The person demonstrating this exercise has the neck hyperextended, or looking up. This is not only wrong, but demonstrates exactly the kind of imbalance the author is supposedly warning against while mounted.Another example is a photo where the demonstrator is in the athletic position (knees soft and flexed at the hips) but she is also hyperextending her lower back (pelvis in an anterior pelvic tilt vs. neutral), clearly not engaging her core through a brace properly, which again is something the author points out as a common problem while riding. If you don't practice proper bracing techniques while working out, it is very unlikely you will do it on the horse. Bracing is less about abdominal strength and more about neuromuscular coordination. You reinforce it in whatever you do, and if you do it incorrectly while performing exercises, you will reinforce a faulty pattern.In summary, while the ideas in this book are worthwhile, please note that the photos provided for guidance are in some cases very bad, bad enough to make a physical therapist wince and cringe. It is sad that the author didn't invest more in the photos (which in some cases were even a little blurry) as I think they are essential in books that recommend exercises. The illustrations earlier in the book were quite good. Maybe she should have stuck with illustrations or found models who had better body awareness. I suppose you can google the exercises online before performing. But when in doubt, your ears, shoulders and hips should maintain proper alignment...ALWAYS.Imagine you had a broom stick taped to your back that prevents you from either arching or rounding. If you need to look up, do so sparingly or better yet, use your eyes. Everybody makes a big deal about the core, forgetting the core also applies to the scapular stabilizers, the rotator cuff, and the deep muscles of the neck. the deep hip rotators...it's not just abs, and its not just about pelvic neutral, although that is certainly important.I bought this for my daughter, who is turning 11, and I am a little disappointed. Obviously, I can correct her, but the idea was to have something she could do on her own.

I love everything about Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks. In my opinion, Heather Sansom's book is the most important horse-riding related book since Sally Swift's Centered Riding. I have spent decades exercising my to improve physical asymmetries with sufficient success for my everyday active life style. Once I started horse-back riding however, I found my physical asymmetries prevented my pairing with my horse into the horse-person connected at our centers that Sally Swift describes. Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks is quickly changing that. I was familiar with about half of the exercises in Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks. Heather’s step-wise approach and her stretches and exercises that I was unfamiliar with are making the difference. Even my chiropractor said I am better now than in all the time he has known me. I definitely recommend this book of all riders and non-riders. My husband, a non-rider, is trying it out to his benefit as well.

This book is well written, easy to understand, and makes a lot of sense. I am still working through the 9 weeks, but I have never felt so strong. Walking and jogging are effortless. The exercises are fun and challenging. You can follow the main course, or modify exercises easier if you need, or more difficult.

This exercise is a great "starter" to a new workout regimen, especially for the equestrian, training the necessary muscles for each of the riding disciplines. If you are already an avid cross-training (not the sport itself, but multi-discipline trainer such as perhaps P90X mixed with cardio and weight training) athlete in combination with your horseback riding, skip the book and continue with full-body training. This exercise was exactly what I needed to get back into a routine and I will likely use it in the future if I "fall off the tracks" again.

Stopped riding more than 20 years ago and knew that I would remember muscles long forgotten when I started riding again. This book prevented a great deal of muscle discomfort once back in the saddle and my instructure told me 'Ok, your posture does not need working on at all!' the first day. I am a long way from riding as well as i once did but this book provided me with the means to start getting ready to even mounted a horse which gave me some confidence on that first ride. Now it is helping me build my strength. Definitely a keeper.

El libro es muy descriptivo, con muy buenos gráficos. Es un gran programa respetando la individulidad y la progresión en la preparacion del jinete

An easy to read and follow book which helps with all aspects of getting fit, inc diet and exercise.

Love this book! Clear instructions and information to make certain you understand and are following as well completing the exercises correctly. The program is very clear and helpful to build strength and stamina for riding. The anatomical diagrams are the best I have ever seen and describe exactly where and what each movement is related to. It truly is the ultimate program and book that will continue to be a valued reference in the future. Great job Heather!

Lovely book full of good illustrations and exercises. It all looks very easy to follow.All I need is the commitment to actually get started....