The Freelance Groom
The other day I got chatting to Beverley and I was very interested to hear what she has been up to during the lock down and what business changes she is making. This is what she said:
My name is Beverley Eatten & I am ‘The Freelance Groom’.
My business mainly involves the daily running of private establishments, caring for competition horses, travelling to competitions and exercising horses for my clients.
However, in 2017 I completed my Level 3 Personal Trainer course. I got insured & set up a small community to help women gain confidence and enjoy moving their bodies.
I have always had a passion for horses, but in July 2019 I left my full time position on a beautiful dressage establishment after 2 years to pursue my personal training career.
It seemed that no matter how busy I became with this new career, I was being drawn back into the equine industry, I just needed to be around horses! This was when I had my ‘lightbulb moment’… equestrian fitness!
I noticed how much money and time people were spending on making sure their horses were in tip-top condition, but completely forgetting about themselves.
Equestrianism is a sport. It doesn’t matter whether you’re riding at Grand Prix & travelling Europe or just doing the occasional Prelim 5 miles down the road. As a rider you have the ability to get the upmost best performance out of your horse, but you also have the ability to negatively affect your horse’s way of going.
Equestrian fitness is about being fit for purpose
Equestrian fitness improves balance, straightness, flexibility & strength in specific muscle groups. A lot of riders I work with are one sided, in some cases this is very slight, in others it is more noticeable, either way it always has a negative impact on the horses.
I myself used to be one sided, I took it upon myself to work on my weaker side and become more symmetrical, since doing so and becoming a more effective rider, I have had multiple opportunities to take on some incredible rides and help others in the process. 
I offer 1:1 sessions, this is either via live online training or physical access. During this current pandemic all clients have been training online with me.
I also offer small groups (up to 3 people) and in the near future I hope to be able to run rider retreats.
My top tips for rider fitness;
- Stretching – something we all forget to do. We can’t expect our horses to be supple if we are not supple ourselves. The main areas of focus are the lower back, glutes and hamstrings.
- Variation – as a rider we need strength, stamina, balance, coordination, flexibility. So try new things, such as, yoga, boxing & swimming as well as focusing on your weaknesses as a rider.
- Be Equal – if you are not equal in your body, you can’t expect your horse to be equal. Therefore we need to strengthen the weak muscles, for example; if your right glute is more dominant than your left, you need to work on the left glute more to equal them out. When you even out, your horse will too.
- Rest – there is no point in training to become a better rider if when it comes to riding you are too tired and too sore.
- Be patient – the same with when we train our horses, it has to be gradual and over time, so don’t rush it.”
If you would like to contact Beverley here are her contact details:
Instagram: The Freelance Groom
website: The Freelance Groom
email: beverley@thefreelancegroom.co.uk
mobile: 07553 526 226
*Disclaimer: Due to the current Coronavirus outbreak all images from this blog have been kindly submitted by Beverly.
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