You just found your path to
true athletic partnership with your horse
Endurance riding is your passion. The thrill, the connection, the achievement! But let’s be honest: After a long ride, it’s not just your horse who’s feeling it. But who has time to fit in fitness?
Still…the aching muscles. The stiff lower back. The fatigue that sets in well before the finish line. And deep down, the nagging worry that you might be the weak link in your partnership.
The truth is, your endurance horse is an athlete. But are you?
Endurance is a Team Sport
You know how hard your horse works. You know you can help him by riding your best from first mile to last. But let’s face it:
You’re busy. You have obligations to work and family, plus horse conditioning and care. Where does fitness fit?
You’re not sure what to do. Getting fit sounds great, in theory, but which exercises are worth your effort?
You’re not as young as you used to be. Advancing age and accumulating injury have left you discouraged. Is it too late to regain lost ground?
You struggle to stick with it. Once your motivation wanes, you tend to give up despite your best intentions.
You can get away with it. Thanks to your horse’s strength and forgiveness, you can complete rides without focusing on your own fitness…and least for now.
How does this sound?
Short, flexible workouts that fit into your schedule
The exact exercises you need to support strong, confident, pain-free distance riding
Instruction from an endurance rider who is also a NASM-certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, and educator
Support from a community of fellow endurance riders focused on building their fitness
YOU CAN ride stronger in a day ...and longer in your life.
join the wave of endurance equestrians who are changing the way they ride...for good.
Shouldn't Riding Be Enough?
The process of conditioning our horses does, indeed, make us more fit for the sport. However…
Horses don’t require as much exercise as humans do to maintain optimal fitness. Most of us – yes, even 100-mile competitors – simply don’t ride long, hard, and often enough to maximize our fitness through horse time alone.
Additionally, the very nature of riding creates muscle imbalances that must be counteracted with different fitness activities. If you work at a desk to pay your feed bill, those imbalances are only getting worse!
Most of the time, riding is not intense enough to improve cardiovascular fitness and strength beyond our current levels. This goes for daily barn chores, too.
None of us are getting younger. Unless we take action to counteract the loss of muscle and bone that comes with age, we’re accepting increased injury risk and decreased longevity on the endurance trail.
Think about it… Are you fitter now than you were six months of riding and farm chores ago?
Doing more of the same won’t lead to change. It’s time to shake things up!
Enter Essential Endurance Rider Fitness
Finally, a fitness program designed by an endurance rider, for endurance riders! This isn’t about becoming a gym rat. It’s about becoming the athletic partner your horse deserves. The 16-week Essential program is designed for distance riders who want:
- To ride long distances, in greater comfort, both now and later in life
- To be supportive partners for their horses, despite not being the “fitness type”
- A gentle introduction to personal fitness, whether for the first time or after an extended break
- The knowledge and motivation to lay the specific foundation needed to build a true equestrian athlete
- Companionship for motivation, accountability, and fun along the way
Your Journey to Full Partnership
With Essential Endurance Rider Fitness, you will:
Establish healthy habits that set you up for a lifetime of better health and horsemanship
Correct common muscle imbalances to reduce discomfort (and look better) both in and out of the saddle
Improve suppleness, balance, and core stability, contributing to reduced injury risk and better riding
Strengthen key muscle groups so you can support your horse over long miles of trail
Achieve the cardiovascular fitness to lead your horse back to camp if necessary, and trot out for the vet with ease
Transform yourself into the full athletic partner your horse deserves!
Your Essential Program Includes
SIXTEEN WEEKS of progressive cardio and strength workouts tailored specifically for distance riders
EQUESTRIAN-SPECIFIC mobility and balance routines
SHORT, FLEXIBLE WORKOUTS to fit into your busy equestrian lifestyle
TRAINER TALKS for ongoing motivation, education, and support
VIDEO COACHING demonstrations of all exercises
RIDER OPT-IN EXERCISES to integrate your increasing fitness into your endurance riding, where it counts
MINIMAL EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS so you can work out in your own home, without the time and expense of going to a commercial gym
SUPPORT & ACCOUNTABILITY from your trainer and crew of fellow fitness-focused distance riders
This Is Your Investment in Excellence
Purchase the Program
Purchase the program for $289 and it’s yours to revisit anytime. You’ll get:
- 16 weeks of progressive workouts including cardio, strength, mobility, and balance designed specifically for distance riders
- Over 100 coaching videos
- Weekly Trainer Talks for motivation and education about how your workouts relate to endurance riding
- Rider Opt-In strategies to integrate your growing fitness into the barn and saddle, where it matters most
Become a Member (Most Popular!)
Become a TSE member for as little as $38 per month and get full access to the Essential program, PLUS:
- Monthly live calls with me and fellow members
- Community in our members-only Facebook group
- Monthly challenges for motivation and fun
- Direct Q&A access to me via email and the community
- Essential Rucking Mod (cardio with NO running)
- Automatic access to upcoming resources, including my Next Level Endurance Rider Fitness program (currently under development)
Meet Your Trainer
Hi! I’m an endurance rider in the northwest region of the United States. When I was younger, general fitness kept me feeling pretty good on long rides. But when I returned to riding 100-milers in my mid-forties, I discovered it wasn’t so easy! Worse, I saw too many of my fellow endurance riders struggling to stay in the sport in the face of age and injury.
I tapped my background as a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and nutrition coach to identify the exact strength, mobility, and cardiovascular fitness that endurance riders need to go the distance. Putting them into practice launched my game to a whole new level.
Now, I’m sharing my program with you. Together, we can optimize our endurance riding experience even in the face of advancing age and accumulated injuries.
I hope you’ll join me and your fellow riders on this life-changing journey through a unique fitness program especially for you and your distance horse.
~ Tamara Baysinger
FAQ About Essential Endurance Rider Fitness
The Essential program is designed for active and aspiring distance riders who wish to ride longer, in greater comfort, while properly supporting their equine partners. If you’re committed to changing your distance riding experience for the better, this is the program for you!
The program is appropriate for personal-fitness beginners and riders returning to the saddle after injury or illness (with your doctor’s permission, of course). It is perfect for maintaining or regaining the physical ability to ride long distances as you age.
If you want to maintain your status quo, simply doing your regular rides and barn chores, this program is NOT for you. If you’re ready to up your endurance game and make progress with purpose, you are in the right place!
If you are currently able to ride and perform the basic tasks associated with horse care, you are fit enough to start the program.
Essential Endurance Rider Fitness offers a very gentle, gradual introduction to cardiovascular fitness and resistance training, plus mobility, balance, and even plyometric work to help you gain (or regain) new levels of physical ability and confidence as a distance equestrian.
It’s okay if you’re working through some physical challenges, including past injuries, bodyweight struggles, or plain old aging. As long as your doctor has cleared you to get started, you can do this!
Essential is different from other fitness programs! It doesn’t just assign workouts and leave you to implement them on your own.
Inside the Essential program, you’ll find weekly Ride Meeting videos and Trainer Talks to keep you encouraged and informed about why the exercises are relevant to you, as an endurance equestrian. Essential also includes optional homework assignments and Rider Opt-In exercises to keep your new skills top of mind and applicable in the saddle.
If you take on the Essential program as a TSE Member, you’ll be surrounded with motivation, accountability, and support. You’ll get access to live calls with me and your fellow members, fun monthly challenges, community support in our members-only Facebook group, Email Extras with motivational tips and healthy recipes, and even direct email access to me as your personal trainer.
Essential contains 16 weeks of workouts designed to gently and gradually progress your mobility, strength, and cardiovascular fitness. After the initial 16 weeks, you can revisit the workouts anytime.
TSE Members will have automatic access to my Next Level Endurance Rider Fitness program (currently under development) to build on their Essential foundation.
Essential offers flexible workout programming totaling about 3.5 hours per week, broken into 30-minute segments that you can fit into your schedule as needed.
The program also includes Trainer Talks to provide support and motivation. These brief lessons, plus optional homework, can be accessed at your leisure.
If you join as a TSE Member, you’ll also be invited to hang out in our private “Crew Area” on Facebook and join monthly, 1-hour live Q&A calls with me and your fellow members.
The Essential program is designed to use minimal, inexpensive equipment that you can use at home. You might have some of it already!
The full equipment list includes: resistance bands (loop style with removable handles and door anchor); stability ball (optional); yoga mat; and foam roller.
You’ll also need a good pair of shoes and, ideally, a horse to be your partner as you integrate your new skills into your riding life.
The program incudes a shopping list with links to each item, so it’s easy to get exactly what you need. The same equipment will continue to serve you if you choose to graduate to the Next Level Endurance Rider Fitness program (currently under development) after completing Essential.
The Essential program is designed to elevate your cardiovascular fitness benefits beyond what walking, riding, and barn chores can provide.
Running is the simplest, most efficient method for most people, and it is a useful skill for endurance riders. For this reason, the Essential program includes a very gradual walk-run program that will prepare you to run 2.5 miles in 30 minutes by the end of 16 weeks.
However, some riders are unable to run for various reasons. The Essential Rucking Mod (available for $29, or included with your TSE Membership) explains how to use rucking (walking with a weighted pack) as an excellent alternative to running.
Essential is so much more than just a fitness program!
The Essential program is designed specifically for distance riders who need to be able to maintain good riding posture for very long periods, plus be able to mount from the ground, hike out of a sticky situation, trot out for the vet, and handle unwieldy objects like portable corral panels and buckets of water.
Most rider fitness programs focus heavily on flexibility and core strength. Essential certainly includes those elements, but also focuses on:
- Counteracting common muscle imbalances that cause discomfort for both horse and rider
- Building cardiovascular fitness so you use up less energy while riding for hours at a time
- Increasing strength to support good riding posture and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
- Training your neuromuscular system to react appropriately to sudden challenges, like stepping in a hole or sticking a “teleport” spook
Additionally, Essential includes educational videos so you can understand how the exercises in your program contribute to your distance riding success.
If you join as a TSE Member, you get even more personalized support! You can participate in monthly motivational challenges, join live calls with me, email me directly, and share questions and suggestions in our members-only “Crew Area” on Facebook. There is nothing else like this in the world today!
Absolutely. Not all of our members are distance riders!
Although the Essential program was designed to specifically target the needs of endurance riders, it is also highly applicable to all kinds of equestrians. If you want to feel stronger, more balanced, and more energetic for anything from trail riding to dressage lessons, Essential offers the foundation you need.
Probably!
Current moderate exercisers (like those who take daily walks in addition to their barn time) will absolutely benefit from the equestrian-specific nature of the Essential program, which targets the exact needs of distance riders.
Very few of us – even fitness types – rarely engage regularly in the mobility and balance work that riders need. Even fewer do that PLUS thoughtful, progressive cardiovascular and strength training to support longevity on the endurance trail.
If you are already committed to regular weight-bearing cardio and strength training, plus balance and mobility work to keep any muscle imbalances in check, keep an eye out for my upcoming Next Level Endurance Rider Fitness program, which will also be included with a TSE Membership.
No. Essential Endurance Rider Fitness is a personal fitness program designed to complement your riding. It will not teach you to ride, but it will lay the foundational balance, mobility, strength, and cardiovascular fitness you need to ride longer and better.
The Essential program is not specifically designed for the purpose of decreasing bodyfat. However, the additional physical activity it requires – especially resistance training – supports the metabolic environment needed for fat loss if combined with appropriate nutrition.
The program does not include meal plans, but it does offer basic recommendations for appropriately fueling your fitness. You’ll also have access to your personal trainer and nutrition coach via email and our private “Crew Area” on Facebook, where we frequently discuss nutrition.
If you purchase the program, you’ll have access to it as close to forever as I can promise, without having a crystal ball. I can promise access for at least two years — probably MUCH longer — or as long as the program is supported.
As a TSE Member, you will have access to the Essential program, plus all other membership benefits, for as long as you remain a member.
You can purchase the program for $289, or become a TSE Member and get access to the Essential program, PLUS all other membership benefits, for a monthly cost as low as $38 per month.
TSE Members get special access to a network of motivation, accountability, and support. In addition to the Essential program itself, you’ll get:
- Monthly live calls with me and fellow members to share successes, solve challenges, and ask questions
- Connection with other fit-focused riders in our members-only “Crew Area” on Facebook
- Participation in motivational monthly challenges (sometimes with completion awards!)
- Direct email access to me, as your personal trainer
- Email Extras containing everything from encouragement to healthy recipes
- The Essential Rucking Mod (build your cardio with NO running)
- Automatic access to future resources that I’m developing now, including: the intermediate Next Level Endurance Rider Fitness program (keep growing your fitness after Essential) and the Busy Season Maintenance Mod (stay fit on a minimal time commitment during the height of the ride season)
are you ready to ride stronger in a day
and longer in your life?
Purchase the Program
Purchase the program for $289 and it’s yours to revisit anytime. You’ll get:
- 16 weeks of progressive workouts including cardio, strength, mobility, and balance designed specifically for distance riders
- Over 100 coaching videos
- Weekly Trainer Talks for motivation and education about how your workouts relate to endurance riding
- Rider Opt-In strategies to integrate your growing fitness into the barn and saddle, where it matters most
Become a Member (Most Popular!)
Become a TSE member for as little as $38 per month and get full access to the Essential program, PLUS:
- Monthly live calls with me and fellow members
- Community in our members-only Facebook group
- Monthly challenges for motivation and fun
- Direct Q&A access to me via email and the community
- Essential Rucking Mod (cardio with NO running)
- Automatic access to upcoming resources, including my Next Level Endurance Rider Fitness program (currently under development)
It's Never too early - and it's never too late - to change your life.
