Tamie Smith on Mai Baum at the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Photo by Mary Cage
At Next Level Eventing, Tamie Smith utilizes a physiotherapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, PEMF, BEMER blankets, Revitavet, laser therapy, and other therapeutic resources to keep her horses in top shape.
Jo-Ann Wilson, the United States Eventing Team sports therapist, helps riders and their grooms come up with an ideal therapy plan and makes sure to check in with the riders consistently, even though they are spread across the country. She works closely with Tamie to determine which therapies are best for her horses to keep them feeling and going their best.
Keeping up with fitness and bodywork is not just important for Tamie’s horses, but for Tamie herself.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to incorporate taking care of my body more,” she says. “I’m lucky that I’m a pretty fit, healthy person. I go to the gym three to five days a week in order to be good enough to be at the top of the sport.”
While Tamie rides multiple horses daily, she says that riding alone is not enough to maintain the level of fitness she needs.
“Most people would think that was enough,” says Tamie. “It absolutely is not. I do a lot of cardio work, like the Stairmaster. I do light weights but high reps. It’s mostly about keeping my cardio [fitness] and my muscles strong so that I can be in the best shape for my horses.”
Eventing requires a strong partnership between horse and rider, and putting in the extra work off of the horse has clearly paid off for Tamie and her herd.
This article about Tamie Smith’s approach to alternative therapies and fitness is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine’s “Next Level” series. Click here to subscribe!
Shoshana is a rider, trainer, and instructor in Lexington, KY. She has been involved with Horse Illustrated and Young Rider magazines for nearly a decade, spending time as an assistant editor, freelancer (during her riding full time and barn management escapades), and now is part of the sales and editorial team. She competes her own sport ponies, Izzy and Bonnie, in dressage and also dabbles in eventing. Her dogs, Knox and Ari, and her cats, Skunk and Earl, complete her herd.
It’s full-on fall here in western Pennsylvania. As the leaves change, the air turns crisp,…
Lexington, Ky. — Current U.S. Eventing Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello has made…
Welcome to Barn Banter, the official podcast of Horse Illustrated. In Barn Banter episode 25,…
It seems like just yesterday that a top-level international fall three-day event was added to…
Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…
It’s full-on fall here in western Pennsylvania. As the leaves change, the air turns crisp, and the puddles in my…
Get to know the essential parts of a western saddle with this comprehensive guide. Plus, have some fun testing your…
Informed horse owners would never intentionally do something that could cause their horse to colic. Yet many owners unwittingly follow…
The Akhal-Teke horse—pronounced like “apple” with a K instead of the P’s, and “techie”—is one of the rarest horse breeds…
Welcome to Barn Banter, the official podcast of Horse Illustrated. In Barn Banter episode 25, hosts Susan Friedland and Horse Illustrated…