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Frankie Clutterbuck, a holistic health and fitness coach, is the founder of Pro Rider Fitness sports specific rider training and PowerNotPause for perimenopausal and menopausal women. Her ethos is to provide a holistic approach to help clients achieve optimum health and fitness. She is also an amateur event rider and mother of two who runs a fitness business and farms a smallholding. Following a tricky start to perimenopause herself, she made it her mission to devise a supportive coaching programme to help women in a holistic way. Visit proriderfitness.co.uk
SALLY IS A career high flyer who is fazed by nothing in her working world, but for several months the once keen and regular rider could no longer bring herself to climb into the saddle. She had put on weight, she no longer exercised and, as a consequence, she had stopped feeling healthy. Life held few joys and her confidence was at rock bottom, so she made excuses not to hack out.
Sally’s story is real, although her name has been changed. In fact, Sally was suffering from symptoms caused by the menopause, but she is now getting help for her issues. Sally is one of the lucky ones. Many women, equestrians included, or perhaps especially equestrians for they are renowned for their stoicism, all too often suffer in silence, or think that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the only option.
Fortunately, the usually taboo subjects of menopause and its precursor, perimenopause, have hit the headlines in the last couple of years, first and foremost due to the sterling efforts of TV presenter Davina McCall, now also a menopausal campaigner. Other celebrities, including Liz Earle, Gillian Anderson and Michelle Obama, have spoken out, too, as has Gabby Logan, who hosts a podcast called The Mid Point.
