WSJ Article on Peak Performance Ages

[GreyDes]

This is interesting! There’s now research showing when people hit peak performance in various athletic and intellectual skills. They show equestrians peaking later than many athletes because so much of it is strategy rather than raw athletic ability.

Here’s When We Hit Our Physical and Mental Peaks

In case it’s behind a paywall, here’s the equestrian section.

For sports like sprint­ing, which re­quires speed, power and max­i­mum oxy­gen con­sump­tion, ath­letes tend to peak in their mid-20s. In en­durance sports, such as marathons, the peak is typ­i­cally reached by 40. In tac­ti­cal low-im­pact sports, like sail­ing and eques­trian com­pe­ti­tion, ath­letes com­pete at elite lev­els in their 50s.

….

Stef­fen Pe­ters, an eques­trian who lives in San Diego, has com­peted in five Olympic Games and won bronze medals in 1996 and in 2016. But he says he had his best year in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. At the age of 56, he was part of the sil­ver-medal-win­ning U.S. Dres­sage Team.

“In my younger age, I had more en­ergy,” says Pe­ters. “But I think at an older age I have ex­tra wis­dom that goes pretty far.” Pe­ters plans to com­pete in 2024 and 2028.

[Willesdon]

The British Horse Society, a few years ago, undertook academic research riding for exercise. Trotting was as energy intensive as cycling, as I recall. It certainly isn’t “low impact”.

[NoSuchPerson]

@Willesdon

The British Horse Society, a few years ago, undertook academic research riding for exercise. Trotting was as energy intensive as cycling, as I recall. It certainly isn’t “low impact”.

Thank you. I’m going to send that quote to the friend who recently questioned why I would be short of breath and red in the face after doing trot sets because, after all, the horse is doing all the work.

As far as peak performance ages for riders, sure, riders do compete at elite levels in their 50s, but I don’t think that means they’re peaking in their 50s. I do think a pro, or a person who continues to ride seriously through their adult life, does gain extra wisdom with age, as Peters says, but I think the intersection of peak mental and physical performance and age occurs well before 50.

I think one of the things that may skew peak performance in the older direction for riders is the factor of top quality horses. The longer a rider competes successfully, the more likely they are to have access to better horses.

[aregard]

It is possible that if you last to 50 doing our sport, you have stopped doing things “the stupid way”.