World champion Emily Seebohm using horse riding, pilates and pole dancing to stay fresh for fourth Olympics in Tokyo

WORLD champion swimmer Emily Seebohm is using horse riding, pole dancing and pilates to stay fresh in both mind and body as she takes aim at a fourth Olympics in Tokyo.

Emily Seebohm with her horse Platinum. The world champion swimmer has been riding since she was 16 when she used to watch the Saddle Club. Picture: Claudia Baxter.

WORLD champion swimmer Emily Seebohm is using horse riding, pole dancing and pilates to stay fresh in both mind and body as she takes aim at a fourth Olympics in Tokyo.

Seebohm started riding at her local pony club at 16 and now has her own horse, 15-year-old Platinum and describes their relationship a bit love/hate at times.

“I basically ride as much as I can, it’s a nice way to get out of my own head and do something completely different,” Seebohm said.

“It comes after years of watching the Saddle Club and then begging my parents to take me to lessons for my birthday, and it took a long time but I finally got there.

“I have two dogs and it’s very different going from dogs to a horse. I’m putting my trust in him and he’s got to put his trust in me so it’s nice to have a special relationship like that.

“But honestly there are some days I go down there and he’s my worst enemy and it’s very funny, especially when I go away for so long and he’s like ‘no I don’t want to start riding again’ and he tends to run away from me.”

Seebohm won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at this year’s world championships in Budapest which helped her get over a tough 2016. Picture: Adam Pretty (Getty).

The 25-year-old admits her coaches would probably rather she not get on a horse every week to avoid unnecessary risk of injury but she says it’s worth it.

“I hadn’t really had many major accidents — I had a couple of falls when you get a bit battered and bruised — until 2015 when I dislocated my knee cap straight after trials,” she said.

“I got my knee caught on a fence and ripped it to the side and after I recovered from that six weeks later I went riding again and fell off and got concussed and woke up not knowing where I was.

“I had to stop before worlds in 2015 and came back after that and have been good ever since, but I’m definitely a bit more cautious when I ride now.”

The other way Seebohm, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion, stays fit outside of the pool is with pilates and pole dancing.

“It’s nice to do things that aren’t around the pool, when we do our gym it’s always right next to the pool,” she said.

“So it’s nice to relax a bit at home before I have to do anything else, it’s like a zone out of swimming.

“Pilates is not high intensity work but still challenging, and pole is just nice to use my strength and do these really cool tricks which is fun.”

Seebohm is diving back into competition in Adelaide this week when she competes in the national short course championships.

Her last major meet was the world championships in Budapest in July where Seebohm buried some of her demons from last year’s Rio Olympics by winning gold in the 200m backstroke.

“It was unbelievable and just nice after such a horrible 2016,” she said.

“I didn’t have that long break after Rio because I knew if I didn’t keep swimming that I would probably get into that phase where ‘oh I could take the year off, and then do I ever come back after that?’

“But I really wanted to keep pushing it and training and it worked out well.

“I had a few operations at the end of 2016 but came back firing.

“It was a real confidence boost and definitely helps leading into Comm Games next year that it’s nice to be back on the top.”

Seebohm is set to race the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke and 100m and 200m IM at the short course titles which are from October 26-28 at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

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