Mounting your horse, with the thought of "throwing" your leg over, sends you into fits of pain just thinking about it. It really could be any stiffness or pain. Think about it from your horses perspective. Horses rely on healthy, strong, horses to be their leaders. The ones that are weaker or not up to the job, get pushed to the bottom. It is the survival of a prey animal, to make sure the weak are not amongst them.
So, do you need to be fit to horse ride? No, but it helps tremendously with the trust of your horse. Also, if you are stiff and/or sore, you are not going to react to situations as fast as possible to keep yourself safe. This can compound anxiety and fear. Also, I know for me, when I am stiff, I tend to slouch and ball up. I don't have the tall, looking to where I want to ride, poise, not sure what you call it, but I don't have it when I am stiff.
Think about the amazing riders, you see dancing with their horses in the dressage ring, or the jockeys, riding the horses flying down the track. The jumper riders and cutting horse riders that have to be nimble and have reflexes that rival the best in the world. Those riders are not going to perform to their best and their horses will also be challenged if the riders aren't fit.
In a related way, fitness also gives us the energy to ride and care for our horses. It takes strength to groom, tack up and ride. It takes strength to dance with your horse as you ride and not just be a passenger. Fitness is so key in my opinion to the relationship with your horse in all of these ways.
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