I’m very out of shape, and getting a horse that I think may do very well at endurance (he may not, but baby steps 
). I’m wondering what you all do to start getting fit for at least the start. I don’t want to put additional burden on him by being out of shape! All ideas are welcome.
I’m not near as fit as I’d like but I’m working on it. I like to do yoga, lift weights, and hike for fitness.
I have found since I’ve started, I can feel a noticeable difference in my riding and my horse’s responsiveness.
Ultimately, you just need to find something you like enough to keep doing. Best of luck!
It’s hard finding time sometimes. I walk the dog, and sometimes I will feel ambitious and throw a few bits of running in during a walk. I do yoga now and then, not enough to keep me fit. I snowshoe and cross country ski in the winter when I can, and we bought a treadmill so I can at least use that when it’s too dark after work to do anything. Chores probably help, more so during winter when everything is much more difficult. We like to hike but don’t find a lot of time to do that either.
I take my horses for walks/jogs, usually about 3-4 miles a day. Keeps them and me in shape.
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I don’t do much else. But when I returned to riding 10 years ago I was moderately fit for my age. At that point doing mostly dance fit aerobics type classes which were available in the city. I think it would be very hard to start riding if you were basically unfit.
I think for basic fitness do whatever is cheap and convenient for stamina and strength. Big fast long walks are really good if you motor along and sweat. Any fitness class that’s available locally. Swimming. Stretch n strength whether that’s yoga pilates or in a fitness class.
I was off with an injury for 3 months and I really lost fitness, which made me realise how much the horse and barn work really is doing as a baseline. Took me at least a month to get back to reasonable stamina levels.
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Planks for core strength, https://youtu.be/FXDWtYsu1dQ. Fitness walking for cardio. Leslie Sansone has some free walks on YouTube.
This is, in essence, what happened to me. I was diagnosed with an injury to my feet which made me stay off of them for 6 months. I feel like a potato. I’d like to be as prepped as I can prior to asking my horses to do much
I broke my foot. Very small break, horse stepped on me. I was non weight bearing for 7 weeks, basically bed and sofa test, and out of the saddle for 3 months.
A few things struck me about my recovery. I was in way worse shape than I would have been if I’d just put horse to pasture for 3 months and continued with daily life. I was even tired walking around the supermarket
On the other hand when I got the horse back to my self board barn ( sent her to my coach for 3 months) and just did the chores and started with short rides, the fitness came back much faster than if I was a newbie rider. And it came back in a consistent progress.
However feet injuries are a real conundrum because how do you exercise if your foot feels vulnerable? I wasn’t even 100% walking right for a while. Even now after 2 months back at the barn and feeling decently fit again I haven’t tried hiking, dancing, or jogging.
Indeed I haven’t done any nonhorse exercise because there isn’t loads of extra energy left. But that was always true.
Anyhow I think you need to figure out something aerobic that won’t stress your foot which could be swimming or maybe stationary cycle, probably not jogging! And core exercises.
I found that I started getting a return of my in and off muscle spasm back pain as I got working, so I’ve been getting massage for that. Point being other parts of your body than the foot might give you trouble.
Hiking, cycling and weights
I walk my dogs and hike.
Going out on a limb here and against current thoughts --but lose weight. You said “out of shape” and I’m guessing you mean you want better muscle tone and fitness. However, losing weight, even 10 pounds will make you FEEL more in shape (clothes will fit better) and in my opinion make you more active. After kids, I was “out of shape” --once I lost the baby-weight I felt better and eventually became more active --my kids were 10 years apart --so it wasn’t over night. Now I weigh less than I did in HS and am stronger and more active. I do NO EXERCISE except ride and care for my horses --but that means a lot of barn work, and since I do ground work every time I ride, I’m seriously moving my feet about 2 hours a day. Still --to me losing weight was the key --I LIKE how I look in breeches, and in the saddle. That makes me want to ride more. Superficial, and out-dated, I’m sure --that’s what works for me.
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I used to think that too until I started actually getting in shape. The difference is incredible. And no matter how much riding/ barn work/ general walking that you do- it’s not the same as targeting specific muscles groups, interval training, etc.
OP- for me, I joined a women’s “boot camp” class that I really, really enjoyed. Increasing core strength, leg strength and cardio have done amazing things for my riding. And because I paid for it and had people in the class that would text me with a “where are you?!” if I didn’t show- it was very motivating. Then after I started getting in shape, I started signing up for more endurance rides, 5K’s etc because competition is a big motivator for me.
Thanks Foxglove - I do agree with you on the weight bit I’m working on that too - having once been an athlete and then having injured both feet, pounds came on rather quickly. Sucks. However, I do think I need to address both, as riding rising trot for 2 1/2 minutes left me seriously winded. Embarrassing! So I’m trying to tackle two birds with…two stones? I need both. I need to regain my fitness after 6 months of being confined to the couch, and I also need to remove the pounds that accumulated while I was there (you’d be shocked at how easy it is to accumulate them when you’ve been essentially on “couch-rest”).
I’ve done a boot camp before, and really liked it, but I’m not sure my feet can start there. Too much jumping involved in that class Right now I’m starting to walk and do the Dressage Training exercises, but I’m looking forward to next steps beyond walking.
I’m glad it did improve your rides - that’s really what I’m hoping to prepare for. I want my horse and his fitness to be the gating factor, not my severe lack of fitness at the moment.
I’ve also been doing some yoga (rider specific) and martial arts type stuff- either of those might be a good start. Lots of toning but not so much impact.
And I re-read your first post. Last year I took two students from barely trotting a couple laps around the ring to finishing an LD. We worked on posting trot sort of as interval training but with visuals, as in trot from this tree to that tree 1/4 mile in the distance, walk to the sign a couple hundred feet away, wash rinse and repeat.
Thanks! Yeah - it’s so hard when I used to be able to ride for hours and barely think about being “tired”. Blah!
I think we are a long way off from competing at an LD but maybe not! I’m looking forward to getting to the point that I actually think it’s possible!
I used to be really into the gym. I did Muay Thai kickboxing and Crossfit. My interests have shifted to the outdoors in general over the last few years, especially now that I do Endurance riding. To be honest, when I’m not riding I hike to stay in shape but that’s about it for now. I live in Arizona and have a lot of local places to hike. I follow the same plan as my horses with a mileage goal each month. For example, my goal is to get 48 miles in this month as I prepare for a backpacking trip in July at the Grand Canyon. I divide the total mileage by days of the month and roll over the miles if I miss a day. Right now, I should be doing about 3 miles a day. If I miss today, I expect to do 6 miles tomorrow. Most often, it rolls over into the weekend and I do a day hike and reevaluate my goals each week to make sure I’m on target. I increase my goal by 10% every month. This is also how I condition my horses too.
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I walk, hike, bike and ski. Finding a fun winter sport is key to being active year round I think! As long as you like the cold anyway.
Elliptical- I used to jog but can’t anymore. I also do the weight circuit at the gym.
Swim, walk/hike (aspire to return to running some day), cycle, lift weights, do barn chores. Alpine skiing in the winter. Also I like to snowshoe and kayak (yeah ha ha ha). Before horses, I was at the gym 5+ days per week, ran races 5K to marathon, and did triathlons. Having been in and out of shape since horses came into my life, I feel so much better when I am in shape. When I retire I would love to be able to both ride and do triathlons.
