Body Image and Riding

[Portia]

Ummmm, I’ve hesitated to post this, as I’m not quite sure how to make it sound encouraging and not like criticism. Just take my word for it, please, that this is not intended to put anyone down at all.

I’ve never seen Cody Baird in person, but from her success she must be a tremendous young rider. Based on one photo of her in the Chronicle, and I may be wrong about this, it appeared that she maybe still has a bit of baby fat – perfectly fine for a girl her age – and she perhaps doesn’t fit the “image” of big-time hunter and Eq riders that some trainers say is so important. I CERTAINLY do not want to turn this into an “is she fat?” discussion – I would never want to do that to any person, especially a young girl at a critical stage in her development who doesn’t need that kind of pressure. The point is, with all the problems young girls have with body image, anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders, I think it is wonderful that someone who isn’t 5’9" and 110 lbs. can win consistently at the highest levels of hunter competition. I hope her success sends a signal to others that it is skill and talent that really matters, and not whether you wear a size 4.

[salsalito]

I agree, I remember being at my old barn about two years ago, and the trainer telling my friend that she could go far in the hunter world because she had the right “look”. She was tall and super skinny. I remember thinking disgustedly that such a good and well respected trainer would not just think this, but say it in front of many people. It is ridiculous that young girls think they have to conform to such images, I should know being a teenager! Riding is a sport, we need to treat it like a sport, not like a fashion/model runway. We need to give EVERYONE a fair chance, after all, we are being judged on skill (of course a nice horse helps…), not on looks.
~antonia~

[Black_Market_Radio]

I think Cody is a total cutie! I went and looked at the picture and there is nothing wrong with her. The experience I have had with younger girls with a little more “baby fat” on them is that they grow taller and thin out. My cousin did that. She was by no means a small girl, and then one summer she shot up about 4 inches or so and it all thinned out. One of my very best friends is struggling with Bulemia, she is getting help, but it is so hard. Now she doesn’t eat hardley at all. People have thought that I am anorexic, because I am thin (5’3 and about 100 pounds) but I am also a size 7. I don’t look like it, but because I work out at the gym every night my stomach muscles have grown I don’t think size matters as much as fitness. Of course it is more sensible to eat right and stay in shape. I am trying to gain weight, which is a major struggle for me. It is so hard, when I was in the Marines I had 3 squares a day, and now that I am out I don’t have nearly the amount of food I had when I was in because I don’t have an entire caffeteria full of food! But I do eat very healthy and drink fresh sqeezed orange/carrot juice everyday. We grow wheatgrass as well but I can’t get into that I think I will leave the grass munching to my equine companion Anyway, I do think it is sad that people place si much on body image. ANd I think it is great to see good role models out there for us and the younger juniors. You go Cody! You are AWESOME!!!

[heelsdown]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CWP:
I was rewarded with some really great wins, but felt so awful about myself. My trainer and I ran into the judge in the horse show office after the show ended when he complimented me on my riding and told me he thought I would be almost unbeatable if I lost weight. Talk about emotional roller coaster!
!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

My God! The rudeness of some people! To say something like that… no wonder 13 year olds are eating laxatives and making themselves throw up.

I hope the young women on this board are reading these threads. I know they read the ones where I try to get them to wear approved helmets! I hope that by speaking of these issues openly, and within the context of a sport whose love we all share, that positive change can be effected. Proper nutrition during a young womans growing years builds a foundation of solid bone, good physical and mental health/happiness.

I watched Katie Monahan Prudent compete at the Sunday Grand Prix on Belladonna March 5. She is a superb example of fit and strong rider and does not resemble Alley McBeal. And she won. There were 71 entries, including her husband and Katie beat them all on her mare. I took a bunch of photos that day, I think this is her… on the last fence of the jump off. http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=275742&a=2364121&p=17581134

You can a look at the rest of the album, this one might not be her! But she’s there somewhere.

I’ll shut up and go back to work now.

[Beans]

The important thing for all of us to remember is that MOSTWOMEN are not skinny or obese…we are built the way we are for reasons.

I was active in sports from a child and am actually sick to see what’s going on with pressure on young girls and women who are active in all sports right now. I’m 49 and am pretty much the same shape I’ve been since my late teens. A little heavier and yes gravity takes it toll (on men too!). But I have to turn away when one famous young Grand Prix jumper rider enters the ring. So grossly anorexic many of us wonder how long this young woman can continue to live. It is highly possible that she can suffer cardiac arrest at any time…even on course. What then??? Will GM and the rest to advocate thinness be asking themselves…how did this happen?? I’ll tell you how it happens. Making any young person feel their worth relates TOTALLY to their size and shape.

MOSTWOMEN have hips, and more fat than men - fighting that is fighting thousands of years of evolution. As far as our ability to be competitive in sports well we’ve moved past that challenge. Our progress in just about EVERY sport is on a much faster track than our male counterparts. O.K. in some sports we still haven’t achieved equal speed, etc. but we are catching up.

As far as equestrians - size/shape - well it’s just like horses people. There are horses in history who wouldn’t pass ANYONE’S conformation evaluation but those horses went on to be world class athletes and win millions on the track. Having the right body type helps, but it also comes down to mental ability, talent and heart. We often talk about that “look of eagles” in some of our horses and we just know nothing will stop them from succeeding - they want it!

It’s the 21st century - lets take the pressure of the female side of the equation - if men want skinny, no boobed, no hips females …well that sounds like an appropriate build for a young boy!!! Take a look at the most successful long term relationships and those men have women in their lives that look like MOSTWOMEN…US!

[Duffy]

You’re not alone J Turner. When I’m stressed or depressed, my eating can go one way or the other. Sometimes I don’t eat (except for junk, of course) and most of the time I eat compulsively if either of those conditions exist. And in today’s world, it’s hard not to be stressed. I had a mamogram yesterday (1st on in 9 yrs - bad girl) and I wasn’t too worried about it, since I didn’t figure I’d have the results til my gyn appt next week. Surprise! These days, they have a dr/radiologist right there! They had to re-take one view and boy, when I was waiting around after that, I started thinking the worst, which was really stupid! On the way home afterwards, I started trying to think of all the good things going on in my life right now, as opposed to thinking about the bad things and worrying about what awful things Might happen in the future. Boy, amI rambling here, and I apologize. But I’ve found, at least with me, that if I’m content, I can get a better handle on my eating habits. And periodically, I have to convince myself that I do have those good things in my life. I too roller coaster w/ my weight and have several sizes of clothing in my closet which I don’t feel I can give away. Then add quitting smoking a couple of years ago into the equation. . .(BYW, my boots have been “altered” several times as well! Don’t feel bad! We can’t afford to have more than one pair of those!) Good Luck and please don’t think you’re alone!!!

[Ben_and_Me]

We want fat horses (or at least well rounded) and skinny riders. Umm okay…

Judges can penalize horses that have their ribs sticking out and yet they reward the girls who do not follow a healthy diet. And the truth is that the well-built horses are stronger and able to jump better than the skinnier ones. Don’t you think the same goes for our riders?

I’m 5’6 (or so) and weigh 115 but not very muscular (at least in my arms but I think this has a lot to do with soccer).
Last week I was riding a VERY strong horse and came off with my arms feeling as though they were about to fall off! I bet that the more muscled riders don’t go through that! And they’re able to walk the next day! (I had a hard lesson!)

And anyways, dont they always say that muscle weighs more than fat?

[Janet]

OK, I’ll bite.

What is the other 1/2 to 1/4?

[This message has been edited by Janet (edited 03-22-2000).]

[LucianCephus]

I watch very little tv, and, tho I had heard all the buzz about the woman who plays Ally McBeal being anorexic, I was absolutely stunned when I inadvertently tuned in a recent episode. This woman (sorry, can’t think of her name) looks like something recently emerged from a crypt. Could anyone possibly WANT to emulate her???

I’m “fortunate” to be relatively thin (due largely to clinical depression and the medication I take for it), but there are certainly days when I yearn for the muscle and bulk to be a more effective rider. I know my eating patterns are generally poor, tho I try to get the calories I need, but my stamina is practically nonexistent. I just don’t know how an anorexic junior hopes to achieve the athleticism required to be an effective rider.

BTW, I find the sharing regarding depression on this string to be particularly interesting…exactly how many of us are using SRIs, do you think??? Someone needs to write a book on the role of the horse in therapy for adult women.

[CTT]

When I knew Jennifer Berol Bliss ( back in the days when she had bonie and Mocha) She was not a tall slanky rider she actualy had some meet on her. But she has become a well known rider and in My book has acomplished many new worlds. Go Jennifer!

[G11]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by A/O Hunter Rider:
It is really sad to see these girls in the junior/childrens/even the pony divisions so worried about their weight and what they look like - you do not have to be a skinny minnie to be successful in this sport! I wish that this mentality would disappear, so that our riders can develop and be focused on their riding goals - and not whether or not they are a size 6 (or even smaller)!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I’m glad to say that I think body image is not as big of a deal in riding as it used to be. I’m 5’3" and a size 3 (i’m also 13), but I tend to be overzealous in my eating habits sometimes. <g> But I’m glad to say that i DON’T worry about my weight in the riding ring - i’ve seen such a variety of weights at both the ‘C’ and ‘AA’ levels, and as long as the rider can ride well (i’ve seen ALL weights ride wonderfully and beautifully), than who really gives? i for one, don’t. For those of you who are naturally skinny, awesome! for those of you who aren’t, awesome as well. I think everyone should be happy w/ their weight and since there is a HUGE vareity in weights in the hunter ring these days, this just helps to promote this message. i love it.

[lynne]

Heelsdown, your comment about George Morris reminded me of one of my favorite books as a kid, ‘A Very Young Rider’. It follows a girl who shows ponies on the circuit in the 70’s. At one point in the book, she reveals that her sister, a medal/maclay rider, crash dieted to the point of fainting after her trainer said that only skinny girls will win. I’m sure you can guess who this trainer was…

[JerzeyPrincess]

well i’m 5’1" and 115lbs…for a long time I thought that I was fat etc etc…especially cause a lot of my riding friends are my weight but 5’7" or taller. I ride 5+ horses Saturday and Sunday and I’ll start riding everyday once I get my liscense. My mom kept telling me “muscle weighs more than fat” and finally when I was shopping with friends and they made me try on those trendy capri pants they couldn’t beleive the muscle i had in my calf. since then i’ve been ok with my weight, since i realized for once i hadda let my madre be right LoL

[Scoutie]

Hi J. Turner!

You are definately not in the minority! The majority of people struggle with this sort of thing! I second Flash44’s book recommendation. It is an intellegent, sensible and helpful book. Also, there’s a book called “Diets Don’t Work”. I have to get the author’s name for you.

For depression, I highly reccomend David D. Burn’s book, “Feeling Good, the New Mood Therapy” also his “Feeling Good Workbook”. He has also written “10 Days to Self-Esteem”, which certanly deals with the general body image problem. Burns is a cognitive therapist who used to teach at University of PA, and now is at Stamford Univ.

Didn’t “Practical Horseman” just recently have an article on some top riders who’ve had babies recently? What I remember most was the fact that several of the women took up walking on a treadmill for an hour a day and it helped them keep their weight down and maintain their fitness level. This really worked for them. Walking is my salvation! It helps me maintain a decent weight, it requires no special equiptment, (unless you want a treadmill). It’s a great energizer and mood elevator. If you aren’t walking now, why not give it a try?

[Flash44]

Muscle is more dense than fat. A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. So when you begin an exercise program, you are supposed to measure your bust, waist, hips and thighs, and see if you can get a body fat % done somewhere. You want to remeasure about 8 weeks later to see the change.

I noticed when I began running, I lost 5 pounds pretty quickly, then gained 3 back. However, my clothes remained as loose as when I just lost 5 pounds. And my tummy was not as jiggly. Nor were my thighs.

I’ve found that the easiest way to stick toa diet and exercise program is NOT to plan it out in the long run. I go to bed each evening and think about my schedule for the following day. I try to plan out where I can fit in anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes of exercise, whether it be running or just doing sit ups and push ups in my bedroom. I am much more likely to meet this goal than if I were to say, I’m going to run 4 miles 4 times this week. I get that happy feeling from meeting my little daily goal, and avoid the guilt trip eat junk food feeling I used to get when I set a goal that was too unrealistic.

[Becca]

IÂ’ve stayed out of this for quite a while, just watched, but now I decided to dive in. EVERYONE here knows me But go check out my pictures on daÂ’ web page ( www.geocities.com/r_payson) Really IÂ’m not the thin, idealistic goddess you would naturally expect! <G> I am very short, and still have my baby fat ( At 16? YouÂ’d think I could call it something else by now.G) I am also probably the most self-confident 16 year old youÂ’ll ever meet. I donÂ’t know how I got this way, something struck me when I was about 5, and I have never doubted myself since. So IÂ’ll be damned if peer pressure, or what the judge wants me to look like will ever effect me.

Now, certainly, welcome to the real world- IÂ’m 16, in high school, where how you look is what its all about. Would I MIND losing a bit of weight? Of course not. But the fact is, I will always have a bit of a bulky body, IÂ’ll always have stumpy legs, and chubby cheeks. Certainly, I could do more exercise, and eat better, but sometimes there arenÂ’t enough hours in a day. And I just could not possibly be aneorexic, I LOVE eating far too much to stop. And puking makes me sick, just wouldnÂ’t work. And I love life a bit too much. So my approach? I try to be smart about what I eat, and I do as much physical work as I can.

I take care of 7 horses daily, feeding, riding, grooming, and cleaning stalls- thatÂ’s a bit of work right there. I also make valiant attempts to use all the stinking workout equipment which is literally a flight of stairs away, but running on a treadmill is only entertaining for 13 ½ seconds. My legs are all muscle, I can arm-wrestle(And beat!) 90 % of the guys in my school, but around the belly, and my cheeks have excess Maybe someday my 5Â’ will spurt to 5Â’9, and ItÂ’ll all just stretch out…but I doubt it So, the fact is, I donÂ’t feel I have ever been prejudiced for my weight, or size in any class, and havenÂ’t had a peer make a comment since about 7th grade ( gotta LOVE middle school!), and will I continue to watch what I eat, and get the exercise I can? Of course. Will I obsess, make myself sick, or kill myself trying? Never.

However, riding is an athletic sport. My mom was about a pencil when she was in college, up until after she had Heather, her 3rd kid, and my younger sister. After 2 more children, the weight didnÂ’t drop as easily after each kid. And she was one of the most talented riders I have ever watched ride, but she stopped riding, and started coaching after she had Sam (Number 4 She is now my primary trainer, and I absolutely love it, she teaches me better than anyone else I have ever worked with, but even more, I wish she would start to ride again. For every performance I can get out of my greenies, I know she could do it 100 times better- and IÂ’d love to be able to see it. I hope I never lose my fitness, or get to a weight where I no longer think its good, or fair for me to ride, because I know what IÂ’d be missing. My mom loved, and still does, IÂ’m sure, riding as much as I do. I canÂ’t imagine ever giving that up. But I think more than shape or size, itÂ’s the fitness that effects you in riding, and I think weight is losing a bit of its emphasis in the equitation ring- which makes ME happy!!

And this is a good thread Portia, Thanks As for Cody, IÂ’ve seen you ride, and you are really, very talented. You certainly arenÂ’t overweight, or fat, by any means- Maybe your even just (dare I say it?) normal? Anyway, should you read this, you have incredible talent, and from what everyone says, a personality to match. Congratulations.

And snowbird, on the size ‘0’ comment, my little sister wears a zero, but has a tiny ‘budha belly’, and is always going on about hwo she needs to lose weight. I just say, then what will you wear? A negative 2? You’d be turned inside out.

Its crazy what our society has done.

[Wicky]

Yes, LC, your observation is indeed very interesting! I think that finding fault in myself - whether it is physical appearance or not - is clearly related to inciting depression. Years of therapy have helped…

Over the last year though, there have been significant strains, including business, that made things bad. Unfortunately, these pressures made my hsuband resentful of the time and money I’ve spent on riding. That made me resentful of him, resistant to hearing him, but even worse, the relief I got out of riding vanished. Indeed, we went from doing really well at courses to missing distances to 2 foot jumps, and on a hot TB that leads to disaster. All confidence lost.

Then, my coming 2 year old filly had to be put down, and two months later, when I was going in for neck surgery (had a badly ruptured disk pressing on the spinal cord), my TB colicked, had surgery, and 10 days later, having never recovered intestinal function, had to be put down on the day I had my surgery.

I’ve bought another horse (he’s coming 4) and don’t tell husband - am thinking of buying his coming 3 sister too! Probably just a pipe dream. But, riding gives me an outlet that is so different from work, from family - it’s just for ME. I think it puts me in touch with another part of myself, and helps me renew. Still, there are those issues with the husband to resolve…

I can only wish “Happy Trails” to all of us.

[JrLeagueGoddess]

As a weight challenged rider ( who was the ideal weight her whole life until getting married…I must be VERY happy!)

I am glad to see it also…I wonder how some of the younger girls get round…they look like they need a big meal or two…or three.

I think we should take off some of the emphasis on weight. (and its not cuz Im a chubby girl either)I know a couple of riders I mean REAL atheletes who are my size…and it is a shame they would be penalized because of their weight.

[Scoutie]

Well it’s lunch time, and I’m thinking about food (not that I’m ever NOT thinking about FOOD!). I’ll be GOOD and eat a healthy little lunch. I’ll also think BAD thoughts about Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate Mini Easter Eggs. Then I’ll think about what kind of exercise I need to do to work it off! Ever since I started focusing on being healthy and fit, I’ve been pretty comfortable with my body image, which was not always the case!
It’s not important how much you weigh or if can you fit into a size “whatever”! How do you FEEL? Are you energetic or are you tired? Are you in shape to do what you want to do, or do you huff & puff?
Diets really don’t work, but a commitment to taking good care of yourself with a some sort of program you can stick with for the rest of you life does work. If you treat your body right, it will treat you right, and then you can feel good about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always struggling with those last 5 to 10 lb.! But focusing on feeling good and being healthy, rather than the pounds or fitting into a particular pair of pants, has worked for me. Also, it’s hard to be good to yourself, if you don’t like yourself, and have self esteem problems. On the other hand, if you’re not good to yourself, you may never like yourself. It can be a vicious cycle! So you gotta start somewhere! Stop focusing on the scales and the mirror! If you ride, you are and athelete! Take yourself seriously, and treat yourself like one! Before you start screaming, “Shut up, already, with the ‘Rah, Rah’ Scoutie!”, here are some pretty cool inetactive educational web sites on health, diet and exercise that some of you might want to explore, and many of these discuss body image, too:

www. gymamerica.com
www.cyberdiet.com
www.efit.com
www.allhealth.com
www.diettalk.com
www.ediets.com

[This message has been edited by Scoutie (edited 03-14-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Scoutie (edited 03-14-2000).]

[G11]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lynne:
Heelsdown, your comment about George Morris reminded me of one of my favorite books as a kid, ‘A Very Young Rider’. It follows a girl who shows ponies on the circuit in the 70’s. At one point in the book, she reveals that her sister, a medal/maclay rider, crash dieted to the point of fainting after her trainer said that only skinny girls will win. I’m sure you can guess who this trainer was…<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Do you know where i can find a copy of this book? i’d love to read it