Can we have an adult re-rider support group?

[HazelG]

ST glad you are feeling better. Way to go on the exercise, I’m so impressed. My back is better but I woke up with a sore neck, so back to the chirpractor I go today. I did manage to ride 4 times last week despite the sore back, but all other thoughts of exercise went out the window. Good for you too Dewey on your exercise and way to go on the green mare jumping. You must have been really happy.

PH I know how you feel. If you are sure something is physically wrong, you need to check it out. My horse did this for a while also, I had the original saddle fitter come out and he said the saddle fit like the day I ordered it so it wasn’t that. A couple of things to think about, I bought my horse a back on track saddle pad and an ogilvy hunter pad and that seems to make a big difference. I also gave him a long stretch off work just to rest. Another thing to think about is his teeth. My horse stopped doing left to right lead changes (that was fun in a jumping course - not). It turned out he needed his teeth done, and they would hurt the inside of his mouth when I turned one way or pulled on one rein. (I of course didn’t know this it took my trainer to suggest it, I wouldn’t have connected the two in a million years.) It sounds like he is definitely trying to tell you something.

Have a good week at work everyone, and thanks a lot for the well-wishes for my back!

[morganmerle]

HazelG - I was a little sore, more like ‘creaky’. LOL I took a bad tumble years ago and despite my chiropractor’s wonderful work, it still bothers me. Sure enough, I felt the soreness in my hip right after the lesson.

jaslyn, yes! that is a workout!

PH - Here’s hoping it’s just a saddle fitting issue.

[PaintedHunter]

Thanks, y’all. We’ve already has his teeth checked, and those are fine right now. That was the first thing I thought of! I am really, really hoping that it’s a saddle issue. I’ve had the same saddle since I got him more than a year ago, and he’s really become more muscled since then. I guess I should actually be surprised if the saddle still fit the way it did when I got him. I also changed bits a while back (from a french link happy mouth to a three-piece happy mouth with a roller) and he seems to actually like this one better - I don’t think it’s the bitting either.

Since I can’t show him this weekend, my trainer has offered to let me ride one of her newer half Arabs who hasn’t show in years - might be kind of fun, but I’ve never ridden her before. She is beginner kid-friendly, though, so how badly could I mess up?

[Pancakes]

Hey Everyone!

I’m popping in again after a few weeks… things are going SO well. Leasing has really opened up things again for me, and this new trainer is wonderful. Dash is a great partner for me, and for the first time, I’m teaching her. We have gotten to the point where Dash almost has 3 great gaits, not just 2 good and one poor. Her canter was terrible and she was all discombobulated and down on the forehand, but she loves to go and stretch her legs. So, we put draw reins on her and she learned how to move with her hind end under her. After a few weeks of this, she gets it! She loves to go round actually, and will happily drop her head and relax at all gaits. We’re starting lateral work and fine tuning transitions now. These are details.

Even more exciting is the fact that my trainer asked me if I want to show her! We want to get her out there and see how she is at shows. We’re not going to do anything crazy, like WEF, just local beginner hunter stuff to see how she goes. And we’re going to take her swimming!!! She apparently has been there, done that, so we want to see how she swims. She loves doing new things

Here’s a video of our 2 stride today. I apologize since it’s really hard to see and you really can’t even see me (is that a good thing?).
Jumping video

[spacytracy]

Cute!! Looked very relaxed and not rushed.

So my thumb still hurts like a $%)^($! If its not improved by like Fri I might go to the dr.

[Pancakes]

Thanks SpacyTracy! Would it surprise you to know we did it in a one-stride twice, and then a 1-stride + chip before she understood I wanted it in 2…then it was an “aha” moment!

Definitely go to the doctor if your hand isn’t any better…hairline fractures could be lurking! If nothing else then to calm your mind.

[Dewey]

I’m glad things are working out so well for you, Pancakes! I can tell you’re excited, and I liked your video clip, too.

I had a good ride on green mare today. We jumped in a big field for the first time. She is definitely getting braver about the jumps. She also did a right-to-left lead change for me when I asked.

I did fall off. After one jump, she got a little excited and gave a few bucks. She often does this, and I usually have no trouble sitting it out, but today, she kind of twisted, and I went over her shoulder. Not a bad fall at all if you have to have one. I took her back in the ring to settle down, and she was very good. I jumped her over a few verticals and called it a day.

[BonneAmmie]

Lots of injuries! Everyone feel better! I always feel like I fall off more in the winter. Once I get so cold that I can’t feel my hands, feet, or legs I’m kind of just like ehh…ok, down we go!

I am trying a lesson with a new trainer tonight. She is supposed to be really good, but it looks like the barn is a 2 to 2.5 hour trip from work My two previous barns were about 1.5 hour from work (15 min from home!) I’m kind of nervous about how often I would be able to get out to see my potential future horse if I end up there. It really depends how late she allows people to ride.

I am also SUPER nervous to be riding in front of a new person! I have not been in a lesson since December and I haven’t ridden more than once a week since August. Eek! I just hope she can somehow see that I am not as truly awful as I’m going to look. Or really, that would be a bonus - my main goal is always just not to fall off!

[CoriC]

I also totally know how it feels to be working full time and trying to fit in some time at the barn. Since you only have a limited amount of time to get there you might find a site like EquestrianCoach.com helpful because you can watch videos at home that will help you in the saddle. For example they have a few great ones on how to get tight in the tack by different coaches like Val Renihan and Bernie Traurig. http://www.equestriancoach.com/content/getting-secure-your-seat-and-legs

But even more important perhaps is mental preparation before you get to the barn since you can only get their once a week I’m sure you want to make the most of your ride. Whether it’s getting over fear or trying not to build up your anxiety too much on the drive out. I once had a friend who would get so worried about her ride and thinking about everything that could go wrong that she would talk herself out of her lesson on the drive to the barn. Another friend would get so distracted she’d even put her breeches on inside out!!! Our trainer used to say try thinking about the positive and what you can control instead of all the variables. Equestriancoach.com has a great video by a mental skills coach exactly about this where she talks with a lady who is getting over the fear of a fall. http://www.equestriancoach.com/content/getting-over-fear

As for jumping up the neck at a jump I think we all do that!! And no matter how many times we are told not to it’s hard to actually change the instincts of ones body. Denny Emerson a hall of fame and gold medal winning eventer explains why our bodies instinctively jump ahead of the motion in this video (which I thought was so eye opening!!) http://www.equestriancoach.com/content/jumping-motion-versus-jumping-ahead-motion

I know I have put up a lot of video’s and rambled a lot but I really feel like they helped me (as a supplement to my regular lessons) and other adult riders getting back into the sport (especially as we have questions sometimes we feel silly to ask) and just thought they may help you too!!!

[iechris]

Nice and warm here and the pine trees are doing… something. Not sure if I took 2 Benedryl or 4 Benedryl this AM but leaning toward 4. Lesson today it it was… well see previous sentance. NO eye what so ever. Jumped up my horse’s neck. Did get down a line, over a cross rail, down another line of poles and a lead change but that was the extent of it. Horsie was really quiet so I actually got one nice hand gallop around the ring. Had one of those days when I seem magnetically attached to horse’s neck. No stamina at all either. I’m really blaming allergies since I’m not THAT out of shape or that bad of a rider!

Did have a nice ride on Sunday down on the trails and in the jump field. I’m riding a little bit without stirrups every ride and also jumping at least a cross-rail every ride. My goal for this week is to canter up to my out of lesson jumps instead of trotting. Friday hopefully I’m going to go to the jump field and on the trails with my friend and her new baby (turns 3 in April) TB filly.

[HazelG]

Good for you Pancakes. I liked the video too you looked great.

How did the lesson go BonneAmie?

Thanks for the video links Cori.

I missed my lesson this week because of work :(. My daughter had two lessons this week and no tears!! Trainer said she was right on it tonight

How are everyone’s fitness goals coming along for this week?

[Hinderella]

I’m hoping to find someone who can shoot some video of me one of these days. I know I would benefit from seeing my faults
Last weekend our lessons focused on adjusting the horse’s stride length. The instructor set a series of poles for us to trot over, and then each time through changed the spacing…sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, sometimes uneven. My pony did a great job, but when we got a really wide spacing (for the big horses) she just.couldn’t.make.it. She did her best though!
We followed that with work over a small jump, with a single pole one stride out. First day was just the jump, second day was knotted reins and no hands, and for a couple of riders, no stirrups. I only had to do the no hands, but I was prepared to drop my stirrups if asked…nervous, but prepared. A great exercise is to go over a small jump with just one stirrup. It keeps you from bracing against or standing up in the stirrups.

[HoosierHorseNut]

i’ve been to the gym 4 out of the last 5 days and noticed that i didn’t get tired at the posting trot. yay!! i’ve also added tumbling into my workouts ( cartwheels, roundoffs, handstands) and my trainer hasn’t had to tell me to stretch up through my core since i started! yay!

[ParadoxFarm]

“A great exercise is to go over a small jump with just one stirrup. It keeps you from bracing against or standing up in the stirrups”

I did this in my last lesson…well, only on the flat! It was HARD. Much harder to me than doing no stirrups. The one-stirrup thing just throws me off. We also worked on a jumping exercise with 4 jumps on a circle (like one at 12:00, one at 3:00, one at 6:00 and one at 9:00). Did that a few times and then I had to drop my stirrups and jump the circle exercise without stirrups. I had a little internal panic moment, and then just did it. I don’t think my trainer is out to kill me, so I must be able to do it! We did much better then I thought. Not perfect by any means, but it wasn’t horrible. Teaching me to sit up between jumps. It helped!

I’m just starting to pick up my exercise routine again. And have been “eating clean” here lately, which makes me feel good. Trying to cut processed foods out.

[spacytracy]

Haven’t ridden since Sunday, but had a couple of good gym nights so far this week. Doing Couch to 5K again, which I have completed once and attempted another time. Today I finished Week 1 Day 3. I really like this program because 1. Its free 2. Its regimented and 3. It only requires 3 days out of the week, and if you can’t do that, it only means you stretch the program out a little longer. I HIGHLY encourage anyone who has the ability to run (ie knees aren’t shot) to try this. When I completed it I was definitely running a 5k by the end.

Eating has gone ok, my weakness is sweets so if they are in the house, they’re GETTING housed. But I’ve been packing my lunch which reduces my temptation to eat whatever junk is laying around at work that’s eaten out of desperation/hunger.

Here’s to a great riding/exercising week!

[pony4me]

Ugh, it got cold again! No desire to eat salads when it’s cold. I want hot, yummy, filling, real food. So much for being just two pounds away from my weight goal. New goal is to stay steady until it warms up again and I feel like eating rabbit food.

As for riding, it’s going ok. I’d like the barn to put me on a horse more often, but I’m small, so I get stuck with the ponies. Day 57 of stall rest for the big TB and he gets his second shockwave treatment tomorrow. I am rationing the Uncle Jimmy’s Hanging Balls.

Thought about a couch to 5K, but I live in a rural area on a busy road with no sidewalks, and no enforcement of the speed limit, so I don’t think running on the road in the dark is a good idea. Good luck to everyone who is trying it.

[Opus1]

The guy I’m thinking about leasing will be here next week. I’m both really happy/excited and really freaked out. I pretty much thought of everything under the sun to ask her about regarding the gelding from shoes, supplements, turnout, special tack, tack sizes, medical history, if I’ll be getting insurance, etc. And I think this will end up being a lease to own. Which I think is what freaks me out the most. I mean, that’d be cool … but ownership. Big step.

I’ll post more when I’ve slept on it.

[shelliblue]

How exciting Opus1!!

I have been thinking about the Couch to 5k too. I was going to wait until the weather was a little better though… it does sound like a very doable commitment!

Happy Riding Everyone!!

[TarheelJD]

Yay, Opus1!!! I know it is a big commitment, but I just adore having my own horse. It is a dream come true for me. Sometimes I look at him, and I still can’t believe he’s mine. So, if you end up “clicking” with your leased boy, don’t be afraid to take the plunge! Can’t wait to hear about him once he arrives.

[Dewey]

Hi, everyone–Opus, I’m trying to take that “big step” as well. I know I posted earlier that I cannot own a horse right now because I can’t afford the board, but my heartbreak at the thought of my green mare leaving forced me to be creative. I worked out a deal with B/O to split board costs in exchange for use of the mare on the days I don’t ride and the use of her for the IHSA/IEA shows B/O puts on. With her shoes and miscellaneous expenses, it still comes to a scary amount per month, but if I’m careful, it should be doable. At least I hope so!

With this in mind, I made an offer to the owner, waaaay under the asking price. It’s all I can afford, though. If it is meant to be, it will happen. I am terrified that he won’t accept my offer and terrified that he will! The responsibility of ownership is very frightening, but I really love the mare.

I’m feeling kind of sick right now.:eek: