getting back into it/getting back in shape

[shadesofbay3]

long story short i haven’t been able to seriously ride for a couple of years due to a back injury that has really been holding me down. however, i am now seeing a pain specialist that has found something that has been working on me, and i rode for the first time in my saddle yesterday. good news - no pain… bad news - i looked/felt like a sack of potatoes. i have just recently been riding WT bareback as that was all i could really do with a small amount of manageable pain

so my question is… besides sucking it up and gaining/growing those muscles back, what else is there that i can do to help myself? besides going to the gym and working out vigorously? i also have to bring my horse back slowly too, as she is not young anymore… do i/we just slowly bring ourselves back into shape?

[HighOctaine]

Hi shades,
So glad to hear you have found a pain control method that works for you! Other than, yes, taking it slow, I always found balancing balls to be a very helpful and low impact way of helping gain those muscles back. If you get one that is big enough where you can pick of your heels and just use your core/thighs to balance freely it’s a great tool and can absolutely be done while watching TV. You can use workout resistance bands to your stretching routine as well - and speaking of stretching, doing this while riding is also very helpful if you can find someone to lunge or if your horse maintains a circle well enough on its own.