Hi all. Due to COVID, I am getting my horse back from the woman who has been leasing him a bit sooner than expected. I am getting over an illness of several years. I am 54, out of shape, overweight. I did not think I would ride again, honestly. But I am delighted to try again. I am walking hills, doing some gentle yoga. I plan to do exercises in the saddle and let time take its course. I guess I am looking for encouragement, inspiration… and recommendations for a good pair of warm weather half chaps and sticky breeches for a shorter, curvy gal? And if you have good mounted exercises, let me know. I am literally starting again from nothing. Thanks in advance.
Good for you! I’d suggest having a person on the ground for the first few rides, a coach or a very experienced friend, who can hold the horse while you mount if necessary and talk you through any anxiety.
I’d also spend a couple of weeks doing good ground work to get to know the horse again and to feel.comfortable around him. Ground work does involve a lot of walking and a certain amount of upper body strength. When you are riding fit it seems like nothing but if you are coming back after illness or injury, 45 minutes on the ground can feel like quite a bit of exercise.
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I agree with ground work and fitness exercises from the ground. I think you should add some low impact aerobics as well. Lift weights. Get ankle weights and do leg lifts. Riding is safer if you are fit and definitely safer if you lose some weight.
I’ve been laid up for months with a foot injury. I will sit in the recliner and do leg exercises because being non weight bearing is terribly bad for your muscles. One of my riding friends tore her ACL so she will be out for the year. Unfortunately these things happen and you just have to make the best of it.
Use your goal of riding as motivation to get fit and exercise. Try taking your horse for long walks down the street. Anything that gets you moving.
As for riding work, posting the trot is a real calorie burner.
I can kick myself for not teaching my mare to drive before my injury… She needs more exercise.
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Thanks! Yes, I plan to do a lot of ground work with him like I did when I got him off the track as a 3 year old (he’s an OTTB). Probably 2-3 weeks, minimum, just ground work - working on relationship and communication. Then I’ll get in the saddle. I am not anxious about riding in terms of fear of falling, etc. He’s kind and well-mannered. I imagine we’ll be doing a lot of walking and gentle trotting to start, with some mellow laterals (mostly for my fitness). You are right about loss of muscle mass… I have lost most of it. Time and patience!
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One of the best things I’ve done is standing in the stirrups - not 2-point. You are aiming to keep the ear to ankle straight line so your legs will go a little bit behind. When I started out I needed a handful of mane. It’s great for working on balance and core strength. I also found myself gaining more confidence. I didn’t bother with it for a while but when I got back into it I was shocked when I realized how my body had responded.
I started it after Julie Goodnight’s session at Equine Affaire several years ago. How to Ride Until You are 90. I was one of the babies in the audience at 69. Once you are confident at the walk, transition to trot, and if you are really confident aim for the canter. Susan Harris also used it in a clinic and a private lesson. We found a much stronger trot and I did 7 strides which was a surprise. It also gets me off his back. When I add it all together I can feel my strength and balance improving. If I do it for 18 more years I will hit 90. .
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As with a horse going back into work after a long lay-up, consider changing your diet as well as your exercise. In Nov, I decided I didn’t like the “old lady” look I had in the pix from the hunt ball —thin shouldered, stooped, pot-belly. In very small steps, I changed ME —I started with a food tracking app (I happened on my-fitness-pal) and began to first watch what I ate (tried to reduce fat/add protein) --and then again, slowly, started cutting calories --it was like a little computer game --then I discovered (duh) if I added exercise, I could eat more! I only exercise 20 min a day --period. But I do exercise 20 min every day. COTH people were very helpful in off-course with giving me suggestions on what to do to maximize my 20 min --as of yesterday, I’ve lost 29 of the 30 pounds I set out to lose —but that’s not the best part --my whole body has changed. The pot belly is gone, and my posture is much better --daughter says it’s because my core is stronger. Part of my success has been the stay at home order --I have no trouble finding 20 min to exercise, and few min each day to tap my food into the app and see where I am.
As a second unexpected result, I’m riding better, I think, although with just me and the horses here, hard to know for sure. And maybe it doesn’t matter. I am having more fun than I should during this crisis. I do miss my kids (all live too far away to visit during the lock down) --but the cats, dog, horses and I are surviving well.
Anyway, that’s my suggestion is treat yourself like a horse --put yourself on a diet that is conducive to success, and add 20 min of some kind of exercise each day. Honestly, it can’t hurt --and maybe, like me, you will be amazed how much it does help.
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You asked for warm-weather half chap recommendations too. Since February I’ve been using a pair of Tredstep Original half chaps. They’re quite lightweight and I’m sure they’ll be cooler this summer than the heavy Ariat half chaps I formerly used. The tradeoff will no doubt be durability, of course. Their great merit is that they fit over Ariat Terrain H2O paddock boots–Ariat’s own brand of half chaps CAN’T be zipped all the way down over their boots! I love Ariat Terrain boots: comfy enough to hike in and no problem if the ground is muddy or wet. (They’re not waterproof if you have to lead your horse through a hip-deep water crossing, sadly. Ask me how I know.) Consider the Ariat Terrain boots if you plan to continue doing some walking along with your riding to build your fitness. If you wear spurs, you may find you’ll need man-sized spur straps to fit over all that leather. During the hot California summer, I ride in Kerrit Ice Fil tights. They do have grip dots, but couldn’t honestly be described as “sticky”–just less slippery than they’d be without the dots. Here again, it’s a tradeoff: grippy breeches will be thicker and hotter.
@Foxglove Your story is very inspirational. You must feel amazing! I remember the fitness guy Covert Bailey saying just 20 min a day and it really stuck for me. Just this morning I’ve done some strengthening exercises prescribed by a PT who specializes in riders and wow has it made a difference for me. AND I’ll get down and do 30 second sets of planks - several through the day. It all adds up - little commitments.
And yes, eating right. So critical. OP, look at this time as a new chapter in your life. Have fun with it - a lot of walking with your horse under saddle. For months really. Mostly walking. A little trot. Then more trot. Then lots of trot.
Consider it will take 6 mos to get you both really fit - tendons and ligaments. And have fun! What a gift these horses and riding is for us.
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And keep a journal. (getting mine out right now)
@PaddockWood What a nice thing to say! I do feel great! Ironic, that now that I look better than ever, and have really been polishing my riding skills, I can’t leave the farm! Oh --but one fun thing --I tapped an instructor in NZ (also on lockdown) to look at my riding via short videos on messenger --she has given me oodles of help --no one ever watched a video of me, then did a voice over pointing out each thing I could work to improve! What a treat! See myself the same way the instructor saw me!
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@Foxglove I just re-read your story and I once too was using Fitness Pal and it really works. Amazing how fast calories add up. What all do you notice physically with your weight loss? And emotionally too? Fun stories like your are SO inspirational. Did you have a big change in the healthiness of what you eat?
@PaddockWood I find Fitness Pal addicting! How did you stop using it? I find my hands itching to put on my latest workout or meal the second I finish to see where I am – I think my #1 body change was loss of inches. Because of the quarantine, I go no where and see no one. I get up, dress, ride, do inside projects, read, go to bed. That’s my daily routine --because of that, I wear the same clothes (barn clothes, riding clothes, workout clothes) every day --different garments, but same styles and sizes. About March I started having trouble keeping my riding pants on --slip off my butt while I cleaned stalls --then it was my barn pants --got a belt. Finally, (I’m a little slow) I took a look in a full length mirror --I looked like a little kid wearing my mom’s clothes! My kids bought me new workout clothes for Christmas --started wearing those --then (when it was still open) got some smaller barn clothes at GoodWill, and finally, raided some of the kids’ left behind riding pants. But that was the biggest change for me.
And I’d have to say I feel great. Emotionally --had to say with the whole CV thing --I miss seeing my kids --all live too far to visit and in hot spots. But Spring is here and that’s a happy time. Sadly, I have never been a healthy eater. I do try to eat protein more --but my daily “report” graph from myfitnesspal is mostly carbs and fat --sigh --but mainly I watch the calories --and daily exercise.
With my goal so close --1 more pound --my next challenge will be to maintain. From what I’ve read, keeping up the routine is the best way to do that. I’m on day 128 since I started —so probably a habit now --life, as always, is interesting!
Did you maintain? I like the Journal idea!
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@PaddockWood —or up the exercise to account for the wine --30 min more on the horse and you earned your wine! I do like that myfitnesspal includes stall cleaning and horseback riding as exercise!
I (64 yo) am another who has been off the horse waaay more than on the horse over the last 6 years due to my health issues. I probably had maybe 100 rides over that 6 years which isn’t much…certainly not enough to maintain any riding fitness. Through most of this time, I was able to do some ground work and a friend rode her last year for several months so she has not turned into a total pasture puff. Finally, I am back to riding and I just got back on. Yes, I exercise off the horse but I must keep it pretty mild exercise due to all my issues (most aren’t going away as I get older). I am very gun shy as the MO has been that as I am rehabbing one issue, another one pops up:sigh:. I do PT and try to rehab whatever issue but have usually ended up with surgery. I walk and I have been rowing (on a stationary machine). I had just started water exercise when COVID-19 closed everything:(. I do need to get back to some strength training. I have gained like 13lbs between doing hospice care for my elderly mother’s dog (stress eating) and now, stay at home (mindless eating). Eating seems to have been what I am best at:o. I need to do something online to keep me honest I guess. I wasn’t thin before and I have been battling myself about if I should even get back on. My girl is kind of a ballerina build. Thus far she is handling it fine and I am trying keep work easy and basic while we both get back in shape. Horse is coming 18 and I don’t think she needs a ton of lunging. When I can walk OK, I work on in hand work. I recently started attempting to teach her Spanish walk.
As as far as riding, the first couple of weeks were kind of wobbly on my part. Rehab (in Feb) started with lots of walking. I would throw in a trot or two but if I was impeding her…back to walk. I have been doing lots of figures and lateral work in walk so she has been “working” not just ambling along. I am just now starting to work in trot and canter. I use dressage as the basis for all our work and my seat actually feels quite solid and secure now. I won’t really ramp up work until I get some of the lard off.
Good luck and happy riding:).
Susan
