What exercise do you do off the horse to improve?

I am unfortunately recovering from a surgery and haven’t been able to do it for a while, but I LOVE my Peloton. The spin classes did HUGE things for my cardio stamina and health, as well as core strength. Totally felt a difference when riding. They also have Standing Core classes that I love and made me not dread core workouts. I’m very anxious to be able to get back at it.

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This will not help you with your timing to meet the jump BUT

I bought the Home Horse riding simulator, https://homehorse.com. Since I have MS exhaustion I try to have one 30 minute lesson a week and one session on the HH. Once I got the HH padded up under the saddle I feel like I have something between my legs (instead of my legs floating on thin air) and I have increased my muscle strength and endurance.

The HH also helps me work on my balance, I got a long bubble balance, put in on my HH platform, and my spotter can see when I am in balance. Since my proprioceptive sense is almost non-existent this is helping me feel when I am in balance.

Once I got my HH padded up under the saddle I have been working on my posting trot. My endurance on the posting trot has improved, slowly but I cannot do much work on it since I get so tired.

I do not get to have a lesson every week. I miss riding a live horse but with my HH in my living room I can get into the saddle and exercise my riding muscles. It is much better than having no saddle time at all.

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How often do you swim?
I’m not great with the gym. I’m not ‘at all’ with the gym to be honest. I walk near daily and I swim 2-3x/week, mostly in summer but I could stand to make it a year 'round thing.

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I’ve been trying to swim 3 times a week, but sometimes a few as once a week. 3 times is the best for me though between everything else.

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Thank you!

This is fascinating! Has anyone else tried this? Curious what you used to create padding under the saddle area.

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I have one. There is a thread on it…I like it, too.

I know you asked for things off the horse, but doing a lot of poles will help your eye without pounding the horse’s legs.

With strength training, it helps me to make sure I’m working my back. But I have a longer back and have felt like it’s the back of an old lady since I was a teen, so it is important for me to keep it strong. For a while, I was away from horses but did a lot of road bike racing. That helped with balance and abs (but also a bit too much for hip flexors), and I didn’t have much trouble getting back into riding from a general strength and fitness perspective, but at some point I’d lost my gym membership along the way, and cycling was not doing nearly enough for my back for riding.
A stationary bike does even less for the entire upper body because you don’t have to adapt to the road.

I ended up using my Total Saddle Fit Western Squish pad (because with this one I can velcro the shims to the outside of the pad unlike the English one) covered by a ThinLine Contour pad. This pad does stick out to the rear giving me minor challenges when I swing my right leg over the cantle to mount or dismount.

The lady who helps me with the HH has shorter legs than I do and we have to remove the ThinLine Contour pad so that her feet can rest flat on the platform. My HH is at its shortest on the support post so she uses less padding.

ETA. My current thread on here about riding on my Home Horse is in the Riders with Health Issues section: “Trying to Get Riding Fit with MS at the Speed of a Snail.” It also includes me riding lesson horses when I get to ride one.

What program do you use?

@Annie10 Long time Peloton member. I do my cardio on the spin bike for 30 min daily, then weights --currently using “Andy’s Density Training 2” a 4 times a week lifting program that lasts 6 weeks. Until Jan 1, I was following #hardcore on the floor–a peloton workout based daily calendar. I did that for about 2-3 years but decided it was too much yoga barre and Pilates…looked around and found Ben’s Stronger You 1–four week program three times a week, did that. Then did Ben’s Stronger You 2–more advanced. Finished that and started with Andy’s program. I have three more weeks. Then I will start the same programs over using slightly heavier weights. I enjoy my basement gym, bike, weights, mat, and bathroom! Pause when I need to, go at my own pace. It works for me. :blush:

Ah ok thanks. I’ve been looking around on YouTube for some videos that I like

Running. You need air to ride a course. That’s my number one. I do Zumba one or two days a week because it’s fun and also improves my air. Strength training. We have a home gym so I’m hitting that about 4 days a week. Yin Yoga every morning to settle my mind.

Not an “exercise” so much as another sport and they both help each other.

Golf.

Right now due to shoulder issues I am just playing virtually with a simulator but overall just mostly hitting balls.

Here’s the thing, when you do not prioritize swinging the club to strike the ball with the fundamentals dictating the how, when, why and where, you illicit the same (Negative) reaction as walking into a jumper ring saying, “I’m gonna go faster than everyone and WIN.”

Sure you might hit a ball far one out of 100 when you mean to, but not the majority of hits. And likewise you may get lucky and win a class when your lines, pace, distances and direction and all converged from luck, but it won’t happen steadily.

When I start getting competitive, out come my clubs. When I have a win or success streak going between a couple shows, out come my clubs.

The foundation of doing both correct matters to be able to progress AND not regress. If I whack a little white ball around enough I remember to use my brain for the work that needs to happen

To CHOOSE:

Where am I pulling up in the ring for my bell?
What pace am I starting for the ring entrance?
What line is the right one, at ALL the fences?
What’s the biggest challenge?
Where is the biggest pitfall?
Where can I take advantage?
Where can I lose an advantage?

Over and over the two sports do compliment each other IF you are dedicated to doing the work in both.

Emily

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100000% Everyone should have this mindset.

I workout in riding pants all the time. They’re super comfortable and it’s one less outfit change. :rofl:

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I’ve been working with a personal trainer, and she is a big believer in finding physical activity that you ENJOY and would rather push clients towards that vs. what would be best for their sport, simply because if you’re not doing physical activity regularly, what’s the point?

That said, I do a variety of things. I do weight lifting under the trainer’s supervision 1x a week. Peloton 2-3x a week. Pilates mat class 1x a week. Barre class 1x a week. Usually some rec league pickleball thrown in. Of course usual dog walking (don’t underestimate the power of walking for you or your horse!).

I try to cross train as much as much as I can because that’s what helps prevent injury, which is what I’m most focused on followed by muscle coordination. I’ve never really had strength issues in the saddle but coordinating the right muscles to fire at the right time? That’a what the Pilates is for.

I’m not sure I’m ever going to improve my cardio tremendously. It feels like every time I get pneumonia or COVID, I take a massive step back, and I don’t quite come back to where I was. Doesn’t stop me from doing cardio but I’ve lowered my expectations and aim to meet minimum thresholds.

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