Riding Fitness Helps Your Groundwork and Your Riding
Most of us have been there. ?We’ve attended clinics or we’ve ridden with other riders who were completely out of shape. ?I’ve been one of those out-of-shape riders. ?Perhaps you have too.
SaddleUpAgain is focused on helping riders get on better with their horses — on the ground and in the saddle. ?And it’s targeted to riders who perhaps have been injured riding their horses or are returning to riding after a layoff. ?Even if you were physically fit before the layoff, the odds are that the passing years and a sedentary lifestyle may have changed your level of fitness and perhaps your ability to ride a horse.
Your level of riding fitness also affects your ability to walk away from a fall without serious injury. ?When I resumed riding as an adult after decades away from it, I was in excellent physical shape since I was a US Navy pilot who had to pass twice-yearly physical fitness tests and an annual flight physical.
After I left the Navy and went through the experience of years of law school, my commitment to exercise and the time available for exercise diminished. ?I believe that lack of fitness contributed to my being bucked off a horse and the six broken ribs I suffered as a result.
I’ve been bucked off several times since and each time I’ve bruised ribs, which kept me off the horse for a substantial period of time. ?Part of my program to get back in the saddle again, is to improve my level of fitness and my nutrition. ?So some?of the information we’ll be exploring through?this?website will be on the topics of physical fitness and nutrition.
Another aspect of riding fitness is mental. ?You’ll ride better if your mind is focused on what you’re doing and what your horse is doing. ?If you’re distracted or upset, your horse will know it and it will affect your horse’s feel of you (in other words the vibes your horse is getting from you). We’ll be talking about the importance of mental fitness and mental focus and ways that you can improve your mental approach to your groundwork and your riding.
