Exercises to help me get fit for riding

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Muddy unicorn

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I first posted on here when my teenage daughter started loaning her horse and was warned it was a slippery slope! In the 18 months since then, we’ve bought him, moved yards so he can have better turnout, bought a trailer, joined Pony Club etc etc ...

And now I’ve started riding again, after a gap of around 40 years?

I rode a bit as a child but was never very good - I got to the point of being able to walk, trot, canter and go over tiny cross poles. Then other things got in the way and I had to stop. But spending so much time around my daughter’s lovely horse has got me hankering to give it another go. I’ve had a couple of lessons on a simulator and today had my first lesson on a real horse. The basics are sort of there still but I’m obviously very, very rusty and I need to improve my riding fitness.

I walk the dogs every day and cycle into work 2-3 times a week (a 2.5 hour round trip) so my basic fitness isn’t too bad but my core strength and flexibility could do with a boost.

As all my spare cash is spent on the horse and now my lessons as well as my daughter’s, I’m hoping to get some recommendations for websites or YouTube channels specifically aimed at returning riders - and if they could factor in my age (mid 50s) and lack of bounce that would be good too!
 
Another for Pilates. I do a specific Equipilates class through my riding club and it’s so good for my core and straightening me out. I can tell if I miss a few sessions as soon as I get into the saddle because I feel lopsided. I have also just bought myself a balance ball, stretch bands and prickly balls so I can exercise every day.
 
Thanks - there are a couple of Pilates classes locally (not riding-specific ones though) so I’ll give those a try.

Any good YouTube channels to help practise once I’ve got started?
 
It might sound really strange but I think that most of my strength comes from doing jobs around the yard. Lifting hay bales and feed bags, all of that sort of thing seems to avoid the need for any specific exercise. I know it sounds lazy, but apart from doing my horses and riding both every day (I take every 10th day off riding, but other than they they work every day) I don't really do any specific exercise. I walk about 2.5 hours a day with the dogs, but apart from that it is really only horse related things. I can't say that I could run a marathon, but I think this more or less works for me. Maybe you could just do some horse jobs and ride your daughter's horse when she is busy?
 
I love pilates and yoga for ligament strength, flexibility, toning, balance etc.

Lunges are simple and good for toning and strengthening legs and core muscles. I found these to be really effective just after 2 weeks when i became unfit:

 
I also do an equipilates class but have done pilates classes for over 10 years now. There are lots of vids on the internet but just a word of caution. It's very easy to hurt your back with some of them so it's useful to have some instruction with a good trainer. I had a look at the above vid and really liked the comment about the ribs as this is something I hadn't realised for years and it's a bit important! FWIW you will be amazed at how you can improve your core strength even when we are a bit older. Good luck
 
Pilates is great - but you really do need a good instructor at first to make sure you are doing the exercises in the "right" way. It is easy to let your body wriggle out of doing things correctly and even more easy to hurt yourself. Once you have the basics then you can carry on by yourself. If after that you don't want to commit to a weekly class, I find a monthly check in with my instructor gives me a good progress report and new things to work on in the next few weeks.
 
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