riding is hard!

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MissCandy

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Well I went for a riding lesson a couple of days ago, the first time I've ridden properly for 5 years and the first proper lesson in almost 20 years!

Well I can hardly walk today! It never used to be so hard... I have had 2 babies in the last 4 years (the youngest is only 10 weeks old) but still... My fitness levels are a joke! It was very frustrating that my body wouldn't do what my brain was telling it to do, I was struggling to keep up rising trot on the correct diagonal :-(

Still I'm not to disheartened and I'm looking forward to the next lesson but I need to build up my fitness inbetween - any tips for the best kind
of exercise to do?
 
Can't really offer any advice, but can offer my sympathy - I had my first riding lesson in about 15 years (I stopped when I got my first pony as couldn't afford them). Decided I wanted to improve myself as usually I just hack out with Saffron and hardly do any schooling. It was only a half hour lesson but I was out of breath half way through all the trotting so had a walk to get my breath back. I was shocked at myself! Also I could hardly walk the next day either! (I did find a nice easy ride of Saf sorted my poor muscles out though).
 
No useful advice, but welcome back to the riding world, and my (slightly amused) sympathies - itll come back to you, give it another few weeks of hard slog and you'll be there!! :D
 
If it makes you feel any better, I had a proper lesson on our old loan horse (used to just plod about or "school"). I was so puffed out i almost fainted!

To be fair it was a really hot day and i get hot easily but that combined with the physical exertion of trying to keep a leisurely horse trotting and also working in an outline nearly did me in!
 
Great that you're getting back in the saddle, especially only 10 weeks after giving birth!
Pilates/yoga is supposed to be good for conditioning your core muscles used for balance and stability. Have you got an exercise/yoga ball? You could sit on it for half an hour or so a night just while watching tv and your core muscles will be working but you won't even realise it.
Squats and lunges can help build up strength in your legs which will help with rising trot, too. But don't overdo it! A basic general level of fitness will see you through whilst you're building up specific muscles through riding itself. x
 
10 weeks?? Wow.

Don't panic, your core muscles will be a bit woolley, just be careful.
I went back to work as a nurse after 8 weeks and gave my self a back injury that took 2 years to heal. Give your muscles and ligaments time to firm up.
 
Thanks, the pilates ball sounds a nice gentle exercise to begin with and thanks for the warning janette, I own a youngster so I am desperate to get back to riding so I at least have confidence to get on him when the time comes! I'll try not to get to carried away though :-)
 
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