# A Horse Rider's Health Standards



## Moonstruck (Apr 22, 2011)

A question for all of you horse riders. 

What do you guys do for exercise that keep you at your best?

What kind of diet do you maintain?

Any special vitamins or routines?

I'm on a misson to lose some weight so that I can be ready to get in a saddle by next year! SO I need some tips and tricks  Don't be shy!


----------



## Lonannuniel (Jun 13, 2008)

I wish I had suggestions, but I'm subbing! I would also like to know what people suggest! =)


----------



## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I work in the barn all day which lately has been my only physical exercise. After riding multiple horses and lifting saddles all day I just want to crawl into a bath and eat cookies. 

Normally though I stick with pilates/yoga to help my core strength and flexibility. It's also low impact which is great for my bad knees. 

I also take pole dancing classes which is amazing strength/toning. 

Occasionally I will take the pups out to run/hike but with the weather I haven't gotten to do that much. 

My diet is crap... I try to stay away from soft drinks (usually fail) and sweets (also fail) but I generally eat whatever... 

I take a prenatal vitamin as my mutli-vitamin.


----------



## Moonstruck (Apr 22, 2011)

I'm looking to actually sign up for some yoga/pilates classes at the Green Monkey in South Miami. Kind puts a dent in the $ though, its $125/mo.
And pole dancing i heard is awesome but i think my thighs would get a serious pole burn :lol:


----------



## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I'm lucky, my uni offers free morning sessions rotating between yoga or pilates. 

Your thighs get used to it after awhile as far as the pole dancing goes. I bruise very easily though so I look like I've been beaten up all over my legs the morning after each class :shock:


----------



## jyuukai (Apr 19, 2011)

I totally do belly dancing lol. Keeps me loose, strengthens my core, works on my hips and arms, perfect! I take a prenatal as my daily vitamin, and when I can stomach it I take 1200mg of fish oil as well 
Of course my hip is partially stuck in place atm so no belly dancing for me


----------



## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

I'm a lazy 16yo, I eat whatever, do no exercise on purpose and well.. That kind of sums me up :lol: *says sheepishly.

The only excercise I do is walking around my school between classes and throughout breaks, the school is about 1km long or so, so I end up walking around 3-4km most days if not more. I can't go to far to fast though because my spine digs into my lungs (thanks scoliosis) and it hurts really bad so I can't breathe.
The only other "excercise" I do is either lunging/riding/catching my horses, or running around speedway asking for tools to fix my race car etc.. I don't do much I'm just lucky I keep muscle easily and don't gain much weight.
-On a good day I'll walk up to see Mitchell, its about 1km there and back, I generally go a few times a day because I have the houdini of all horses.... HeadDesk.


----------



## Moonstruck (Apr 22, 2011)

For me, all of my weight is in my bum. I've got the latina figure. I am trying to trim down so that by the end of next year I can get to a better weight and it should help with my riding when I start. I usually have a ton of lower back pain, so yoga should help. And I usually eat pretty healthy, not so much because I'm trying but because I prefer it. Although I have a problem with bread! I love bread. I can eat sandwiches all day lol... Starting to appreciate the wrap though.

@jyuukai Belly-dancing sounds awesome! Sorry 'bout your hip though


----------



## back again (Mar 29, 2011)

When I was ski racing a nutritionist came out to talk to the team, it was actually quite interesting the things that they said. To start with eat breakfast within 1/2 hr of wakeing up, then have a morning tea type thing (muslei bar or something like that) - a decent sized lunch, an afternoon snack, and then dinner. If you are doing any hard excersize doing it in the afternoon is more beneficial than in the morning. And your metabolism is fastest within 1/2-1 hr of doing excercize.

I also had to take a bunch of supplements (mainly calcium and iron) 

good luck


----------



## Bluezepher94 (Jun 19, 2010)

I only get to ride once a week, so I don't get much exercise from working with/riding the horses. I go to the gym around 3 times a week and walk/run 2-2.5 miles. I like the cardio work; I think it really helps with endurance for riding. Some of the strength-machines are pretty good for riding-muscles, too. I eat like a normal 16yo; I can't stick to eating healthy for too long. xD


----------



## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

*What do you guys do for exercise that keep you at your best?*

Weight lifting, sprints, jogging, and power walking. Weight lifting is great for the leg muscles and helps maintain two point. I find parallel squats to be the most helpful. Sprints are great cardio; run full out for 50 yards, catch your breath, and run back. I do this around 10 times. Jogging is nice for endurance, as is power walking. Also, running up stairs is good for cardio and leg muscle. 

Stretches are important. I stretch every night to keep myself flexible and supple. It minimizes aching in the saddle and keeps you from pulling muscles. 

*What kind of diet do you maintain?*

I eat what I want; I just try to eat small amounts of it. :wink: A slice of cake is fine if it's just a slice, etc. I try to stay away from sugars and red meat, but otherwise my diet isn't very controlled. 


*Any special vitamins or routines?*

I walk every night and stretch every night. This is important, because if I don't do something constantly, I fall out of habit. I do sprints at school during PE and lift whenever I have access to free weights.

I also ride daily, weather permiting. 25% walk, 50% trot, 25% canter. Sometimes with less canter and more walk, depending on how my horse and I feel that day.


----------



## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

I'm trying to lose weight as well! So far it's been working...skiniest I've ever been in my life! 

Exercise:
*Switch between DDR and Zumba (dancing) depending on what I feel like.
*Horseback ride about every week.

Diet:

Nothing special...portion control is key as someone else said. Make sure to read labels on stuff and eat in as much as you can. The calories from fat on a label when multiplied by three should be less than the total calories I think. (My rule of thumb is that if it's a little over it's fine. If I was strict I would never be able to eat most anything processed lol). 

Routines: 
I start exercising at 4:50 every week day and I take the weekend off (usually not a problem as I get out on the weekends).


----------



## Bluezepher94 (Jun 19, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> Stretches are important. I stretch every night to keep myself flexible and supple. It minimizes aching in the saddle and keeps you from pulling muscles.


Just curious, what stretches do you do/recommend?


----------



## highlander (Oct 26, 2008)

I walk or cycle or mixture for 8 km/5miles a day. I pooh pick my field everyday, I work on my feet for about 6 hours a day. I do stretches with my balancing ball. I do about 30 mins of that and occansionally I use my boxing on the wii.
My diet is toast in the morning, lunch is normally a cuppa soup and bananna, and dinner tends to be a proper meal. 
I take cod liver oil and centrum complete everyday.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## JackofDiamonds (Aug 31, 2010)

im 15, and i run 3km every wednesday and sunday. Ive gotten lazy :/ haha i clean stables/paddocks at an agistment place and then do my own horses before school and ride after school, So i cant be botherd doing much anymore. I use to sprint about 1200mtrs then do 15 push up and sit ups and 9 sets of 3 45second 100mtr build ups and then do a 400mtr cool down but that was crazy and i was freaky fit. Now i die with 3km. And of course i ride 2 horses the days i dont run. I sometimes go to the gym and do a spin session or go to the pool and do laps, but i cheat and do my best stroke, butterfly. I dont go to the pool often as i find it too easy But when it comes to food, im hopeless i *love *eating. And lord if there is chocolate i cant help but eat it. I bad for bueno choccy! haha the creamy stuff in the middle is to die for!  yum!


----------



## goodcallsenator (Aug 7, 2010)

I usually run 2-3 miles per day (sometimes I skip days especially weekends). While I'm at school (boarding school) I eat a mostly vegetarian diet.


----------



## DutchFeather (May 9, 2011)

Riding does help to get and keep you in shape... So maybe a few riding lessons now, even though you think you should wait until next year.


----------



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

I hate running and I hate salads. I work in the office three days a week and I only ride one horse right now so staying fit is tough for me. The other 4 days of the week I will usually be doing barn chores which still isn't enough and can get very tough on my back. I try to spin and do yoga at least once a week but it can get tough when I'm training or competing out of town. At that point I might break down and walk, or if I'm really smart I bring my road bike with me and find a nice road to ride with lots of fun hills.
As far as eating I hate salads. They make me gag. I might choke down one a week but otherwise its soups, veggies, fruit and nuts mostly. I'll eat all my crabs in the morning with oatmeal or a bagel for breakfast. I fall off the train very easily when I start to feel sick though. I usually get migranes in the office and then I have a hard time doing any training. Right now I am desperately trying to get leaner fast for my comp next weekend so no junk this week! And tons of water! 
As far as vitamins go I just drink lots of lactose free milk for calcium and I love bananas so potassium isn't an issue for me. Last year I cut out all eggs and red meat because of high cholesterol.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Moonstruck said:


> What do you guys do for exercise that keep you at your best?


I am a runner, although have slacked off considerably (OK entirely) since I moved to the States from Oz. Just getting back into running now after 18 months and hoping to compete in a half marathon by the end of the year (13miles/21kms). Back to the beginning in my training ugh, so I am building up with several 3 mile runs during the week and then a longer run on the weekend. At the moment it is just 5 miles on Sat and a slow 2 miles on Sunday. Over the next few months the weekday runs will slowly increase to 5 miles and the weekend runs will be 8-10 miles on the Saturday and a slow 4 mile on the Sunday.

Used to do a LOT of martial arts which does wonders for core strength and body control, amazing for all things equine related! I haven’t got back into that since moving either, too many exciting things to see and do here to worry about being super fit anymore ha ha.



Moonstruck said:


> What kind of diet do you maintain?


 
I have a hard time eating anything at all before 2pm which is terrible for my metabolism I am sure. Unfortunately I just can’t do it, it makes me sick, sometimes I can force down some oatmeal or natural yoghurt but that’s about it. Unless I am hungover, then EVERYTHING is on the menu in the morning, the more grease the better. Generally I eat a lot of tuna, chicken, tofu, fruit and vegetables. I am not a fan of bread or pasta so rarely eat either. If I need something really satiating I love brown rice. I refuse to buy ice cream at all because I love it so much and have zero self control. The last time I bought a tub of ice cream was in 2006 and I polished off the entire thing in one night. Hence the self imposed ban on ice cream. Essentially, I eat when I am hungry and I try to be organized so that I can eat freshly prepared food, fast food makes me ill so if I haven’t prepared something I am somewhat limited with food choices. I love to cook and bake (last nights effort – fat free banana and date loaf: YUMMM) and will generally make everything from scratch so I know exactly what I am eating, what has gone into it and how fresh all the ingredients are.

Now that I have made myself seem overly healthy I just want to add that I LOVE chocolate and sometimes I eat enough kolaches/donuts in one sitting to feed a small army. It makes me sick but I do it anyway. Oh and Tex-Mex is the devil but I LOVE it, ‘spesh washed down with a coupla margaritas.



Moonstruck said:


> Any special vitamins or routines?


 
I take a multi-vitamin every day and I drink 1L of water when I wake up every morning. I try to eat three different types of fruit every day (today it will be an apple, strawberries and grapes) and when I cook I like to have vegetables of at LEAST three different colours, preferably four in the meal.



Moonstruck said:


> I'm on a misson to lose some weight so that I can be ready to get in a saddle by next year! SO I need some tips and tricks  Don't be shy!


As for losing weight, I have a 10 pound fluctuation which I am OK with, sometimes I am at the upper end, sometimes I am at the lower end. I have a pair of jeans I bought when I was 18 and if I don’t fit into them I know it is time to shape up ha ha. I don’t do the crazy dieting thing, all I do is drink more water, eat more fruit/veg and cut out snacks after 8pm. Usually the weight gain is from doing the opposite of all three things.


----------

