Re: Keeping Fit

["Robyn Levash" <questarabians@inreach.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: JOLYNN MAYNARD <jolmayna@whitepine.k12.nv.us>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 5:03 AM
Subject: RC: Keeping Fit
******It does make a difference on
how well you last in a ride and how you feel at the end of the ride. ******

I certainly agree. Just like it is necessary for our endurance "buddies"
horses to obtain a certain degree of fitness, many people tend to forget
about the fitness in themselves . Endurance riding is no easy task for horse
or rider. It takes high muscle tone for the rider to not only be able to
enjoyably "handle" the ride without extreme muscle fatigue/ body stress, but
most importantly our "buddies" tremendously benefit as well. There is no
doubt that "fit" "tight" rider that is able to support their own body weight
the majority of a ride is a tremendous asset to the horse in several ways. I
have always been a fitness buff, and thoroughly enjoy the LSD work to be
done on my end as well. I lift weights regularly, do aerobics, and enjoyl
running alongside the horse for a portion of the training rides or ride
itself. There has been times in my life where I've had to put my
fitness/conditioning on the back burner. Even of the horse is fit, If my
conditioning or fitness level has suffered I  will not ride a 50 miler +
until I have regained at least enough of a fitness level to not be a
hinderance to the horse. In my opinion,  horse fitness and rider fitness
just go hand in hand. I like to take both  just as seriously as the other.
Again just my opinion, It is just does not seem  "fair" for either horse or
rider to have to suffer just because one was not prepared appropriately for
the task at hand.
Robyn