Rider Conditioning

[Wendy Milner <wendy@wendy.cnd.hp.com>]

As with our horses, there are several aspects of conditioning for
the rider.  The absolute best exercise is *riding*.  As with any
sport, the best you can do is do the sport.  So, get out
there and exercise several horses every day for hours at a time,
and you'll get in shape.  Of course, if you have to work for a 
living like me, that doesn't always work. (Please take this with 
a smile:-)

OK, a bit more serious.  As with the horses, we need to work on
cardio-vascular (aerobic) work, muscle building, and balance in 
addition to good riding skills.

I hate running.  So I don't do it.  Walking to the end of my driveway
and back (1/2 mile, plus altitude changes), or walking to the top of
the mountain to find out where those crazy horses are, is about the most 
I'll do in the way of foot work.  I've tried aerobics and think it is boring.
I can do a week or two before I drop out.  And we even have classes
here at work so there really isn't any excuse for me.  So, for my
conditioning, I took up martial arts.  I did tae kwon do for more 
years than I should have.  Now I do Tai Chi.  If you have ever seen
Tai Chi done, but not done it yourself, you may think "aerobic?"  However,
when done correctly, particularly when you are learning, your heart is
getting a good workout.  For example, stand with your feet about shoulders
width apart, keep your feet parallel, make your back flat, bend your knees,
and hold that position.  Don't cheet and straighten your knees.  How
long can you hold it?  The first time you try, it may be only a minute.
Consider exercising like this for half an hour or an hour.  Additionally, 
tai chi is great for muscle toning and balance.

My personal opinion is that tai chi is the second best exercise for
riding.  Riding itself being the best.  As long as you can stand and
walk a little, you can do tai chi.  Depending on your physical conditioning
and abilities you may want to add other things to your exercise program.
Running, biking, swimming, are great for aerobic exercises.  Weight
lifting builds muscles. Stretching is good for us all.  Cleaning stalls
and throwing hay works just about everything.  And chasing horses all over
the mountain side when they are determined that today is just a lazy 
day will really work the aerobic side of your conditioning.

--
Wendy

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  Wendy Milner                     HPDesk:   wendy_milner@hp4000
  Hewlett-Packard Company          e-mail:   wendy@fc.hp.com
  Mail Stop A2-5UB3                Telnet:   229-2182 (898-2182 as of Nov 1.)
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