Essential Tack

Hard riding can be the center of a healthy lifestyle and a healthy lifestyle can make hard riding possible. Too few human trainers are aware of the cardiovascular benefits of trotting and nearly none are aware of the incredible core strength that results from cantering. The first summer that I added cantering 40 minutes each morning into my schedule I lost 17 pounds without changing my diet. Hard riding is solid exercise. The flip side is true.

 A solid exercise routine, tailored towards riding, makes hard riding feasible. Step one is to build super strong core muscles. To do so planks and kettle bell workouts are hard to beat. Step two is to build endurance and supple quadriceps. Posting while sitting on a large inflatable ball gives that specialized endurance and helps one develop balance for better riding. All running is good but not all running is the same. Barefoot running, or running with barefoot shoes, such as these, uses very different muscles than running with shoes. The muscles used in barefoot running are the muscles used in riding.

 It is the ultimate frustration to sustain a nagging injury that makes riding and training painful if not impossible. That means riding pants and long socks that will not cause abrasions and saddle sores.

 The entire program is designed to allow one to be able to ride for stretches of 8-10 hours. That concept is the one that holds most of us back. We cannot imagine having time to do all of that riding and exercising. It is the improvement in one's health that makes all of this worthwhile. One who makes riding the center of a healthy lifestyle does not spend time riding. Such a person invests time in riding. That investment pays huge dividends in improvements in physical and emotional health.