EveryRider:

Or at least your riding...

Everybody's doing it these days. From our favorite celebrities to athletes at the top of their game, even your mom and your Aunt pearl talk about how Yoga has changed their bodies and their lives. Maybe its because I share the attention span of my horses, or the fact that I always thought stretching only came before "real" workouts. I understood the need for flexibility and suppleness as a rider, but I certainly never thought of yoga consisting almost entirely of controlled stretching could make me stronger or more fit. Unfortunately after injuring my knee during a bad fall, I was unable to ride for quite some time. I had to find a low impact solution to regain lost muscle and flexibility in order to be fit enough to ride.

I first tried yoga a few years ago and to be honest I hated every second of it. Part of the problem was the way I was introduced to yoga in the first place. My mother lent me a 90 minute tape of Denise Austin's "Fat Blasting Yoga." You remember her right? The perky aerobics queen of the 90's with endless smiling encouragement as she bounces around aimlessly. Well, picture the same bad music and the same annoying voice while trying to follow, "Down dog, up dog! Down dog, up dog, down dog -- aaand up dog!" Maybe it's just me but I despite my best efforts I found myself cursing the TV rather than relaxing. Her overly cheerful style can quickly become irritating, especially when she coos something like, "This is my favorite stretch!" or, "Yea, YOGA!" So after about 20 minutes I decided yoga was definitely not for me.

I turned to pilates, which I still believe is the best all around workout for equestrians. Allowing you to strengthen your core and work up a sweat all while developing the coveted long lean muscles essential to good riding. While I had a lot of success with pilates the tightness in my hips and thighs persisted. A depressing fact that you may not know is that we all begin to lose flexibility at the age of 16. Like it or not, touching your toes before hopping on your horse just isn't enough, especially as you get older.

It was then at the advice of my instructor I decided to give yoga one more chance. I purchased A.M. and P.M. yoga by Rodney Yee. After the first few minutes of rolling my eyes and grumbling about the new age flutes and speedo on the beach, I gave it a real go. The entire A.M. session was a total of less than 20 minutes. I can honestly say I experienced amazing results my very first day. I felt more relaxed, loose and energized than I had in quite some time. The P.M. session is just as delightful. It is a great way to wind down at the end of the day, not only providing you a well rested night sleep but I awoke with less stiffness each morning. I don't do it every day or even as often as I should but I find that even 2 - 3 times a week will make a dramatic difference in your riding and just the way you feel in general.

In summary there are many ways yoga can help you become a better rider:

Yoga creates flexibility in the hips.

Yoga creates a stronger, suppler, back.

Yoga builds body awareness and independent use of each part of your body.

Yoga teaches you how to breathe deeply at all times, even during a difficult experiences.

After a few weeks of practicing yoga a minimum of 3 days per week you will see improvement:

Going with your horse's motion

Have a taller, quieter position

Give more precise aids

Experience greater concentration and flow

Enjoy faster muscle recovery / less soreness

As with riding, there is no magic to yoga. It takes concentration, consistency, and discipline to succeed. Similar to training horses, yoga is not about force. Some riders are flexible, and others are not. Be aware of those differences and work towards your individual perfection. Work at your own pace and don't worry if you have to modify the stretches at first. In a short time you will find yourself improving your range of motion beyond what you thought was possible. You will learn how to move your body (and mind) away from strain, pain and imbalance toward balance of strength, flexibility and endurance. I think you'll be surprised how quickly you see results in your riding among other things.

I have also included a few clips I found on youtube of one of Rodney Yee's beginner yoga videos. These scenes are not from the A.M. / P.M. video but a lot of the stretches are the same so I figured a little sneak peak couldn't hurt.

We all love our horses and we want them to love us back. We devote our time and our energy, we care for them, we consider them a part of our family. As horse lovers and as human beings it is only natural for us to want to nurture our equine companions. Unfortunately, despite our good intentions we often do them more harm than good when we humanize their needs. We want to believe our horses want and need the same things we do and that in return for our love, they love us, trust us, prefer us and would never hurt us. Many people give treats to horses as a way of demonstrating affection sometimes believing that the horse will "like" them more. Believe me when I tell you that when your horse begins to treat you as his human vending machine the last thing he is trying to show you is affection.

When your horse mugs your pocket or begs for treats he is invading your space and demanding food. By giving up either your resources or space, you are telling your horse that he is in control. I read a great quote on this subject as it relates to self discipline. The quote is "You cannot teach what you do not have". When you fail to take leadership role, the horse takes over, which often leads to spoiled and aggressive behaviors from the horse. You are creating a dangerous and unpleasant animal with no regard for you or anyone else it encounters.

Before you roll your eyes and dismiss this post, understand that I am not implying you should never treat your horses. I do give my horses treats. Depending on the horse and situation, feeding treats can be harmless and fun. In fact I have several horses that I call my "treat horses" because I know that when children come and ask to feed them carrots they will gently lower their heads and respectfully accept. I also use treats when doing carrot stretches with my horses.

Treats can be a useful way to easily get what your after without a lot of fuss. However, I DO NOT greet my horses with hand fed treats. I DO NOT try to reward a horses bad behavior or calm a horse with treats. I DO NOT bribe my horses on to trailers with treats. There is a difference between bribery and reward. If you have to give your horse grain, carrots, etc. to get him to step in the trailer that's bribery. But, if you give your horse the grain after they are in the trailer and standing quietly that's a reward. It may seem like a subtle difference, but the behavior must come before the reward.

Each horse is an individual and they all will respond differently. If your horse is like one of my "kid treat horses" you may never have an issue with your horse becoming aggressive or ill mannered. However if you begin to see signs of spoiling (chasing you or others in the field, mugging your pockets, nipping at your hands or clothes, dancing in the cross ties, or pawing each time you arrive) It is time to practice restraint. Give your horse all the treats you want in his BUCKET. Let him watch you put them there if you are worried that he wont know they are from you.

The bottom line is a good relationship with your horse has very little to do with spoiling them. In fact it has little to do with love either, at least not the way we as humans equate love. What a good relationship is based on is mutual respect. If you love your horse, then respect your horse enough to do what is in his best interest. This is far more important than fulfilling your own fantasy of a human like bond that horses neither understand or appreciate. If you want to show your horse how much you care, make sure he has a clean water bucket, groom him today even if he is only going to get dirty again, exercise him, put an apple with his dinner if it pleases you. At the end of the day what your horse truly comprehends and appreciates is his dependence upon you. He can depend on the fact that he will be safe, warm, fed and treated kindly by the partner at his side.

*** Read this article by Dr. Jessica Jahiel highlighting a letter written by one of her readers entitled "Dear friend of my horse" This can be a tricky subject at many boarding barns. I think printing out this letter and hanging it on your bulletin board might give your unwelcome treaters a little perspective w/out stepping on too many toes:)

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