My Life as an Equestrian Told Entirely By GIFs- Part 2

1. When my boyfriend adds his 2 cents when I rant about something horse related

2. That slow motion feeling when I’m falling off my horse

3. When someone brags to me about how much their horse cost

4. When a little kid tells me that they’re going to be in the Olympics someday

5. When I forget what I’m supposed to do mid-showmanship pattern

6. When people talk about how much better their breed of choice is

7. Me when I walk into a tack store

8. Coming home after a tough lesson

9. What goes on in my head during a pattern

10. When my boyfriend says I love my horse more than him

11. Fitting into your show clothes at the beginning of the season

12. When people tell me I should quit riding because it’s dangerous

13. When one of my lesson kids wins a class

14. When a rider that doesn’t know me says they don’t like me

15. Telling your friend they did great after they bomb a class

16. When my horse is lame and I have to pull out of a show

17. Finding out that a trainer has been drugging her 4-H kids horses for shows

18. When my dad brings me lunch during a show

19. When someone tells me I don’t work hard because my parents help me financially

20. When I get into serious show mode

21. When someone tells me all about their ‘big name trainer’

22. When I’m pretty happy with a class

23. My mom when the judge doesn’t place me first in EVERY CLASS

24. When people come out of nowhere to win the high point

 

25. When someone is jerking on their horse’s mouth and it starts being an idiot

 

26. Me whenever I get hurt from some freak horse accident

27. Every horse person EVER when given advice that they don’t like

My Life as an Equestrian Told Entirely By GIFs

1. My reaction when people ask me if I wear “assless chaps” when I compete

2. When I compete on a new circuit and win the high point

3. When my mom offers me food between classes

4. Watching a cute guy ride a pattern

5. When people say they didn’t place because of ‘politics’

6. Doing barn chores in Michigan 90% of the year

7. When my competition screws up their pattern

8. When people say that equestrians are high maintenance- whatever. At least I’m honest

9. The moments after I fall when I seriously debate whether to just stay down there forever

10. When the show FINALLY ends at 11 pm

11. When I hear trainers yell to their clients “Just jerk on his face and spur him, that’ll collect him!”

12. When a horse bucks off a rider that deserves it

13. When a rider loudly fights with their coach in front of everyone

14. When you win a class you don’t expect to

15. When someone expects to win when they don’t put in any work

 

16. When I bring my non-horsey friends to the barn

 

17. When my horse acts like an idiot in the show ring

 

18. After I win a Sweepstakes class

 

19. When someone cuts me off in the ring

 

20. When the ringmaster calls for someone to do their pattern first

 

21. When someone I can’t stand tries to give me training tips

 

22. When I try out a new class and fail miserably

 

23. When walk-trot kids get into a pileup in one corner of the arena

 

24. When people say that equestrians aren’t athletes

25. When all the hard work I put in all year finally pays off

Getting in Shape for Chap Season Part 1- Groundwork

If you’re like me, you spend nearly every day in the spring, summer, and fall riding. Winter, though, is a much more unpredictable season as far as planning a riding schedule. So, you take a couple weeks off here and a couple weeks off there, and all of a sudden you’ve gained 15 lbs and you’re huffing and puffing walking up stairs. And, if you’re anything like me, you don’t notice that your show pants are a tad tight (and by a tad, I mean so tight that breathing isn’t an option) until 3 weeks before your first show. I’ve compiled a group of exercises and tips that have been absolute lifesavers for me!

GROUNDWORK-

Just like training a horse, your training starts on the ground. Before attempting any exercises, make sure to stretch thoroughly. Not only will this save you from pulled muscles and some surprise soreness, it will eventually help with lengthening your legs in the saddle. Flexibility never hurt anyone!

After stretching, I generally start with cardio. Hop on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical for 10 minutes to warm up, and then cool down for 2 minutes. This will get your blood pumping and hopefully is a short enough time where you don’t want to quit right away. Then I like to start working my core. Here’s some of my favorite exercises:

The Plank:

Lie face down on the floor and support your weight on your forearms. Slowly lift your torso and legs off the ground until only your forearms and the balls of your feet touch the floor. Keep your back straight and squeeze your abs.  Do this for 15 seconds and then relax. I like to do 10 reps of these.

Stirrup/Calf Stretch:

Find some stairs and stand with your heels down and toes as flat as possible against the step. Do this for as long as you’re comfortable, and then step on the stair, standing on your toes and keeping your heels up. Alternate back and forth. This will stretch your calf, making it easier to keep your heels down while riding.

Hip Abductor Machine:

If you can get to a gym, this is a fantastic machine for riders to use. This machine improves your thigh muscles, which obviously makes a happy rider. (Spoiler Alert: You’ll look awesome in your showmanship pants after becoming a pro at this one!)

Ball Sit Ups:

A pretty self explanatory exercise. Add an exercise ball into your sit ups- this makes them around 20% more effective! Plus those balls are just major fun anyways.

Keep an eye out for Part 2!