Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Fantastic!  Very creative and right on.
Laney

karen coombes wrote:
> At this time of year, after the holidays, ads for weight-loss programs
> saturate print media and the airwaves. Even TV talk shows devote time to the
> battle of the bulge. I caught part of a Dr. Phil episode in which the
> prominent self-help guru was evaluating the situation of one overweight
> guest. The woman commented that she'd like to buy a horse so she could get
> exercise via riding. "That's great for the horse," responded Dr. Phil
> drolly, "but what good is it for you?"
>
> Obviously, Dr. Phil has missed out on the cardiovascular workout we women
> get attempting to get into a sports bra and riding pants.... Clearly, the
> good doctor doesn't own a horse. At least, not the right horse. A quiet,
> well-broke, agreeable mount may indeed not offer much in the way of fitness
> training. But, the right horse (and most of us have owned 1 or 2, haven't
> we?) will provide a body-building, cardiovascular- enhancing workout that
> would make Richard Simmons envious.
>
> Allow me to explain....
>
> With the right horse, you begin your fitness program by walking out to the
> pasture. As you stride briskly, you carry the halter and lead rope behind
> you, pushed up high on your back so the lead doesn't drag. The purpose of
> this is to tone your chest and upper-arm muscles (because you're not fooling
> your horse, for he knows what you carry).
>
> As you approach to within a few feet of him, he'll walk slowly away from
> you, but at a pace just so you can't reach him, then stop. This will be
> repeated several times in succession, until you're ready to jog. At that
> point, because you own just the right horse, he will trot, then gallop
> around the pasture. If you're at the advanced level of fitness, you may
> continue chasing after him for maximum aerobic benefits, or just stop and
> start throwing rocks at him to give your rotator cuffs a workout. (Make sure
> you switch throwing arms. Not only is this a benefit to you, your horse will
> think it hilarious). Beginners may prefer to toss the halter and lead on the
> ground, bend forward from the waist, and engage in heavy breathing and
> chanting (that's what we'll call it, anyway -- chanting) as the horse
> continues to circle the field. For those of you that have experience with
> this exercise, you may choose to throw the halter and lead, walk briskly,
> bend, pick up, repeat. When the horse determines you've had enough of this
> warm-up session, he'll allow you to catch him.
>
> Now comes the total upper-body workout of grooming. The right horse, of
> course, will be caked in dried mud. The cement-like consistency of it will
> require work-to-exhaustion effort of your biceps and triceps. NOTE: This
> exercise has added value, the dried mud will stick to your face with
> perspiration, instant facial!
>
> Next comes the bending, stretching, and toning of hoof-picking. Bend over,
> pick up the horse's left front foot, then be prepared to jump back as he
> stomps it back down to the ground, narrowly missing your foot. (Keep your
> knees bent as you jump, to protect your lower back.) Reach down and pick up
> the foot again, hopping about with the horse to maintain your grip as you
> attempt to pick what seems to be dirt mixed with Super Glue from the hoof.
> Eventually the horse may stand still; you may be chanting by this time.
> Repeat the entire circuit 3 more times with the remaining feet.
>
> Once you can stand erect again, it's time for the insect repellent exercise.
> True, with this one, your horse may actually get more of a workout than you
> do, but you certainly get more of the repellent. It goes like this:
> Squirt!-circle- circle. Squirt!-circle- circle. Squirt!-circle- circle---
> and so on, until you're completely misted with repellent and chanting 'whoa
> you sonofagun whoa'. To receive maximum benefit from this exercise, make
> sure you are at the beginning of a deep inhalation during the 'squirt' cycle
> And exhale after the last chanting 'whoa'.
>
> With the right horse, saddling up provides both aerobic and strength
> building benefits. The trick is to keep your feet moving as you heft the
> saddle blanket over and over (and over), trying to keep it in place on a
> moving target. The blanket exercise warms you up for the saddle exercise,
> for which the routine is the same, only the weight is much greater --
> perfect for buffing those hard-to-tone shoulder muscles.
>
> Now comes the mounting exercise. With the right horse, it's left leg up,
> hop-hop-hop, left leg down, heavy breathing. Left leg up, hop-hop-hop, left
> leg down, heavy breathing. For balance, go around to the other side and
> continue the exercise (right leg up, hop-hop-hop, heavy breathing, right leg
> down, heavy breathing, etc.). When your heart rate begins to exceed your
> target range, look for a bucket. Bend over, pick it up, place it upside-down
> next to the horse, wait for the horse to move away, then bend over, pick it
> up again, place it next to the horse, and so on. NOTE: This is a cooling
> down routine, not to be confused with the warm up pasture-routine. When the
> horse deems you've had enough of these repetitions, he'll stand still and
> allow you to actually mount. At this point, of course, you'll be too
> exhausted to ride and your facial mask will be dropping off in chunks.
>
> It's best not to overdo it, so dismount, grab a glass of wine, and head in
> to recover in a nice bubble bath.
>
>
>
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>  Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
>  Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
>  Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp
>
>  Ride Long and Ride Safe!!
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=