Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cindy Jeffery on April 11, 2010 at 12:14am

Hi there Sharon, I love what you said about bareback riding, warm up exercises, cool down and massage, I also adhere to that except I cannot find a masseuse for me.....oh well I say...maybe someday :-) We already live in a rural place where vegetable gardens are the norm, flowers are nice but not necessary unless they are edible. Haven't convinced hubby that grass on the roof would be a benefit, although it might be something to think about for the barn. Bit of trouble with that though because the house and the barn have 45 degree slants this would not do well to keep the dirt in place without being washed away. But this old farm gal does have manure piles which are covered and are composting so gardeners can come and use it. Every little bit counts toward a greener planet. I believe we all need to take responsibility in some way for the care of our planet, being good steward's of what we have been blessed with. :-)

Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on April 11, 2010 at 9:12pm

Wow, Sharon! I don't think of 51 as ageing (speaking from the grand old age of 52!). While there's no doubt that I have more muscle aches than I did in my 20's, 30's and 40's, there's also no doubt that I'm riding better, and harder, and more than I did then.

I absolutely believe in quality warm-ups, for both horses and riders, but age hasn't got much to do with that. It's necessary and important regardless of the age of either participant.

I am diabetic, have acid reflux, asthma and a ton of allergies; and I have broken most every bone I've got, some more than once, and I've had several intra-articular fractures. I eat carefully, as do my horses and my dogs, and I exercise (regardless of my comfort level) EVERY day. I suspect that the exercise tolerance and "graceful ageing" of the Russian nomads had as much to do with their daily exercise levels as anything else. I do think that diet plays a part in healthy and productive ageing, but exercise is also a huge part of it. My husband is 64, an ex world class triathlete, and he's been an athlete all his life. He has no arthritis, no cardiac issues, his LDL and blood pressure are low, and he looks like a million bucks. That's partly due to a careful diet but his daily exercise level throughout his life is also responsible.

This is also applicable to older horses! I have two DWB geldings in my barn, both of whom were purchased as green-broke 8 year olds who'd spent the five years since their importation from Holland standing in stalls/paddocks. They are both now 15, and one of them completed his first Prix St. Georges test last fall with my 71 year old mother (his trainer), The other is entered at Grand Prix 2 weeks from now, with his amateur owner in the tack (she's 51). Our horses work hard every day, they have no soundness issues, and they're turned out in minimum 5 acre paddocks in small groups for at least 10 hours per day. Again, exercise is key!

I contacted Heather Sansom (she has a blog on this site) about a exercise program specifically tailored to issues related to the many fractures I've sustained. Heather gave me a personal exercise program consisting of both stretches and exercises designed to target my sacro-iliac issues (due to spinal fractures), my thoracic strength/flexibility problems (due to shoulder, arm and wrist fractures), and my overall flexibility. Her program completely eradicated the back and shoulder pain, and I am back in the saddle, training horses every day and competing regularly. I can't urge you and Cindy strongly enough to consider such an option - Heather put together my whole program from phone discussions and photos (we did the whole thing on the phone and via e-mail).

Cindy: living in remote rural areas can make access to quality health care professionals really challenging. My GP and orthopedic surgeon were both very concerned about the development of arthritis and concomitant muscle spasms in and around my intra-articular fractures, but thanks to Heather's program I am pain free and off all of the meds, and I now don't need massage (good thing, because it wouldn't fit into my schedule). I can do Heather's program on my own, anywhere, any time, and I feel the benefits immediately.

I hope this helps!

I don't mean to downplay your physical issues in any way, but my soon to be 72 year old mother has had thyroid cancer, has renal issues and fibromyalgia, and she finds that cleaning her barn and paddocks and riding moderately hard every day does more to keep her mobile, healthy and happy than anything else. Please don't sell yourself short at 66!