RunningAHEAD - Topic: Horseback riders

stephonya

posted: 10/15/2008 at 8:12 PM

Any horseback riders here? How do you fit your running in with your riding program, and how do they compliment each other? I'm an eventer (a dressage rider at heart, though!) but haven't been riding the past few months (too hard to balance university and horses).

justdidit

My running partner!

posted: 10/16/2008 at 3:37 PM

I am finding it hard to do either since it gets dark so early and I do not have an indoor arena. I have been trying to run over the lunch hour and then ride when I get home for a little while. I do not ride competitively though, my daughter does the showing, so I don't feel too much pressure.

Kat

ndippon

Non ducor, duco.

posted: 10/16/2008 at 3:55 PM

I have no idea but I am super duper jealous. I used have horses but I wasnt running at the time. The good thing is that your adductors, abductors and abs are probably strong from the riding. That can't hurt you in running.

skeetermc

posted: 10/16/2008 at 6:39 PM
modified: 10/16/2008 at 6:39 PM

Well I rode competitively until last year (jr in college and I've been riding since I was 6) and I found it extremely hard to do both. I also was an eventer (xc is the best) but was the captain of my equestrian team (hunters) in college. One summer I tried to do both sports really well. It didnt really work. I came home from work at the vets (long days!) rode my horse for 2 hrs then forced myself to go running. I was exhausted. Riding was always my priority and because of rotc I also needed to make running a priority. It was always either run or ride and I didn't have time to do both, and I liked riding more, so I'd always choose riding over running. Anyways, last year I sold both my horses because they were getting in the way of school and ROTC and now I've improved in my running tremendously because I can focus on it and spend more time running. So I suppose you could do both, but not the way you could do one if you focused only on one sport. Hope this doesn't sound too depressing! Smile

Good luck! (I miss riding so much! hehe)

fallstoclimb

posted: 10/16/2008 at 9:18 PM

I didn't start running until after I had to quit riding ($), so I don't have any helpful advice but wanted to chime in with how much I miss it! I live a mile from a stable, so of course I run by there most days, which is entertaining but also KILLER when it's the lesson I know I'd be in.... Also, I bet your inner thighs are pretty damn strong, which can only help your knees! I'm currently seeing a PT because my outer quad muscle is stronger than the inner one and pulls my kneecap off track, I am sure that would not be happening if I still rode!

skeetermc

posted: 10/16/2008 at 11:01 PM

Yeah, I think the reason I came into rotc able to do ~50 pushups was from riding. Controlling a 1000lb animal around a cross country course spanning several miles is not easy on the army! Cool

It's a great way to xtrain, and if you aren't that competetive, I think you could easily incorporate riding a few times a week into your schedule. Just don't try to run right after you ride, your legs will not be happy with you lol!

red76nj

posted: 10/17/2008 at 9:24 PM

I have two horses and I agree, it's hard to find time to ride and run successfully. Recently my schedule has been something like ride Tues, Thursday and both weekend days. I run Mon, Wed, Friday and both weekend days. It doesn't always work out that way though if there is a race or if something else pops up. With it getting dark so early it's getting pretty hard to ride after work, so the treadmill is going to be getting more use then the horses soon. I've been riding more then usual lately to get one of my horses ready for a charity ride for St. Jude's childrens hospital which was about two weeks ago. I'm also training for the Marine Corp marathon. I've noticed if I'm doing a lot of riding and running I start to get a pretty consistent ache in my knees (especially the left). I can't say for sure, but I think having my knees at a slight bend for a long period of time is just making it sore. I've been running for about 4 years and riding for more then 20 and I never had any aches before combining the two. Now that the marathon is next weekend I'm backing off of the riding quite a bit for the next week. I've been doing a lot less posting lately and a lot more riding without stirrups to try and help it. I like to think of riding as cross training, but I'm not really sure my knees agree with me.

Chizzy

posted: 10/30/2008 at 6:56 PM

I have a dressage horse and I started running a year ago (I'm pre-osteoperosis and apparently riding is only weightbearing for the horse..... Big grin

). I run with a barn buddy (also dressage rider). We tend to run on our horses' day off, one day during the weekend (EARLY! -- we're usually running by 8:30) and then we run on our own one day (treadmill before work for me). The week day is the toughest -- and next week will be harder....we're both lucky that we have jobs that we can start running by 4:30 and we still have enough light to run about 45 minutes. We've run a few 5Ks together. It's tough -- I left a clinic with Charles deKunffy early today to meet her and we're running later than normal Saturday because of the same clinic. But it's worth it. I haven't seen any direct benefits (yoga is MUCH better for dressage riders) but the inches lost around my hips and thighs certainly make the picture in the mirror MUCH nicer! Smile

labrat

posted: 12/4/2008 at 10:47 AM

Quote from fallstoclimb on 10/16/2008 at 9:18 PM:

I didn't start running until after I had to quit riding ($)

Ain't that the truth! I quit long before my sister did because I went to a college in a big city where there were no horses. I miss it a lot though! I keep telling myself when I'm making the big $$$ I'll get another one... Undecided

Horseback riders (Read 1298 times)