Horses And All Things Equine

Mar 23 2010

Horse Rider Fear – 5 Tips On What To Do And How To Overcome It

Published by I Luv Horses under Riding

Are you afraid of riding your horse? Do you get sick at the thought of having to get on him again? Do you make excuses for not riding? You are not alone. Horse rider fear is one of the biggest and yet the least talked about issues that hold back riders from achieving their goals.

It seems like you’re the only one. You look around you and see others happily jumping and galloping and wish you were that carefree on horseback.Perhaps you fell off, or saw someone fall and you can’t get that vision out of your head. The scene keeps playing itself over and over in your mind. The key to getting over your fear is to stop the movie from playing. Admittedly, it’s easier said than done, but horse rider fear can be overcome
with five basic things in mind.

1. Make sure you are not over horsed. What this means is, make sure you are on a horse that is suitable for your skill level of riding. A horse that is beyond your ability to ride will scare you and quickly diminish any confidence you have.

2. Start back at the beginning. If you got all the way up to cantering, fell off and now completely panic at the thought of going faster than a walk, then go back to just walking. Walk the horse until you are bored with it. You will get to the point where you need to do a little more. At this point start trotting, and work your way back up to cantering. There is no set schedule here. If you are scared and not enjoying yourself,
you will never progress.

3. Be open and honest with your instructor, it’s your safety and health here. There are times where you will need to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, but at the same time, these need to be realistic steps. Don’t go from walking to jumping because you were jumping before and should be “over it”.

4. Be realistic about your goals. Your instructor needs to know where you want to go with your riding so that he or she can tailor a lesson program that will suit your needs. You might just want to trail ride, but your instructor thinks you want to train for the olympics. A misunderstanding could cause your instructor to push in a direction you don’t want to go which can greatly increase horse rider fear.

5. Don’t focus on what went wrong to cause horse rider fear. Focus on what’s going right. Each time you get on the horse with positive results, you will build your confidence. Any time you have negative thoughts or the “what ifs” pop up in your head, think back to the time you had a great ride and everything went right.

Fear of horse riding can be devastating when your dream becomes something you dread. Having knowledge will help. Knowing the signs of when something is about to go wrong will help circumvent a problem before it becomes all consuming. Go back to the beginning and start over. If you treat yourself as a beginner, you can arm yourself with information to rebuild your confidence.

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Mar 05 2010

The Older Rider – Recapturing Your Love Of Horses

Published by I Luv Horses under Riding

Returning to horse riding as an older rider can be an eye opening experience. It quickly becomes very clear that the memories you had of galloping along, wind in your hair are no longer a reality. Walking around on horseback for five minutes makes you hurt in places you forgot you had. This leads you to ask yourself, why am I doing this again?

You’re doing this again because you have never stopped being the horse crazy little girl. And now as an older rider, you want to recapture that magical time when you wanted nothing more than to be at the barn, smelling the leather and the sweet horsey smell.

Being an older rider, you really are a beginner and need to start over. When I returned to riding, I admittedly was disappointed that it wasn’t the same. I was nervous, I didn’t know what I was doing and felt completely out of place. The following tips will help you overcome the emotional and mental baggage that will keep you from enjoying returning to riding.

1. Don’t compare yourself to the teenagers wizzing around. Let’s face it, they don’t have the same responsibilities or wisdom that you have. You have a better handle on what can go wrong. When I first returned to riding, I was intimidated by the 15 year olds that seem to know everything and certainly rode better than I did. The mentality of the older rider is such that when you are older you should be better at it then these youngsters. Don’t let this deter you, just smile at them knowing that their day will come too.

2. Find someone to ride with in your age group that understands what the older rider is going through. This admittedly can be a bit difficult at a “show barn” but having someone to commiserate with is extremely helpful.

3. Make sure the riding instructor understands the needs of the older rider. I prefer an instructor in my age group. An instructor that is in their early 20’s doesn’t have a clue about about being a parent, owning a home and all that this entails. Having these responsibilities makes one assess risk at a different level. Who’s going to take care of all of this if you get hurt?

4. Juggling family, work and a horse can be daunting. Don’t fall into the trap that your horse will suddenly implode if you don’t go out to the barn every day. If you’re confident that he’s being cared for properly, your horse is perfectly content to hang out with his horsey friends all day. Like you, he appreciates a couple of days off.

5. Riding is supposed to be for your enjoyment. If you find you are riding to please your instructor, fellow riders, or anyone else, you will soon find that you will begin to resent the pressure and this will begin an avoidance of the barn.

Having realistic expectations of what your capabilities are and how much time you can devote to your riding will greatly decrease the pressure you put on yourself. Don’t worry what other people think about you, your horse or your riding.

If you are returning to riding after many years, approach it as a beginner horse rider. Many things have changed since you were active in the equestrian world and you will soon learn all that you have forgotten. For more information that you need to know as a beginner rider, visit my website at http://www.squidoo.com/beginnerhorseriding.

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Mar 04 2010

The Super Seven Brain Foods

Published by I Luv Horses under Feed And Nutrition

The Super Seven Brain Foods

Using binaural technology isn’t the only way to increase brain power. There are many natural methods one can use to aid in healthy brain function. Below we have chosen the Super Seven, the very best foods that feed brain productivity. We’ve collected the data from nutritionists to scientists to determine what you should be putting in your mouth to get those neurons firing!

1. Salmon
Besides the health benefits derived for other parts of the body including essential fatty acids (EFAs), salmon provides a great source of protein with a low level of mercury. Choosing wild salmon over farm grown salmon is important to reduce the actual contaminants in the fish. This is the wild catch that our ancestors would have access to giving them cleaner arteries, healthier neural connections and even improving mood. If you haven’t already added salmon to your diet, doing so will greatly aid in mind and body functioning.

2. Avocado
Similar to salmon, avocado provides an excellent source of natural fat, as well as a source of vegetable protein. Consuming avocado promotes better blood circulation bringing oxygen to your brain faster and lowering the chance of heart attacks and the like. Your brain not only reacts faster to every day events, but the open channels in your body help promote clarity in your thinking and planning. Don’t overdo the avocado, but it can be added to salads, sandwiches or snacks.

3. Blueberries
The antioxidant super berry! These little berries are packed full of vitamins as well as having the highest antioxidant level of any other fruit. Antioxidants help prevent the ageing process and keep the mind and body young. Not only are these tasty, they’re also high in fiber and have linked with stress reduction and lower chances of Alzheimer’s. Strangely enough, blueberries also contain EFAs, just like the next food.

4. Almonds
Almonds are packed with ALA which aids in keeping your brain sharp in peak condition. We mentioned the EFAs before, but almonds are also crammed full of healthy protein that does your body good. All these attributes combined give your sensory perception and brain processing speed a significant boost. Almonds also contain natural mood-enhancers, but they aren’t the only good nut, others like walnuts, pecans are also excellent as well as the smaller seeds like flax.

5. Broccoli
Officially a real super food! Broccoli has so many good qualities it’s tough to list them all. To begin with broccoli slows the ageing process and is antioxidant rich. It also improves memory function and keeps you functioning well throughout the day. This wonder vegetable also contains folate and vitamin B6, two vitamins that will keep your energy up and your alertness high. Broccoli is also very filling, especially when served raw, it makes an excellent snack for those dieting.

6. Wholegrains
Good sources such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread and cereals have been known improve brain circulation, keeping you functioning at your best throughout the day. Good whole grains also contain essential fibers and vitamins that will keep feeding your brain as you go about your day. Carbohydrates are on the main energy sources for your brain and providing high quality sources from wholegrain foods is one the best ways to make sure you’re treating your brain well.

7. Green Tea
Known for millennia as food for the brain, different teas have been consumed for a variety of healing and practical reasons. Green tea especially boosts memory and relaxes the mind allowing you to think more clearly. There are also studies that show green the boosts the immune system slows the ageing process (again those antioxidants at work). Green teas also contains a variety of vitamins depending on the brand name, you can likely find certain teas with vitamins A and C in abundant quantities.

That’s the list, the Super Seven Brain Foods. These are by all means not the only foods that will aid in healthy brain function, but they are without doubt some of the most powerful. Making these foods a part of your diet will improve your brain’s power without fail! The fastest and most effective way to do this is to get a quick and easy meal planner.

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Feb 26 2010

Learn Riding The Easy Way

Published by I Luv Horses under Riding

To Learn Horse riding is a great goal.
As a Physiotherapist and elite rider I understand the task involved to learn riding a horse.
Horses are a personality of their own and this is a feature of riding many don’t respect.

To learn to ride a horse at any age is a huge task, but to learn riding as an adult is even more difficult. Adult riders are more set in their ways; their body is most likely stiff and has some posture issues.

To learn riding in the later years can be a great experience, riding is a great way to get fit, improve your posture and achieve a goal.
Horse riding is sport unlike many others. Horses have a mind of their own; therefore a rider needs to learn a number of things to be successful.
A rider must learn

• about the temperament of their horse
• about their own body and how it works
• about the movement of the horses paces
• about the fitting of the gear
• about the posture required to ride
• about the muscle function of their body as well the horse
• about the symmetry required in the rider and the horse

Many non riders look at a good rider and say it is so easy. We who have ridden know better. It is not easy. To learn riding from the beginning has its advantages and disadvantages. Fear and risk of injury is a disadvantage. Achieving fitness, strength and that wow look at me feeling is the outcome. This is certainly an advantage.

To learn to ride a horse I believe a person needs to be instructed from the ground by a qualified instructor but also to read and watch the experts.
Experts are knowledgeable people with experience in all of the above.

An instructor is a great way to start, but has limited knowledge and expertise in the how the body and the muscles work. Riding instructors are able to identify horse rider’s problems but are unable to offer advice on how to fix it.

This is where an exercise program specific to the horse rider is the key to better learning and understanding the above. Pilates for horse riders is an excellent program.

Humans are one sided, to ride efficiently we need to be symmetrical in our strength and flexibility. This will only be achieved if riders learn from the start how to train their riding muscles for riding.
Applied Posture Riding (Pilates for Horse riders) is the program becoming very popular amongst all riders to learn to ride properly. Any rider at any level needs to stretch and strengthen their muscles and understand how they work.

To learn riding from the beginning horse riders have the advantage if they learn what muscles and how to train them from the start. Combining this with a great riding instructor is the best way to learn to ride horses.

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