Hi All~

I'm just a lurker on COTH (I haven't even taken the plunge to create a screen name yet :S ) If I do it will probably be that same that it is on here granted it isn't taken Riding wise I'm a jack of all trades, master of none. I've done everything from barrel racing to park morgans and lots inbetween! I am currently riding dressage, but really dream of being a jumper/eventer. Hopefully I'll be getting back into riding now that life has slowed down a bit.

I came to my fitness pal to lose the weight that I have gained over the past year, I don't feel like the same person I used to be and I would really like to get that feeling back. I have ridden a little over the past year and I hate that I don't feel in control of my body the way I used to, and being on mostly unfinished/greenies, I need that control back!

Feel free to friend me! I'm trying to be more active and seeing others drive and encouragment helps a lot, plus I can be a good support giver

Welcome to everyone new! Feel free to add any of us as friends - encouragement and motivation works both ways. My participation waxes and wanes... more people kicking my butt would help. I don't mind doing the same!

Welcome to everyone who is new! We have a pretty great group of COTH'ers on here

Hi, I'm Jessie! I'm not sure what COTH is, but just Jessie work for me.
I train quarter horses, western pleasure and I show hunter under saddle. Some how, even riding five to seven horses a day I got up to 235 and now am down to 185, I'm hoping to get to 160. Now summer is here I'm pretty busy with work, I'm trying to squeeze in p90x still thru the summer, and hoping not to fall into the summer cycle that got me here. That would be working so hard that I don't eat the gorging on bad food at night, and not making smart food choices. It really is a life change.

Glad to have horse friends!

Hello everyone!

I'm Designermking on COTH and am more of a lurker than a poster, so I'm hoping that by joining this board I will become a little more active on the boards.

I have been struggling with the affects of Hashimotos disease after being diagnosed about 3 years ago. Now that my meds are straightened out and I'm feeling like a human again I have decided to tackle my weight. On the downward slide of the disease I gained around 70 lbs. It is so difficult to lose weight because I am constantly fighting against my body, but now that I am feeling better it is starting to come off. I have lost 13 pounds so far and consider each pound that I lose to be a huge achievement. I have not ridden consistently in a few years, mainly because I feel so lousy but also because my weight is such a huge hindrance. My goal is to not only lose the weight but also to get back in the saddle!

I'm hoping to find support and motivation here and am looking forward to getting to know everyone!

Michelle

Hi everyone!
I'm Abby, and my COTH name is ellemayo.
I'd really like to lose about 20 pounds, but mostly work on my fitness level. I've got a job/location change coming up, and I'm really hoping that with the new job will come more riding. That means I need to get my riding muscles as well as my wind back!

My plan is to jog when my ankle allows it, and swim/walk when it doesn't. My friend is also a crazy fitness nut, so I'll probably do exercise videos with her.

Glad to have this support system!

Hi! I'm Susanne. I live in Tulbagh, South Africa - a small, beautiful village in the countryside, surrounded by mountains. I have been riding for as long as I can remember. Currently, I have 3 horses, a retired gelding, a 7-year old breeding stallion and a 4 year old gelding. I need to lose about 5kg's to be at my best riding weight. At the moment I really feel unbalanced and just not as effective as I should be to bring out the best in my horses.

At 40 years old, it seems as if getting rid of those excess kilos is just so darn difficult!! Can't one just pop a few magical pills to get rid of it???

Hey all! Superminion here. I decided that I needed a kick in the pants to finally not only lose that last bit of baby weight, but also be able to physically give my mare a good ride. I can't do that if I'm huffing and puffing. Who better to administer a kick in the pants than COTHers!

My name on COTH is Dobbinacres... :flowerforyou:


I started horseback riding lessons when I was 6 yrs. old... I have 3 horses that we keep here on our property... Teddy, 27 yrs. old Standardbred, we don't ride him anymore, he gets kind of acky at times... Fritzy, 13 yrs. old Foundation Quarter Horse we've had since he was 2 yrs. old, I'd love to be able to do cow work with him someday, he loves doing that... and Otis, very big & stocky 15 yrs. old, black Percheron/Quarter Horse cross... I used to do jumping when I was younger and I love to trail ride and work on basic dressage type things in the ring, and I love doing groundwork with them... Some day I would love to learn how to drive with Fritzy and or Otis, Otie already knows what he is doing, apparently he was used for logging and also apparently use to be a carriage horse... Due to health issues, anxiety, weakness, shakiness, and being overweight, I have not been able to ride much in the past few years, but am hoping so badly to be able to work back up to doing more and more with them, and maybe even jumping again some day... :flowerforyou:

Hello, COTH friends! I am "barnworkbeatshousework" on COTH. I've been on MFP for almost a year, but I had no idea there was a COTH group! Just found out about it in the Rider Fitness thread in the Eventing pages. Thank goodness for all of you!!!! Now I don't feel like such a cow. I screwed up my knee sometime last year (must have been the six hours of dancing in the mosh pit at the 80s Punk Club Reunion in DC, last August...). I use to work at a barn, and between that, taking care of kids, and our home and property, I was in decent shape at 5'6" and 140lbs. I use to ride about two or three times a week, plus run 4 miles, three times a week. I'm really careful about my weight because if I'm not, it all centers on my middle (hips and tush). After three kids in four years, I went up and down between high risk pregnancies. After our last child, I peaked at 225 lbs on my 45 year old 5'6" frame. I lost 85 lbs of it on my own and went down to 140 lbs simply by cutting back portions and running 3 to 4 miles, three times a week, combined with Tae Bo Kick Boxing. (Loved Tae Bo, it allowed me to punch and kick without actually hurting anyone...)

Fast forward to summer 2012 and my bum knee combined with a suspected rotator cuff injury put me out of commission. No more mucking or hauling 200 lb wheel barrows of muck across fields and throwing hay bales. I've since gained almost 20 lbs. (Ok, 15 lbs, because I've lost 5 lbs in the past two weeks since I resumed using My Fitness Pal - which I LOVE - and hitting the gym.) Did the elliptical for the first time and didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. I managed to run a mile on the treadmill without my knee giving out or burning in pain, that was a huge milestone. (Vet wrap is awesome for keeping knees aligned...) Went to an orthopaedic doc yesterday who guessed I have a torn meniscus in my left knee, and a ligament injury in my shoulder. Waiting on two MRIs to find out whether I have to give up running permanently, or just temporarily. I've always been an outdoorsy/athletic/don't coop me up kind of person, so this sendentiary lifestyle has been killing my soul. (Funny thing, Doc told me not to run, and even said to hold off on the elliptical. When I asked him if I could still ride, he looked at me dead-pan and said, "I know you horse people too well. It is pointless to tell you not to ride, because you will, anyway. Particularly you crazy Eventer types!"

I've been riding for 30 years, but I remain a horseless rider - still waiting on that "first" horse. My dad was in the US Marine Corps, so wherever we moved (in the US, or overseas), I'd ride whatever I could find. I started out H/J, did a bit of Classical riding and Dressage in Africa, and now I'm an Eventing junkie. I'm leasing a TB right now who is equally as fat and out of shape as I am, but thankfully, without a gimpy knee. He was a dummy foal, has some neurological issues. He was shown by a previous rider, but did not do very well in public settings. He may not be my first BN Event horse, but he is lovely, and so we enjoy lots of good ring work. I take clinics when I can (though I must audit, unless they have mounts I may ride). I have a new possibility on an OTTB a friend is babysitting, so hopefully I'll get more saddle time in 2013. As for my lease, I do have a spot in my heart for him and with the both of us out of shape, we're not doing each other any favors.

My 2013 goal is to ride him at least four times a week, if not five. Today I rode some good trots sets for 25 minutes, then after I put the kids to bed this evening, I hit the gym and did 30 minutes on the elliptical, and a mile brisk walk on the treadmill. That combined with the calories I burnt grooming and riding allowed me a decent glass of wine, and a modest baguette with London Broil, blue cheese, and a green bean vinegrette salad. Here's to all you fellow COTHers fighting the same battle, support is good! And, if you are on My Fitness Pal, check out the exercise/calories burned under the Cardiovascular section. There are entries for grooming, as well as riding. And don't forget to tally the calories burnt for sweeping the barn, that's a great upper arm workout, too!

Hi, I'm Lisa. I joined MFP over a year ago, and totally forgot about it. I heard about it again on another Forum that I am a member of, and decided to join. Well, when I entered my e-mail address they told me that I already had an account. Imagine my surprise. So I requested my username and password, and started this journey over again. I have never exactly been a small person, well I guess so considering that I'm only 5'5" tall, but not weight wise. The smallest that I have ever been, as an adult, was 180, and that was before I got pregnant the first time, and for a couple of years after my second pregnancy. I guess the biggest thing that made me gain weight this time, was a desk job combined with continuing eating like I did when I was really active all of the time. I would be happy getting back down to the 180, but would actually like to get within my ideal range (111-150), not at the low end of it, but somewhere in the middle.

I have two horses, my little mare(or at least that's what I call her). She is a 13 y/o Paint mare, that is 16.3 hh and usually between 1,200-1,300 lbs, her name is Lady. Lady isn't broke because of some stuff that happened to her when she was younger, and because I have not been in shape enough to ride her out, if she decides to pull something. That is my biggest reason for wanting to get back into riding shape. Then I have Fancy, who actually is my little horse at around 15 hh and 1,000 to 1,100 lbs, she is 8 and a QH, but not papered. She is built like the old time roping horses, you know the brick **** house type horses. I like Fancy, don't get me wrong, but she is about as much fun to ride as a board fence, and shows about as much emotion as one. I call her my slow motion horse, because she does not get into a hurry about anything, even spooking. I've had her for a couple of years now, and she has just started to act like she wanted anything to do with me in the last year, and even now it ain't much. I'm not sure if it has something to do with being kicked in the head as a foal, or what. I can tell you the only place that she actually enjoys being scratched is in the scar/dent on her forehead.

I know that I am happiest when I am riding, and currently feel so bad about it that I really can't enjoy it. I know that as long as I keep my rides short, and allow the horse to gradually get used to carrying me, that either of my horses are able to carry my weight, plus my saddle and equipment. I am currently 234.6 lbs, and feel sorry for the Fancy when I ride her, not that she has ever had a problem with me doing it, I just feel sorry for her anyway. And I would like to ride more and worry less about how it is effecting my horses. Not to mention, I would like to be healthier, and fitter for myself, and my family.

Hi! I'm ChanceyRose on CoTH but I mostly lurk. Searched for 'fitness' over there and discovered a thread about this group so here I am.

I'm currently ~172lbs. My first GW is 169 (no longer obese!) with an ultimate GW of 140 or less.

Riding-wise, I own a non-pinto Paint (19yo) who is mostly retired. He was a lesson horse for years before he was gifted to me by the barn because he was no longer working out in the program. My trainer has me conditioning a TB/Percheron cross and is trying to convince me to buy a Hanoverian cross who is schooling 3rd level dressage. It would be a logical choice for me as I've announced a lofty goal of earning my USDF gold. I'm only riding Training level ATM so... yeah... LOTS of work ahead of me. Only a couple lessons in on the Hanoverian and I'm realizing I really need to step up my gym time.

Welcome!