Lots of variables and work and owner permissions are going into it and if the trainer we are working with says she can’t be ridden at any point, that’s fine with me. Her comfort and happiness is the most important thing.
I’ve never been more motivated to get in shape before, though. I can’t push myself too hard because I have a lot of health issues and I definitely can’t push Sandy too hard either because she’s old. Gonna take things slow and careful and hope for the best end result.
As someone working on getting into shape again after a back injury, the best thing for me at first was walking. Lots of walking. Go to a good shoe store and have someone assess your gait and fit you with a good pair of trainers; makes a lot of difference in how you feel and helps minimize the impact on your joints and back. Also, if you need PT, having it in a pool has been a complete game changer for me. Of course, check with your doc.
Good luck! Keep us posted and give her a banana for me. She’s beautiful 🤩
I find there’s aot of bad advice around shoes - particularly the idea that lots of padding and support is helpful.
I went to a physio who said my feet were flat and wanted to sell me inserts/special shoes. I instead fixed that with stretches and exercise.
It’s like if I’d complained that my arm hurts when lifting something heavy and instead of looking at my form and helping build up the muscles they said “just wear this sling”.
I’m getting on in years and all my other runner friends have bad knees, but I wear minimal shoes and have good barefoot form.
Got a bit off topic… yes, walking is great for losing weight as the body doesn’t seem to consider it as exercise - it doesn’t compensate by being lazy afterwards (which it does for most exercise).
Thank you so much! I have some really good sneakers. I do most of my exercise at the barn. Riding, barn chores, just walking around, etc. I wear either rubber barn boots or my riding (cowboy) boots. Both are super supportive and comfortable. I had my right ankle reconstructed in 2023, so I’m really picky about shoes.
Aqua therapy is amazing for my health issues, but there’s nowhere nearby that does it. The second best exercise is horseback riding lol.