A Horse, of Course

My equestrian daughter, who is also a trail runner in the deep woods and mountains of Alabama, thinks horses and runners are more alike than not. She offers up ten reasons why this is true;

1. Warm up; for the runner and rider, stretching your own legs and body is crucial for that graceful, fluid look; For the horse this means large circles to release tension in the ribcage, taking your time to move from a walk to a trot to a canter, riding your horse long and low to stretch the back. You can even start in the barn before getting on the horse, using a carrot to bribe the horse to turn its head as far as he can to the right, then the left, and even between his legs; I’m starting to think this should be incorporated into the runner’s warm-up routine; I’m sure that if someone dangled a cookie in front of me I could reach my toes with my fingers for once.

2. Proper footwear; My horses get their hooves trimmed and proper shoes if needed every six to eight weeks at $100+ per horse.  Runners spend almost that much on their running sneakers as well.

3. Appropriate clothing; A horse needs saddles and bridles that don’t rub or pinch; A rider needs boots with heels that will be comfortable with their tight pants; Ideally both would be color coordinated; A runner needs special tights or shorts, shirts made from the latest breathable technology, and should also have colors to match their new shoes.

4. Bug Spray. Ever hear of horse flies? Ever see my Dad run most anywhere? His arms are flailing, swatting his head, just like a horse tail swishing back and forth.

5. If I can use the horse stall as a bathroom, I can hide behind a tree when the urge to go arises. (editor note: she may have learned this from me).

6. Leg yields; The horse should move left and right with ease, able to control their every footfall in an ideal world; As a trail runner you may need to change your course quickly as you run around large rocks or start to roll on the smaller ones; I recommend practicing Prancersizing to help with the quick changes in direction.

7. Seeing your “spot”; When you jump your horse, you need to take him to the ideal take-off point with the right speed to soar over those 6 foot fences (ok, so the highest I made it was four feet, one time; I prefer to take my horse over the pole on the ground); On the trails, when those huge logs (sticks?) are laying across my path I can see where I need to jump in order to clear it and make a safe landing, adjusting my stride as needed; I look almost as graceful as the horse.

8. The Flight/Fight response. Most horses lean towards one or the other. It seemed anytime I took my horses in an open field, the flight response was the strongest even though he was a calm angel the day before with another rider. I discovered while trail running I have a strong flight instinct. If a leaf rustles, a twig snaps, a bird flies within 20 feet of my head, there is a buzzing noise, like a spooking horse I do anything from a quick look to snort, roll my eyes so the white is showing, immediately change direction, and bolt; Yep, if you run with me be prepared for my spook to spook you.

9. Cool-down. Walk your horse until respiration has returned to normal on a long rein so he can stretch his neck; Do the same for yourself after your run.

10. Treats; horses get a bag of carrots, apples, peppermints; I prefer a frappe, twix, or cookies to celebrate surviving.