Getting back in the saddle after time off can be tricky. It’s not like riding a bike. There are a lot of muscles that you don’t use in your everyday life that you use when you ride. Even if you work out, it’s just not the same.

I took a big break from riding while I was pregnant. Let’s face it, pregnancy can take a toll on the body. It did with mine anyway. I had a rough pregnancy and didn’t ride for 6 months of it. I tried to ride a few weeks after delivery, but it didn’t go well. My daughter was a colicky baby. Colic is rough on horse owners, but it’s not good for parents of colicky babies either! I ended up taking a break from riding for almost a year (which I NEVER thought I’d do). I had been riding horses for 20+ years. It was like breathing to me. You can read more about taking breaks from riding in this post: It’s Okay to Take Breaks from Riding.

It’s not like riding a bike

When I did start riding again, it was very sporadic. I’d ride once a week, then sometimes three times a week, and then I’d stop for a month or so. This past fall I bought a younger, greener horse. It probably wasn’t the best decision I have ever made, but I think it will work out in the end.

Muscle Memory and Horseback Riding

I lost most of my muscle, but what bothers me the most is that I lost my muscle memory. My body used to be able to respond to the horse without me having to think or try very hard. Now, I know what my body should be doing, but it’s slow to respond. My instructor is telling me what I should be doing. I am telling my body what to do… but it’s just not happening. My riding and corrections are jerky, obvious, and sloppy. I am like Austin Powers without my “mojo.” Eventually, I know (hope) it will come back.

What did I learn? I remember watching amateurs or older riders get lessons as a young rider. I’d think, “Why aren’t they listening to the instructor? Why can’t they just do it?” I had no understanding of what they were going through. Now, I understand. They really were trying. It’s harder for adults than for children to make our bodies do something that is against our instincts. For example, if you get nervous, you should lean back. Instinct tells us to grip and lean forward. That’s a recipe for disaster.

I asked a friend in the medical field about muscle memory. This is what he told me…

 When you learn a new skill (like riding a horse) your body’s muscles will acclimate to perform the new activity - increase in muscle size, strength and endurance which would generally be called conditioning. As soon as you stop performing the activity (for even as little as a week), muscles will begin to atrophy and adjust to no longer performing the activity. The speed that an individual will lose conditioning and time it takes to regain prior conditioning levels is based on a variety of factors including how long the activity was previously performed, age, genetics, lifestyle, etc. 

In addition to the muscle development when learning a new skill, you also create new neurologic pathways. For example, riding a bike. These are considered to be permanent (for the most part). However, the new pathways may be more difficult for your brain to access if you haven't used them for a while. This again will depend on a variety of factors: how long you've been performing that specific activity, genetics, etc. A good metaphor for this concept is a road. If cars are constantly driving down a road, it will remain clear. If you stop driving down the road, the road will start having weeds grow up, trees in the way, etc. The road still exists, it just takes a while to smooth it out again.

In summary, when you stop performing an activity, the decrease in your performance level is a combination of deconditioning (happens relatively quickly) and a decrease in your ability to access neurologic pathways that already exist (takes much longer to lose, if at all). If someone is only taking a week to a few months off from performing an activity, it's a conditioning deficit that they'll have to overcome. The neurologic pathway will return very quickly, especially if they've got a lot of prior experience. Thus, the saying, it's just like riding a bike... you regain the neurologic pathway almost immediately with a little practice, even after years of not doing it.

Join me as I “clear the weeds off the roadway” and search for my “mojo.” Happy Riding!

If you have enjoyed this article, you may also like: Being An Equestrian Has Made Me A Better Mom.