Exercising During the Pandemic

It’s good for the body and the soul!

What can we say? 2020 has been an interesting year. Pretty much achieving anything seems a little more challenging than it used to. For Mane Stream, the pandemic has meant no orientations, no training sessions, no fundraising events. And sadly we have not been able to invite all of our riders and therapy clients back to the farm as we move through our “Phased Reopening”.

In the Adaptive Riding portion of our business, this has provided an opportunity for some. We now have an ever-growing number of riders who have signed up for 2 lessons a week and are enjoying the extra time in the saddle.

Everyone knows that exercising multiple times a week is beneficial in many ways, like increasing your strength and flexibility while reducing your chances of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Then there are the mental benefits of exercise which let’s face it, during a pandemic don’t we all need a little help dealing with day to day life?! Some of these benefits have been listed as mood-boosting and reducing depression and anxiety.

Our Head Instructor, Jen Dermody enjoys teaching riders twice a week. “It means I can introduce something new on the first day and then continue working on it the next day. Shorter time between lessons increases muscle memory which usually helps achieve results faster.”

So we went straight to the source and asked our riders…why they chose to come more than once a week, what are they looking forward to most, and what outcomes are they hoping to achieve with a more consistent regimen.

Here’s what they had to say…

“The biggest reason we do twice a week is simple…Laura loves to ride! :) With the pandemic, it was a good safe activity so we decided to do twice a week because she also needed the exercise. Most of her other activities are indoors, thus we are nervous about sending her. We feel very safe going [to Mane Stream].” Marilyn Karg, Laura’s Mom

“It’s fun & I learn more with 2 different instructors & different horses.” Tess Coffey, “Since music lessons and school activities are all virtual, lessons at Mane Stream has allowed Tess to socially & physically interact (with social distancing) while doing what she loves. In these unusual times, being able to engage more than once a week has been a great emotional benefit too.” Tess’s Mom, Colleen

“I need to get more exercise and riding is my best option. I think [riding twice a week] will help me improve before the horse show. I've [occasionally] ridden twice a week in the past, and I found I make much more progress. I am hoping for improved strength, balance and more fun!” Victoria Leonne

“I love riding twice a week! It's great to see the horses (and people!) more often. Riding different horses, and having the opportunity to build up "muscle memory" is a wake-up call for me...I have a much clearer idea of what I need to do to ride well. And of course, it's fun!” Sandra Phillips, H4H 2.0 Rider