Why I REALLY chose to lose weight

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an impulsive person.   One morning, I woke up and decided that I wanted to run a half marathon-and I had zero running experience.  I trained hard and ended up reaching that goal.   One morning, I decided that I wanted to learn how to crochet.  Another time, I decided that I would teach myself how to decorate cookies for my wedding instead of buying them.  All of these decisions were made in less than a day.

So was the decision to lose weight.

I knew for a while that I had been a *little* overweight, but I had refused to buy or step on a scale in five years.  Even when I was running on a regular basis, I still did not seem to lose any weight-in fact, I gained weight while training for the half marathon.

It was last May, a little over a year since I returned to riding, when I read this article from Horse Channel.   Essentially, the article discusses how rider weight can affect the horse.   My first thought was well, I'm not really a beginner so I think I don't ride as *heavy* as someone who doesn't know what they're doing.  However, that same OSU study used experienced equestrians who were told to ride as lightly as possible.   Even still, riders who weighed more caused more stress on the horse.  I won't go into details too much here, but you can click this link to view the article:  http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-news/2014/10/01-too-heavy-to-ride.aspx

There are barns who have a strict weight limit under 200 pounds, and will not allow any riders over this weight.  Our barn does not have this policy, and I am thankful, a little, for this.  I would have been turned down before the first lesson.  I am also thankful that we have a wide variety of horses to ride, from Haflinger horses to stocky Saddlebreds and Morgans.

Even though I knew that we had horses for all rider types, I also knew that rider weight ultimately affects the horse, no matter how "strong" the horse.

So I bought a scale.

I was floored.

I won't say exactly how much I saw on that little screen on the scale, but I will say that I weighed myself about fifteen times, even trying to move the scale to a different spot on the floor for a different result.   Without revealing my initial weight, I can say that, according to that article, I was "too heavy to ride".

So I made changes.   Slow changes, changes that I knew I could keep up with.  I laughed it off when people asked why I was losing weight, or when people snubbed at my choice to eat something healthy over my usual choice.   Sometimes, I even joked and responded with "well, I am losing weight so I can win more blue ribbons".  

Now it is January and I have lost over 55 pounds.  I am no longer "too heavy to ride".    I have had to deal with some unexpeced (and sometimes hilarious) "changes" which include:

1. Having to ride in a smaller saddle but loving it.
2. Having to work extra hard to sit further back in the saddle- I was used to all of me filling up the seat!
3. Not feeling secure in the saddle after losing weight-it is amazing how much your balance is affected.
4. Not being winded and exhausted during the lesson.
5. Being able to ride a lot more (and different) horses because I am not limited by horses that can carry my weight.
6. More blue ribbons.  OBVIOUSLY.
7. Feeling more confident in the show ring.   Yes I WILL stare down a judge if I need to.
8. More clothing options!   It's a lot easier to find work and show attire when you are a smaller size.

So, there you have it.   The REAL reason why I chose to lose weight.

I didn't do it for the blue ribbons, or the clothes, or even the chance to feel so dang confident that I stare down a judge.

I did it for the horses.