Is There Such a Thing as the “Perfect Riding Body?”

Trafalgar Square Books

There is a kind of “Mounted Mythology” that many believe when it comes to human body types and riding horses. Ideas that we may not think to question, but should, include:

• A horse can only carry a certain percentage of his weight, no exceptions.
• If you’re overweight and riding a horse, you are not being fair or kind to the horse.
• If your (pick one: legs are too short, boobs are too big, thighs are too thick, arms are too short, upper body is too long, hips are too narrow, waist is too thick) you’ll never be able to ride well.
• If you don’t have a “rider’s body” (you know the one), you can’t compete in certain events, no matter how talented you are.

“The list of what plagues women about their bodies is long—and quite enough to wear us out,” writes Melinda Folse in RIDING THROUGH THICK & THIN, her brand new release from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com). “Chances are, if you’re a woman, there has been a time in which you questioned your size, shape, body type, the length of your legs, or the thickness of your thighs. It might even be safe to say that most of us, at one time or another, have thought we’re too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short, too muscular, too…oh, whatever else you can think of.”

That’s right: the female state of dissatisfaction isn’t even just about weight, although that is perhaps the most common issue battled, inside and out. It’s about shape. It’s about proportion. It’s about not meeting an ideal, albeit an ideal that may not be worthy of the kind of sacrifices women are willing to make to achieve it. And when it comes to being with horses, body image insecurities can be detrimental, causing you to dread going to the barn or avoid riding in public.

“Life is short. Life with horses is a gift we ought not waste over worries about our size, our shape, or how we look when we ride,” says Folse, who also wrote the bestseller THE SMART WOMAN’S GUIDE TO MIDLIFE HORSES. “But honestly friends, once we have a solid assessment about who we are—and what can and can’t be changed—we can acquire an assortment of tools and develop strategies for making the most of what we have, taking advantage of opportunities that come our way, and reaching the potential that is unique to each one of us.”

RIDING THROUGH THICK & THIN intends to do just that: empower riders everywhere to find ways to feel good about themselves in and out of the saddle. Less about losing weight or getting fit (although there are plenty of helpful ideas for both), Folse’s book taps neuroscience, mindfulness, and fitness realities to reveal why happiness in our bodies is not only possible—it may be far easier than we think.

RIDING THROUGH THICK & THIN is 432 pages and $24.95, available now from the TSB online bookstore (www.horseandriderbooks.com), where shipping in the US is FREE.