# How does riding horses keep you fit?



## Kansasbarrelracer (Sep 30, 2009)

I had a class when I was in college, and one class period my teacher began to talk about the rider staying fit while riding, as well as various activities around the barn. You actually burned calories while your horse was walking, etc. I thought it was pretty neat. I can't remember most of the information though lol.

Try this link:
Get Fit Horse Riding - Horse Riding is a Fun Exercise To Tone The Whole Body


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

can you look up how many calories it burns? i read somewhere it's more then jogging and just under rock climbing. credible source? no idea!


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## kalete (Mar 10, 2009)

I don't know if you still need help with this, or if what I have will be any help at all, but sparkpeople.com counts 1 hour of horseback riding as 781 calories burned. I can't link the page directly, but if you sign up and then go to 'fitness tracker' you can enter the name of an exercise and it will tell you how many calories burned. Hope that helps!


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

Usually, those calories burned though are total calories, not extra calories. In other words - if you would normally burn 300 calories per hour just living (basal rate), then you're only burning an extra 481. Even with that in mind, 781 seems awfully high.


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

I'm sure it keeps you more flexible as well as burning calories. I know my thighs were sore from straddling my horse all day when I started, but now it doesn't bother me a bit. Plus, there's some muscle building (gotta pull some of your own weight up onto that horse). 

Its also a stress reliever which would improve your health (more general health, not fitness specifically - if that's what you need for the paper).


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

I remember when a friend of mine was asked what kind of exercise she does and she said horse back riding. The teacher said it wasnt excersise and they got in a big fight...
Any how it deff. strengthens you and uses different muscles


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

Tasia said:


> The teacher said it wasnt excersise...


I'm afraid I have to agree with the teacher  For years, I would go out on trail rides with my horsey friends - they'd be on horses, I'd hike/run, sometimes bike, along with them. And I noticed that on a good hilly trail, the horses would sometimes work up a sweat, but the riders would never sweat or seem to be breathing hard.

That's not to say that some kinds of riding couldn't be good exercise as well, but just basic riding?


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Wow, I have to say riding Nelson 5 days a week has really helped me with my conditioning, and weight loss.

I have lost 4 pant sizes since I moved Nelson to the new barn, but I have to admit that cutting down my eating habits and cutting pop out of my diet *drinking water* has helped as well, of course.

I do 4 days of Dressage, and one day Jumping - and I have been slowly getting back into shape. I do nothing else "activity" wise, so I know that by me riding Nelson as often as I do, is the contributing factor to my body conditioning.

I ride about an hour a day, not including warm up and cooling off, our routine is:

*WALK & Trot Work*

- 20 meter circles
- Shoulder In's
- Shoulder Out's
- Haunches In
- Haunches Out
- Half Passes
- Square Turns
- Turns On The Haunches
- Turns On The Forehand

I am keeping him between my legs, activating my core, working on keeping my legs under me instead of at the girth, using my seat, keeping impulsion.

I am toning up my calves, my thighs, my tummy muscles, my shoulders


During my Jumping Lesson on Saturday's - we do alot of Stirrupless Work, we do alot of Sitting Trot *remember, we do 1/2 hour flat work before we move to jumps* and alot of 2 point work with and without stirrups. 

So my calves and core burn. I am huffing and I am puffing *without blowing a house down* within that 1/2 hour work out.

To boot, Nelsons trot is very hard to sit being so lofty and powerful, I have to use alot of focus just to sit a few strides let along the whole diagonal across the arena.

Do I get a work out when I ride? Absolutely. Have I lost weight, most definately, am I getting into better condition? Without a doubt.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

^Yeah for you! I have lost a good amount of fat because I'm riding regularly again, but have gained weight because of the muscle building. 

-James- Riding is a HUGE workout for the rider if done properly. You have to hold yourself up with your core, keep your leg at the girth, and hold it there, and stabalize yourself over the center of the horse.


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

StormyBlues said:


> -James- Riding is a HUGE workout for the rider if done properly.


Well, it's always possible that my friends were not riding properly (and my personal experience so far has been fairly limited, due to hoof problems :-(), but I still have to stick by what I see, which is that the riders (not just my friends, but everyone I meet) seldom if ever look as if they've been exercising. 



> You have to hold yourself up with your core, keep your leg at the girth, and hold it there, and stabalize yourself over the center of the horse.


Right. And you build a little strength that way, and improve balance, but do you get real exercise? How about doing a little test next time you ride: go for 15 minutes or so at your normal pace, then stop and take your pulse. Look up "target heart rate", and tell us whether you're anywhere near that zone.


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## chika1235 (Jan 1, 2009)

omg i ride evryday almost and i have a non gaited horse so i have to post trot for most of the time being rode,the first month i had the skin peeled off my legs in places and sore as heck,but the next month i could ride all day and not feel anything.and i do track at school and even if track is not in season and all im doing is horse riding i can still run the mile in about 6 minutes.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

jamesqf said:


> Right. And you build a little strength that way, and improve balance, but do you get real exercise? How about doing a little test next time you ride: go for 15 minutes or so at your normal pace, then stop and take your pulse. Look up "target heart rate", and tell us whether you're anywhere near that zone.


 I can tell you that I do get up into my target heart-rate zone. I am an event rider so I have to do dressage, and two phases of jumping. It's alot more of a workout than walking along a trail


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

James- it has a lot to do with the discipline of riding. I ride as often as I can, and my mare and I work HARD. My heart rate definitely gets up there. Sitting her trot [correcly] for the twenty minutes or so we trot at a time is the equivalent of doing sit-ups for twenty minutes. I may not have a six pack, but my abs are HARD. Believe you me, it's a workout! Sweat isn't a good factor to go on, either. Some people sweat lots and some people don't sweat much, and they can be on the same workout regimen. Just saying. =]

I'm almost always sore after riding. To really ride a horse, you use your whole body, every last muscle, I swear. The muscles in my back, my seat, my thighs, my calves, my arms, my shoulders, even those boob-muscles all get sore sometimes. It's a good feeling. =]

I used to ride under an instructor that worked our group hard. We never concentrated much on the horse's frame, but on us. We'd shorten our stirrups three holes and go around trotting in two point and posting. Then we'd drop our stirrups and have to post and hold a two point for laps and laps and laps. Those lessons were killer. We definitely huffed and puffed our way through it. =]


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

StormyBlues said:


> I can tell you that I do get up into my target heart-rate zone. I am an event rider so I have to do dressage, and two phases of jumping. It's alot more of a workout than walking along a trail


Sure, and isn't that what I said? That the ordinary sort of riding along a trail (which my friends were doing and claiming as exercise) isn't really much of a workout, though the eventing &c might well be. I don't know enough about them to have a valid opinion, but I do know that they're not what most people are doing.

There's also the difference between general fitness and training specific muscle groups. For instance, I'm in pretty good shape, but each year the start of cross-country ski season finds me with sore inner thigh muscles, simply because those muscles don't get used much for anything else. Same with biking: in the spring, my butt gets sore from even the easiest ride. Horseback riding uses still different muscles, and they're likewise going to be sore until trained.


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Horse riding is exersize in my opinion and what I have found with my riding. If I take Chinga out on the trail just walking around, not so much work done. But I still think its exersize. Because its only a short trail the one we take. I'll keep heels firmly down and as "perfect" of a posistion I can get while Chinga walks down the trail. 

But then we will have a training day, we'll both work really hard. Walk, Trot, Canter, Circles, Figure Of 8's, Jumping, Holding Two Point, ect. We both come in, with a sweat. We have both gained muscle and both lost weight. Of course if a rider just sits there bouncing around, then no they are not going to lose as much weight as a rider who rides heels down, leg contact, straight back and actually working themselves and their horse.


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## WelcomeStranger28 (Oct 21, 2009)

I find that i keep fit by riding!! I end up sweating whatever fat i have on my body off!!! Nugget is a workout for lots of other people but with me it is more, i ride him for like 45mins and i start to sweat coz he gets lazy!!! My mum thinks that he is sooooooooooooooo lazy nd that he will only ever move for mee!! but i have recently found out that he works nicely for my friends!!! Welovechinga rode Nugget the other day and Nug went AWESOME!!!!!


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

^^ Don't you just hate that sometimes Zoe, when someone who hasn't ridden as long as you can ride Nugget really well but then you hop on and his just a pain? I think its similar to Chinga, he knows I can make him work so he makes me make him work. But for friends his so gental and caring. Although after todays mishab no more friends riding him.

Sorry off topic.


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## WelcomeStranger28 (Oct 21, 2009)

HHAAHAHAHAHA yer the annoying thing for me is that after a friend rides and I hop back on he tends to be reallllllllllllyyyyyyyyy strong!!!!!! so This is no longer off topic as i get a work out by trying to pull him up!!!!


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

James- Look at these videos, they show some of the best event riders in the world doing all three phases. 





 




 
Now tell me theses riders arn't getting a workout  I LOVE XC!


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

StormyBlues said:


> Now tell me theses riders arn't getting a workout


Sorry, but I don't do video - for a lot of reasons. However, we're still on different pages. The sort of eventing you're describing - done by the top riders in the world, to boot - is not what I think most riders, and my friends in particular, are doing. They basically amble along a trail, sometimes trotting in places, so that I don't have any problem keeping up with them on foot. (And it's not as though I train for marathons or anything - I just like to get out and hike with the dog a lot.) 

I think maybe you're seeing a "Tiger Woods" effect. That is, because he's pretty obviously a trained & fit athlete (though I'd bet he has a non-golf workout routine to stay in condition), then the typical golfer who rides a cart around 18 holes on a weekend must also be one.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

James - I when I was in high school, I worked out a lot. I had a body fat percentage around 10% and could run about 5 km comfortably and bike around 25km comfortably. Riding dressage was still a lot of work and I came out of most training sessions and especially lessons very sweaty and tired!
Riding dressage is tougher than it looks.

I have handed in the paper - thanks for the links guys!


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Ok, then why don't I get videos of the lower level competitors? They still work the same, still have to get around the course with no faults, still have to be up in that galloping position, still have to set a horse up for a jump, etc. Even REAL trail riders work harder than ambaling around as your friends do


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

i had a riding (dressage) clinic this weekend and when i got off y horse, after only 35 min, i could barely walk around i was so tired... but then when i play football, or lacrosse or have to run for track or in gym i never get that tired. and its not because i dont work my riding muscles enough, i ride 5 or six times a week, hard. correct riding is in no way easy


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## Kashmere (Nov 30, 2009)

I think, no matter WHAT one does, we do burn calories riding horses.
Some more than others of course, but I think to some extent we do lose some ;-)

I remember I used to get off with a sweat-head (lol) and having sore spots everywhere, but that definitely improved too! 

Not to mention, all the stuff one does when not horse riding, can be quite the job too!


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## VintageMatch (Jul 23, 2009)

I think horseback riding keeps you fit it increases your heart beat just like running, it works your muscles and tones just like wieght lifting in a gym it can make you sweat it will make your breath come faster just like swimming or playing a sport. If your friends just sit on a horse and amble along a trail to me that's not really riding, your supposed to work with your horse not be a passenger. We go on hacks some times so nothing against trail riding but our horses trot around and we work while we are out there. All in all I think it keeps us fit.


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## Sunny06 (Jun 22, 2009)

A lot of people want to say that gaited horses are a piece of cake to ride. *snicker* They obviously haven't ridden one!

Not saying they are hard to handle, but they keep your blood pumping! A ride off a Walking horse that can _*walk*_ 8-40 mph (depending on the breed; I _think_ speedrackers can go up to 40 mph??) is quite invigorating. And contrary to popular belief, I'm sure calories are being burned.


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## Void (Jun 26, 2009)

jamesqf said:


> Right. And you build a little strength that way, and improve balance, but do you get real exercise? How about doing a little test next time you ride: go for 15 minutes or so at your normal pace, then stop and take your pulse. Look up "target heart rate", and tell us whether you're anywhere near that zone.


I'm late to this conversation and you might not read this. But my SO is a Personal Trainer (Ultra Marathon runner etc etc) and when we were in college we would fight over whether or no riding was an actual exercise or not. So I got him to come ride with me and I made him do everything I do when I ride. Suffice to say he ate Crow hard.

If you are really riding, like *REALLY*, you are working out, I work up as much of a sweat as my horse does. And riding isn't my only exercise I run and cycle too so I have something to compare it to. I'd say riding is my overall best workout during the week next to my Personal Training sessions. 

On top of all that most people workout wrong anyways, people don't activate the right muscles when they lift weights or when they do cardio. Like in a real run, your quads aren't supposed to burn, its your glutes.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

To those who say you don't work out when riding - take a shot at riding under my new Eventing Coach, and I am sure you will change your tune quickly.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Yeah same here! My coach - you shouldn't be tired! You shouldn't be thirsty! Keep Riding! lol she's a tough women!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

my old trainer used to keep all his students super fit by making us run laps, do push ups, or do sit ups if we messed up the striding or kept looking down or other faults like that [even if you forgot your gloves, belt, or to tuck in your shirt]. if you or someone else in your lesson talked back everyone would lose their stirrups for the whole ride no matter what we were doing.

riding does keep you super fit, but its one sport that is hard enough that you should do some other sport to keep fit enough to do it.


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## HorsePride (Aug 29, 2009)

I sweat when i ride most of the time, or maybe it's just my helmet...


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## dressagexlee (Dec 15, 2009)

*Jamesqf:*
The easiest way to anger a rider is to say, _"You're just sitting there!"_ or, _"Riding takes no effort; it's easy!"_

If you are actually working hard at riding, which I do, then it _is_ an exercise. And fitness is not just about building brawn and cardio. It takes years of training and experience to look like you're just sitting there doing nothing.

A rider's fitness is balance, flexibility, a healthy amount of needed muscle, and *core strength*. It also involves learning to isolate and properly use parts of your body (indepent seat, legs, and hands). Riding is a lot like dance, gymnastics, or figure skating in this sense.
Riding is also a mental workout. Being one of the only sports in the world where you work with another being that cannot speak, it takes an incredible amount of patience, listening skills, and passion. A real rider will strive to learn the "language" of the horse so that they can keep him as happy, healthy, and athletic as possible.

What in the world are you doing on this forum if you think that riding isn't an exercise? I'm fourteen years-old and I have abs! I ride in a tank-top when it's -30 in the barn! I'm able to ride a 17.2 hand horse when I'm only ninety-two pounds and five feet tall! If that isn't fitness, then what is?


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I am VERY in shape. I play mid-midfielder on my high school's soccer team, and usually run more than nine miles a week. I can get on my horse and still be exhausted by the end of the ride because of how many muscles you use, and how much effort you actually have to put into it. Usually people that say it doesn't take effort have actually never been on a horse. Even during trail riding I get a work out.


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