I had often referred to my Haflinger as a total gym. He was a horse that used to require a lot of focus, leg, & patience. To me the art of riding is very much a sport even though I do not typically compete for ribbons.
I sweat
I feel pain
I know my body
I challenge both my horse and myself, and to some degree, I win every day.
I’ve been asked many times if riding horses is a good workout. My answer is always this:
“It depends on how you ride”.
The exercise of horseback riding actually grounds the rider in the saddle. The hips of the rider are pushed into the saddle and reinforced by the movements of the horse. The movement from the core of the horse will help your core, coming from the hips being ground into the saddle, to get stronger. The muscles, such as the postural muscles around your body’s core, will become strengthened through the process of horseback riding.
As the horse moves, you will need to utilize strong muscles to stay in place and to keep in control of the horse’s movements. This pressure will make those muscles stronger and more controlled, helping keep your balance in the saddle and maintain that balance during the various speeds of the horse’s trot. Throughout this, you will also be using your coordination skills to move your body as the horse moves and reposition yourself and your hips in the saddle as the horse approaches different speeds or as it turns different directions.
This type of exercise calls for good overall muscle tone and good overall flexibility. As you try horseback riding as exercise for the first couple of times, you will begin to be aware of different types of pain in various muscle areas. This will pass, however, as you continue. Your muscles and joints will adapt to the new forms of impact being placed on them and will become stronger in the process. This type of strengthening of the muscles and joints is as effective as typical weight-bearing exercise, as experienced in many gym exercise programs.
The regions that benefit from using horseback riding as exercise are typically the buttocks, back and legs. The ankles, knees and hips are also affected by horseback riding, as the joints are strengthened as the riding styles change. The participation of the entire body’s muscle and joint groups are needed, so there are many minor muscle groups that will also get a significant workout from horseback riding. If you already have high muscle tone, you may find that learning to relax some of your muscles while you ride will benefit your exercise program more.
In addition to riding, I also go to the gym at least 3x per week just to keep my strength up and consistent. Since I ride different horses every day, all with different problem areas, it is important for me to stay physically balanced. I try to keep my strength evenly distributed throughout my body so one aid doesn’t overpower the others. I also throw in a 10-15 minute morning & evening yoga routine to stretch out sore muscles before and after a days work, this helps my muscles and mind stay fresh!
Kelly Geiger is a traveling trainer based in Portland, Oregon.
