Horsey Friday Fun Facts - Horseback Riding IS Exercise

Many non-horse people and those that do not ride horses are under the impression that horseback riding is NOT exercise.  After all, all the rider does is sit on the horse.  Not so.  In all honesty, it is exercise.  

Riders that go out for a nice trail ride, that haven't ridden in a long time, can tell you that after the ride, their legs, for one, feel like rubber after dismounting.  

To begin with, the exercise begins before the ride.  This is when the horse is groomed and tacked up.  A lot of stretching and bending goes into this part and some muscle.  The stretch is when you reach up to groom the top portion of the horse and the bending is when the legs are brushed and hooves picked out.  

Stretching occurs also when the saddle is lifted onto the horse's back and the bridle is placed on the horse's head.  Muscle also goes into this and when it comes time to tighten the horse's girth or cinch.  (Western saddles tend to weigh more than English saddles.)  Believe me, you want the girth or cinch to be tight (without strangling the horse, of course).  If it is not, the saddle can move while riding and the rider will end up riding underneath the horse instead of on top of it.  Unless, of course, you have extremely good balance.

While riding, the leg muscles, calves and thighs, get worked as well as your abs.  That's right.  I said abs.  

As you can see, horseback riding is a great workout for your body and burns calories.