These day we are all confronted with people telling us we need to start working out for our health, if not body type. But do you need the workout as an equestrian? Yes a lot of people will tell you riding is not exercise. And to be honest you can go as far as you want. Ludger Beerbaum does a work out twice to three times a week, just because he wants to ask the same from himself as he does from his horses. But we all know, riding is sweating... so, let's see how our Zumba/ work out lesson looks like, riding those horses. We all start with our warm up, grooming. While brushing your horse you move your arms, bend at the waist, go up and down, etc. It is not a heavy work out session, but it will do to get your muscles warmed up... ;) According to research done at Pennsylvania Uni you burn about 6 calories a minute grooming a horse. But it's the cardio it is all about. Although it may seem as though the rider is not engaging in any physical exercise, an hour’s activity can burn similar calories to that of a 30-minute jog (6mph) or cycle ride (9mph). A 140 pound person riding a horse at a walk will burn about 2 calories a minute, trotting burns 6 calories per minute and galloping burns 8 calories a minute. Horseback riding stimulates muscles in the dorsal and abdominal regions that are seldom used in everyday living. As a rider reacts to the horse’s movements to avoid becoming off-balance, the deep postural muscles of the trunk and pelvis and the adductor muscles of the thighs are continuously being conditioned. Wahoo!!! So much better that downward facing dog or the plank. As with other forms of exercise, horse riding has excellent therapeutic qualities. Whether riding outside or in an arena simply being up and moving will boost your general well being and act as a great stress buster. The sense of exhalation and freedom you receive from a ride is a feeling that is second to none. A reward you don’t get from a treadmill is the ability to developing a relationship and sense of trust between yourself and your horse. Learning to control and care for an animal much larger than yourself has a profound effect on your confidence and is a great feeling.
