Overweight Horseback Riders

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Calories burned while working with horses!

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Asphaltcowgirlx
Asphaltcowgirlx Posts: 34
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ACTIVITY: For 130 lb person: For 155 lb person: For 190 lb person:

Shoveling: 354 cal/hr 422 cal/hr 518 cal/hr

General Horse Riding: 236 cal/hr 281 cal/hr 345 cal/hr

Riding horse at the walk: 148 cal/hr 176 cal/hr 216 cal/hr

Riding horse at the trot: 384 cal/hr 457 cal/hr 561 cal/hr

Riding horse at a gallop: 472 cal/hr 563 cal/hr 690 cal/hr

Horse Grooming 354 cal/hr 422 cal/hr 518 cal/hr

Baling hay/cleaning barn: 472 cal/hr 563 cal/hr 690 cal/hr

Shoveling Grain 325 cal/hr 387 cal/hr 474 cal/hr

Fencing 354 cal/hr 422 cal/hr 518 cal/hr

Polo 472 cal/hr 563 cal/hr 690 cal/hr

Hiking, cross country (if your horse is hard to catch...) 354 cal/hr 422 cal/hr 518 cal/hr

Brisk walking 4 MPH 236 cal/hr 281 cal/hr 345 cal/hr

Walking, carrying 15 lb load: 207 cal/hr 246 cal/hr 302 cal/hr

I found this on some website. I'm not sure how accurate it is but It's pretty cool and makes working with your horse even more enjoyable thinking about all the calories burned!

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  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I board my boy in self-care and burn an average of 250/day just when I take care of him on non-riding days. I also work part-time at the barn. I burn anywhere from 400-1200 depending on how long I work and what I'm doing. When I ride, actual riding I burn from 250-2900 (huge trail ride) but usually 600-700 during a jumping lesson. Around 500 during a flat lesson. Lunging is between 150-400 depending on whether or not the horse is being good or naughty. Grooming and tacking up burns another 250, bathing comes in at a whopping 500 calories per horse.

    I wear my HRM so that's where I get those readings from. Work at a barn and you will lose weight and be in a good mood because you get to hang out with horses!
  • Asphaltcowgirlx
    Asphaltcowgirlx Posts: 34
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    Oooh that is seriously amazing!! I used to work at a barn but I don't anymore. I currently board my horse as well. Kinda makes me want to stop avoiding so many corners haha. I tend to do a lot of shortcuts. Now i'll groom a little more - with a little more elbow grease, ride a little longer, and clean stalls randomly just for exercise. The owner does it for us.

    Where did you get your HRM? I want to look into getting one!
  • hintzam
    hintzam Posts: 6 Member
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    This is cool...always wondered how many calories I was burning shoveling poo/cleaning stalls etc...:wink: I use to board and now have my own place. Its great however I do miss going out for rides with the other boarders. I also miss the indoor riding arena I live in WI so it was greatly appreciated on some of those cold winter days that I really wanted to ride. Would love to chat more but have to go. Later

    Oh and in the photo its me on my husbands horse (Outlaw) he is a registered Spotted Saddle Horse (basically a spotted Tenn. Walker)

    In my Tracker thats my horse (Splash) she is a Rockie Mt horse and our first colt Thor.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I have a Polar FT4, I got it on Amazon. I've had it since April and I already need a new strap for it :)

    I had a lesson last night and a fantastic ride on Mateuss, he has figured out how to jump ground poles and he had a blast doing it ... Yah! But I realized how much easier it was for me to get out of the saddle and into 2-point - huge NSV.

    Anyway, lesson burned 532 calories, chores and grooming were 300ish, turning out the horses was another 480. My total burn yesterday evening ended up being 1238 or something close to it. I was even surprised at that.
  • Healingnutritionsolutions
    Healingnutritionsolutions Posts: 134 Member
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    I don't get to spend as much time with mine as I'd like or should. They are on our land, at pasture mostly. I do supplemental feeding daily - but don't always have time to groom, etc, and no need to clean out the pasture, just spread manure every now and then. In smaller pen and the working pen I keep that pretty well cleaned up, composting that poo, so that's about all the work they have taken. When I start seriously working with them - then the calories will show up as being burned :) I looked up several sites, and found they are all pretty close on estimating. I like your list - I think it's pretty accurate depending on effort of course. I'm also looking into an HRM that works pretty well for all day. That's the second vote for polar I have heard this week...

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