Does horseback riding count?

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  • _Khaleesi_
    _Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
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    I have been riding since I was a young kind and I worked on a ranch for 7 years... It drives me CRAZY when people say that riding isn't exercise. They obviously don't know anything about riding!! Maybe if you sat like a lump of poatoes and did nothing on a horse it would do nothing... but even then you are using your core to stabilize yourself on a gaited beast!! If you weren't gaining anything from it, professionals wouldn't be using it as therapeutic modality (see: hippotherapy).

    This has just kicked me in the *kitten* and made me want to ride tonight. I have really only been a weekend rider on my greenie, but who says that it has to stop there. BEST CARDIO EVER. Time to get my *kitten* in gear.
  • Sullivanwilson
    Sullivanwilson Posts: 30 Member
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    I did a search for horseback riding and came up with this thread. I was curious if there were serious riders out there, and wondering if there was better data about calories burned when you do more than sit there like a sack of potatoes. :)

    I know I'm sweating and out of breath after a jump course, or a training session, not to mention the strength and balance that's required.
  • Nicola0000
    Nicola0000 Posts: 535 Member
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    I wear my HRM when riding. When I ride for a hour in a jump lesson, I burn 600-700 cals. (im 5'7", 131 lbs). So yes, it does count!! :smile:
  • Sullivanwilson
    Sullivanwilson Posts: 30 Member
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    Now why didn't I think of a HRM- that is brilliant! Your calorie data is much more on line with what I suspected. Heck, I can get a good sweat going just by doing a hard curry for 10 minutes! Thanks for your input!
  • WildFlower7
    WildFlower7 Posts: 714 Member
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    So I grew up on a farm and used to have a horse and man were my legs nice and toned in those days!!! So does horseback riding count as exercise? I know it's not really cardio but it does work your leg muscles pretty good... I guess I'm just feeling really bummed, it's been 6 years since I sold my horse but I miss her like crazy. Once we start having kids we're going to move out to the country and I'll be able to get a horse again, but boy I wish I could afford boarding. But it's just so crazy expensive!!! It costs as much a month to board a horse as it does for our house payment. I wish I lived closer to my dad I'd just keep the horse there, but that's why I had to sell mine to begin with... Just feelin down today and wishin I had a place I could go horseback riding!

    US TOO! My horse was sold 4yrs ago :( and I too miss her dearly. I'm with ya, it is an incredible leg workout and sometimes it can wind you. I'm sure it counts, but enough to track, not sure, We'll have to wear an HRM when riding to find out, THAT you can track!!
  • inuit
    inuit Posts: 72 Member
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    I was always fit and never really needed to be over careful about what i ate, like i do now, it is a great workout, riding, cleaning the stable, field maintence etc etc. It has been 10 years since i have owned a horse and it is the main reason I am on here trying to lose weight and get fit as i want to buy a horse in the spring, my weight has piled on since i sold my last horse. I plan on losing another 30lbs and i will start looking for my new horse.
  • WildFlower7
    WildFlower7 Posts: 714 Member
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    Just read your post again and noticed you can't afford a horse. My suggestion is to look for a horse rescue in your area and volunteer. You can work around and horses and ride the volunteer horses to help them become adoptable. Hope this helps!

    Ahhh, Love this ^. I personally don't have room for horses right now or time for them with all of my little one's. But eventually we hope to again. In the meantime that sounds like a blast!!
  • jjteddy1982
    jjteddy1982 Posts: 107
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    I'M SURE THAT FOR THE HORSE IT DOES!!!!
  • nbingham
    nbingham Posts: 102 Member
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    It absolutely counts! After I had my first daughter, I lost 35 lbs in two months from riding my horse hard every day. Not that I would recommend losing weight that fast to anyone. (I was having problems with my then husband and riding helped burn the stress.)

    If you can't afford your own horse, I'd suggest seeing if there are any people near you who need someone to exercise their horses for them. Sometimes kids go away to school or people go on vacations and need someone who'll keep their horse in shape. Another thing you can do is lease one. I leased a horse for a while and it was much less expensive than owning my own had been.

    Good luck!
  • WildFlower7
    WildFlower7 Posts: 714 Member
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    Even grooming and saddling up burn about 238 calories an hour.

    Now that I believe lol. I actually would have thought it'd b e more then that though, how about cleaning stalls? lol
  • blakecartersuper
    blakecartersuper Posts: 1
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    its an exersise. it should count,at least i think it should.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    Oh my, have you SEEN how ripped jockeys are? Horse riding is DEFINITELY exercise!
  • JamieDD
    JamieDD Posts: 175 Member
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    Of course it counts! I know my legs get a workout while riding. :)

    Hi to DrBorkBork
  • JamieDD
    JamieDD Posts: 175 Member
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    Whoa! I just went to see where the OP is from and her account is deactive. :(
  • amarks0602
    amarks0602 Posts: 1
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    Just joined MFP and am really excited to see that there are other riders on here. I wore a HRM a while ago while riding and was surprised at the calorie burn. I am going to find it and wear it again soon. I have two horses keeping me busy. My warmblood is exhausting to ride - he is very forward and spooky, keeping me on my toes. I just started retraining my OTTB - she isn't quite as tiring to ride, especially since a lot of time is spent getting her to relax at the walk and trot. Do any of you live in Maryland?
  • j9pezzino
    j9pezzino Posts: 1
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    I recently started taking horseback riding lesson, and I'm just up the point where my instructor has me posting at a trot. When I went to put horseback riding into my app they had categories for walking and trotting, but I'm guessing (based exclusively on how I feel afterwards) that I'm burning more calories posting, then I did while sitting and trotting. Can anyone confirm this and help me out with how many more calories?
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    Absolutely yes. Riding horses is exercise.
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
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    I grew up riding horses until I was 18, it absolutely is exercise. Especially if you go the English-style and work posting (aka basically bouncing with the motion of the horse, driven mostly by your thigh muscles, not from literally bouncing off the saddle) into your riding. I did it so much in my early developing years that I got "thunderthighs" from it that have never gone away. You can also work a lot of great stretching into the warm-up of your ride. Throw in grooming, mucking stalls, whatever extras you might want to do at a stable and you are burning calories just fine. :)
  • HazelMcNutty
    HazelMcNutty Posts: 85 Member
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    If you get the right horse to work with it can totally be strength training as well.. Up until I was 25 I had worked with horses and did no other exercise. I ate like a pig and was still stick skinny, 5'5 and over 160 lbs. It was always fun being lean and strong because at amusement parks and fairs there was never a "guess your weight" guy I couldn't stump. They'd always guess me around 110. :P

    Man I miss my horses...
  • halaghh
    halaghh Posts: 20 Member
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    Anyone that doesn't think it is exercise obviously hasn't ever ridden seriously! English riding is definitely more strenuous. It's mostly effective for leg toning. My legs are the one area that I'm not trying to lose weight in. I ride English competitively and have 6 horses.

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