| Weight Loss and Horse Riding | | | | change their weight considerably if their diet is also |
| Many non riders think riding is an easy sport and not | | | | controlled. |
| very energy consuming. Those of us, who ride, know | | | | Weight loss comes about by burning more energy |
| otherwise. Riding can be a very lazy sloth like activity, | | | | than you consume. Horse riding is an ideal sport to |
| if you just sit on the horse and do nothing. Even this | | | | work many muscles at the one time. Unlike ball or |
| amount of non activity uses quite a lot of inner leg | | | | racquet sports where the person is using a dominant |
| muscle action though. | | | | hand, horse riders use both sides of their body |
| Horse riding actually uses all the postural muscles | | | | equally, hence burning more energy and fat. Even |
| especially in your trunk and neck. It requires good | | | | just standing still on the horse the energy used by |
| strong back muscles and extra strong deep core | | | | the postural muscle to stop you falling off is greater |
| abdominal muscles. The arms are used to control the | | | | than just standing on the ground. The horse riding |
| horses head and the legs are used to push the horse | | | | posture can be trained to be stronger and more |
| forward and to hold against the horses' side for | | | | skilled. More training burns more energy and weight |
| stability. Following up with floor and ball exercises will | | | | loss. Applied Posture Riding is an exercise program to |
| improve weight loss considerably. | | | | teach riders control, stability and therefore weight |
| Horse riding uses much more energy than most | | | | loss. |
| people think. The energy used up to maintain posture | | | | Horse riders tend to develop their muscles |
| and work with the horse will burn fat and hence | | | | symmetrically. A good horse rider will have good |
| result in weight loss. A horse rider riding regularly and | | | | posture on the ground as well as in the saddle. |
| training their horse will lose weight and tone muscles. | | | | Weight loss tends to be around the abdomen and |
| The energy used to keep the upright posture in | | | | the thighs because these muscle groups become |
| dressage is far more than most appreciate. Although | | | | strong and elongated, when riding a lot. Being large |
| the body is not moving through large ranges of | | | | muscle groups they burn more energy and hence fat |
| movement the continuous postural adjustments | | | | will burn for longer if these big muscle groups are |
| made by the rider to keep the rhythm steady burns | | | | worked for longer time periods. |
| much energy. The horse rider does not huff and puff | | | | I certainly recommend horse riding as part of any |
| a lot, so aerobic energy isn't great but the constant | | | | weight loss program as long as a person is already a |
| muscle movements that burns energy induces | | | | rider. I recommend learning to ride before taking it up |
| fatigue. Lactic acid can build up more in the horse | | | | as a weight loss exercise program. Applied Posture |
| riders' muscles producing stiffness and soreness the | | | | Riding can teach you the skills in conjunction with a |
| next day. The amount of riding a person does will | | | | riding instructor. |