Get Fit Horse Riding
Striving to get in shape but bored with the gym scene?. Then take a look at how horse riding can lead you on the road to fitness.
Horse riding is beneficial to your physcial condition in a variety of ways. Riding provides a very mild aerobic workout. Muscles are toned and strengthened by adopting a correct position in the saddle. Even yoga teachings such as centring and balancing are developed as the rider strives to be exactly in tune with the horse's movement.
Get a Flat Stomach
Stomach Muscle Exercise
Stomach muscles are responsible for stabilising the upper body during riding. Regular horse riding in a correct posture
by training your stomach and lower back muscles to support your upper body. As your riding progresses, you'll discover that your lower
stomach muscles, pelvic area and hips become more important in adjusting the horse's stride and speed.
Encourage your instructor from early on to teach you about using your seat to ride the horse.
Hip Workout
Most women will relate to the inflexibility which develops through the hip area with age, and the constant movement of this area during riding helps to retain flexibility in the hips, and gives the muscles a good workout.
Your first attempt at mounting, by reaching your leg high up into the stirrup will show you how stiff your hips and lower body have become. This activity will improve as you become more flexible. Try exercises to help stretch and retain flexibility in this area, such as spreading your legs apart and reaching down to the ground, squats with your legs apart and resting one heel on a bench or rail about hip height and stretching sideways over that leg.
Women have considerably more fat on the inside of the upper leg than men, which is a distinct disadvantage in the saddle, considering how wide apart your legs have to be to wrap around a horse. A helpful exercise here is putting something wide and squeezable between your knees and pushing your kness together, apart, together, and so on.
Horse Riding Exercisers
Stretching and Breathing
Keep your heels down, is a term repeated over and over from teacher to rider. By pushing your weight down into your heels, your calves are getting a lovely stretch which is particularly good for those who wear high heeled shoes all day.
Your whole leg area, and particularly your thigh area, receives a muscle workout during rising trot. Concentrate on really utilising these muscles, keep your legs absolutely still, and push your bottom out of the saddle, squeezing those cheeks at the same time.
Horses are known to be easily un-nerved and upset, and require firm, tactful handling and riding to remain confident in the rider. Because of this, to be an effective rider you must be in tune with the horse's movement and mind if possible. Deep and rhythmical breathing is a fundamental aspect, as it has the ability to calm and induce concentration in both horse and rider. Horses pick up on the tension in your body, and that is then passed on to the horse. To remain relaxed while in the saddle, try humming a tune inside your head that matches the beat of the horse's pace.
Best Exercise For Riders
The best exercise for riders seeking improvement in the saddle is simple more riding.
To keep one horse in competition condition, you almost have to have another in full work to keep up your own riding fitness.
As a rider, you should always be ahead of your horse's fitness to ensure you never have to hold the horse's training back on your account.
All the physical activity associated with riding, like mucking out stables, can be very benefical to your health.
For a start, simply being out in the country air will refresh, and there are some changes you can make to your routine to ensure you
take advantage of the fitness opportunities.
Walk up to the paddock instead of calling your horse to you.
Walk the wheelbarrow to empty manure around the trees on the property, instead of always on the closest manure pile.
Learn how to long rein your horse, which can be tiring in a sand arena.
There are many other ways to use your body a little more in a variety of similar situations.
As far as other forms of exercise go, try to avoid much jogging as this jars the knees which are already put
under pressure when riding. The rowing machine found in any gym is a great exercise for riders who find they aren't
strong enough for large horses who pull them out of the saddle. This strengthens the muscles on the back, around and
bewteen the shoulder blades.
Remeber you can never go wrong with a brisk walk, and you could combine this with checking the fence line in your horse's paddock.
Horse Riding Lessons
Professional riders literally spend years aiming for this classically correct position. However the casual rider does not have to acheive this level of perfection to obtain excellent physical benefits and to have a great time doing it.
What the casual rider does need, however, is a sturdy and balanced position on the horse. Count on having regular weekly or fortnighly lessons for a few months before you will really start to see the benefits. During this time you will learn the basics of your riding position, how to act around and on the horse, and how to cope with any misadventures.
At this stage you could consider going on trail rides to enjoy the scenery as well as to take some exercise. Take a few friends, and an hour or two of light cardiovascular and toning exercise will certainly be more enjoyable than any gym workout. !
If you decide to ride regularly, you will need to invest in a pair of jodhpurs, to prevent rubbing on your legs which jeans or trackies can do. If you must wear jeans, try a pair of pantyhose underneath to mimimise chafing.
All riders are achieving physical benefits which can be heightened by a little extra comfort, and most importantly, a new outlook on your riding. For new riders, enjoy the addition to your fitness endeavours, and don't worry, the sore bum will ease up soon!.