3 Surprising Health Benefits of Horseback Riding

Horseback riding can often be viewed by non-riders as a strange, pointless hobby in which you sit still on a big animal as it plods along the roadside. Horseback riding is actually the exact opposite, especially when you’re on a good trail!

Riding a horse is a very involved activity that has multiple health benefits for both the rider and the horse itself. The benefits of horseback riding fit into three categories: muscular, emotional, and intellectual.

Muscular

The most obvious benefit gained from horseback riding is improved musculature. To remain stable while riding requires the constant tensing and shifting of muscles, particularly in the legs and core.

Riding is typically maintained for extended periods, so although the muscle training is not acutely intense; the overall benefit to muscles per ride is substantial. Because the motion of a horse beneath a rider tends to sway in all directions, the muscles which support the spine get a particularly beneficial workout.

Muscles play a major role in supporting the spine, but it's difficult to train the full range of muscles necessary for good spinal support using conventional exercises. Most exercise tends to focus on a small subset of relevant muscles such as the abs and gluteal muscles but ignores the many other muscles which contribute to spine stability.

In contrast, horseback riding gradually improves all of the spinal support muscles which can lead to improved general strength, fitness, and a drastically reduced chance of the dreaded lower back pain.

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Emotional

The emotional benefits of horse riding go far beyond "I love my horsey." Research performed initially on dogs, and later on, cats and horses show that affectionately interacting with a horse causes positive chemical changes in both the horse and human bodies.

Cortisol drops and serotonin rise as a result of stroking, brushing, and even talking to a horse. Cortisol is famous as the 'stress hormone,' and it does indeed cause stress at elevated levels. Serotonin is a major tool the body uses to regulate mood, and raising it moderately induces a positive state of mind.

Amazingly, horses are biologically similar enough to humans that they receive the same chemical benefits as us from the same interactions!

Intellectual

Horse riding is a cooperative, cross-species activity. Horses don't speak and humans do not intuitively understand either the verbalizations or body language of horses. For both species, learning to ride together requires a commitment to learning how the other thinks and what is meant by initially meaningless expressions, motions, and sounds.

With time, a rider and a horse develop a functional communicative relationship. Learning to understand each other is largely a non-conscious process, with deliberate intentions laid on top; learning of this type is highly enriching to the brain.

In all three categories, the horse and the rider benefit equally. Riding is a very rewarding, low-impact sport, with a strong social component and emotional rewards. What's not to love?