Can Horse Riding Help You Lose Weight?

The other day, my friend sent me a text message that read: “Can you lose weight horse riding? My mother is insisting you can’t, but I don’t see why you wouldn’t.”

While I knew the most basic answer immediately, and quickly set her mother straight, I decided the topic of horseback riding and how it relates to weight loss and fitness would be great to research a bit deeper and share with you all.

First of all, the answer to her question is yes, horseback riding can help you lose weight. Horseback riding can provide you with a variety of health benefits; physical, mental, and emotional. You need to use your whole body when riding a horse, as well as staying mentally alert.

Here in this article, we will dig down deep into the benefits you can obtain by riding.

While your overall health should always be a priority over weight loss, horseback riding can help you achieve your weight loss goals, and we will discuss how.

We will talk a tiny bit about weight loss in general and also get into the specific muscles you are working every time you hop into the saddle.

Table of Contents

Is horseback riding exercise?

Yes, absolutely!

Horseback riding is exercise, and, as anyone who has ever been any type of equestrian can tell you, can be quite strenuous exercise at that.

Sure, from the outside, at a glance, it doesn’t seem like the rider is doing much of anything, but, although the horse is doing the majority of the work, the rider’s muscles are far from relaxed.

In fact, horseback riding is one of the best full-body exercises there is.

To maintain posture, to control the horse, to simply stay seated on your horse, takes a lot of strength.

When you ride a horse, you are using muscles from your toes all the way to your neck.

Does horseback riding make your butt bigger?

While it’s technically possible that horseback riding could make your butt a little bit bigger, that probably won’t happen.

You do use your butt muscles for stability on the horse and in some types of riding, you will be lifting yourself up and down in the stirrups, which works similar muscles to a squat, but you are more likely to end up with a toned effect than significantly stacked booty muscles.

If a bigger butt is something you want, you’ll need to add weight training exercises on top of your riding to get the effect you’re looking for. (Genetics also play a role, and some body types are only achievable through surgery.)

If, on the other hand, you’re worried that horseback riding might build your butt muscles more than you’d like it to, don’t worry.

You are most likely to end up with tightening and toning, which will not only help your clothes fit better, but will help your overall strength.

Will horseback riding give you thick thighs?

The answer to this question is very similar to the previous answer.

You might see a slight increase in the size of your thigh muscles after consistent riding, but mainly, you can expect a tightening and toning effect more than an increase in size.

Can you get abs from horseback riding?

Yes, you can get well on your way to tight abs with horseback riding.

It might not give you that extra ripped 6-pack, but it will give your core an excellent workout, and help you build those firm abs you dream of.

When you are on a horse, you are constantly using your core muscles to stabilize yourself.

You have to, to stay comfortably seated.

Also, when you activate your core, you are protecting your back, particularly your lower back.

If you don’t properly utilize your core muscles while riding, you will undoubtedly have back pain after your ride, if not during.

What muscles does horseback riding work?

While horseback riding is relatively low impact, that does not mean it’s an easy workout.

It is pretty easy on the joints because a lot of the work your muscles are doing is isometric, which, according to the Oxford dictionary, means “relating to or denoting muscular action in which tension is developed without contraction of the muscle.”

Some of the muscles horseback riding targets are:

Abdominals

Gluteus Maximus and Gluteus Medius

Hip Adductors and Abductors

Erector Spinae group

Obliques

Hip Extensors and Hip Flexors

Transverse Abdominus

Psoas

Iliacus

Piriformis

Quadratus Lumborum

Is horseback riding bad for your hips?

You can experience hip pain from riding if you are sitting unevenly in the saddle, or if your muscles are not strong enough.

The particular muscles people tend to have trouble with are the hip Adductors, the hip Abductors, and the Gluteus Maximus.

It appears that hip pain is common specifically among dressage riders.

Is horseback riding bad for your back?

If you are not sitting properly or sitting asymmetrically, you can hurt your back while horseback riding.

The most common cause of hurting your back while on a horse though, is not having a strong enough core, and not properly activating those muscles that are there to protect your back.

How many calories are burned riding a horse?

The number of calories burned while riding a horse varies greatly.

It depends on so many factors, like your own weight and size, as well as what you are doing while you’re on your horse.

A leisurely stroll down a flat trail would clock in on the lower end of the spectrum, like 200 calories for 45 minutes, but other types of more demanding riding, especially jumping your horse, can burn upwards of 600 calories for an hour.

It needs to be noted that weight loss does require a slight calorie deficit.

However, you do need to also make sure that you are giving yourself the nutrition you need and not limiting food intake in any extreme manner.