Yes, horse riding burns calories, and the amount varies based on the rider’s weight, the horse’s gait, and the intensity of the ride. Many people enjoy horse riding not just for fun but also for its surprising fitness rewards. This activity engages core muscles and provides a low-impact cardiovascular workout.
Gauging Equine Exercise Calorie Expenditure
People often wonder about the equine exercise calorie expenditure. Think of riding as a dynamic activity. You aren’t just sitting still. You move with the horse. This movement burns energy. The number of calories you lose while riding a horse is not a fixed amount. It changes based on several key things. We can estimate these numbers, but they are always averages.
Factors Affecting Horse Riding Calorie Burn
Several elements play a big role in how much energy you use. Good to know these helps you plan your workouts better.
Rider Weight Matters Most
Heavier individuals need more energy to move their bodies. This means they naturally burn more calories doing the same work as a lighter person. This is true in all physical activities, including riding.
Intensity of Horse Riding for Fitness
The pace you set is crucial. A slow walk uses fewer calories than a fast canter or gallop. Higher intensity means your heart works harder and your muscles engage more deeply. This directly boosts the horseback riding energy use.
Type of Riding Discipline
Different styles of riding challenge the body in unique ways. Dressage requires precise muscle control. Jumping demands explosive power. Trail riding might involve navigating tough terrain, which requires constant small adjustments. All these affect the final count.
Terrain and Conditions
Riding uphill demands more power from both you and the horse. Riding on soft sand or deep mud makes the horse work harder, and you have to grip tighter. This extra effort adds to your burning calories while riding a horse total.
Stirrup Use and Seat
If you ride without stirrups (two-point seat), your leg and core muscles work much harder to stay balanced. This significantly increases the calorie burn compared to resting your weight in the stirrups.
Calculating Calories Lost Horse Riding
To get a clearer picture, we look at estimates. Most calculations rely on metabolic equivalents (METs). A MET is a measure of the energy cost of a physical activity. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly.
General Calorie Burn Estimates per Hour
Here are some general estimates. Remember, these are for an average person weighing around 150 pounds (about 68 kg).
| Riding Activity | Estimated Calories Burned Per Hour (150 lb Rider) | MET Value |
|---|---|---|
| Leisurely Walk/Slow Pace | 180 – 250 calories | 2.5 – 3.5 |
| Steady Trot | 280 – 350 calories | 4.0 – 5.0 |
| Canter/Moderate Lope | 350 – 450 calories | 5.0 – 6.5 |
| Gallop/High Intensity Interval | 450 – 600+ calories | 7.0+ |
| Lunging/Teaching (Active) | 300 – 400 calories | 4.5 – 5.5 |
Interpreting the MET Scores: Higher MET values mean you are working harder. A 6.0 MET activity burns six times the energy of resting. This helps in calculating calories lost horse riding.
How Weight Adjusts the Burn
A 200-pound rider will burn substantially more than a 120-pound rider doing the exact same activity. Generally, for every 30 pounds heavier you are, you might add 10-15% to the total calorie burn for the same task.
For instance, a 200 lb rider doing a steady trot (estimated 4.5 METs) might burn closer to 420 calories per hour, versus the 150 lb rider’s 315 calories.
Fathoming the Intensity of Horse Riding for Fitness
Horse riding is often viewed as passive, but skilled riders know it demands intense physical engagement. The goal for fitness enthusiasts is to maximize this engagement.
Core Engagement: The Hidden Workout
Your core muscles (abs, back, obliques) are constantly working when you ride. They keep you centered over the horse’s movement. This stabilization work is a form of isometric exercise. It builds endurance in these deep stabilizing muscles.
Leg and Hip Work
When you maintain a deep seat, your inner thigh muscles (adductors) and hip flexors work hard to follow the horse’s motion. This constant subtle flexing and releasing builds tone. If you ride without stirrups, this muscle work increases dramatically.
Upper Body and Arms
While your legs control the horse mostly, your arms and shoulders manage the reins. In dynamic situations like jumping or quick stops, the upper body must brace against momentum. This adds to the overall effort.
Does Trotting Burn More Calories Than Walking on a Horse?
Yes, trotting burns noticeably more calories than walking on a horse. This is a fundamental principle of exercise intensity.
Walking is the lowest energy output phase. The horse covers ground easily, and you mainly focus on relaxing your seat to absorb the movement.
Trotting introduces a moment of suspension. This means both you and the horse are airborne for a split second with each stride. This slight jarring forces your body to engage more stabilizers upon landing and takeoff.
Comparing Gaits for Energy Use
- Walk (2.5–3.5 METs): Minimal muscular effort required beyond balance. Good for warm-up or recovery.
- Posting Trot (4.0–5.0 METs): You lift out of the saddle slightly, engaging your legs and core to absorb shock. This increases the workload significantly.
- Sitting Trot (5.0–6.0 METs): This is often more challenging than posting. You must actively use your core and hips to smoothly absorb the concussion. This requires high levels of sustained isometric contraction.
- Canter/Lope (5.5–7.5+ METs): This faster, rhythmic gait requires significant coordination and sustained core tension to maintain position without bouncing excessively.
The faster the gait, the greater the physical input needed to stay in sync, leading to higher horse riding energy use.
Horseback Riding Metabolic Rate Boost
When you ride vigorously, your heart rate elevates. This elevation is what drives the increased horse riding metabolic rate. A higher metabolism means your body burns more fuel (calories) to sustain the activity.
For a rider maintaining a consistent canter, their heart rate might reach 120–150 beats per minute (BPM), similar to a brisk jog. This sustained cardiovascular effort is why riding qualifies as genuine aerobic exercise.
Horse Riding vs Other Cardio Calorie Burn
How does riding stack up against traditional workouts like running or cycling? This comparison often surprises people.
Riding Compared to Running
Running generally has a higher peak calorie burn rate because it is weight-bearing and explosive. A 150 lb person might burn 500–700 calories per hour running moderately fast.
However, riding is often lower impact. This makes it sustainable for longer periods or for people with joint issues. A very vigorous, long canter ride can rival a light jog in terms of total calories burned over the session duration.
Riding Compared to Cycling
Cycling requires less stabilization work, focusing mainly on leg drive. A moderate cycling session might burn 400–550 calories for the same rider. Riding, due to the constant need for balance and core engagement, often burns comparable or slightly more calories than moderate cycling because it involves the entire body, not just the lower body.
The key difference is the muscle recruitment. Riding engages stabilizing muscles that cycling often ignores.
Deeper Dive into Variables Affecting Burn
To truly maximize your fitness from riding, you must manipulate the variables. This moves riding from a leisurely pursuit to a targeted workout.
Arena Work vs. Trail Riding
Arena work, such as pattern work or schooling specific movements, involves frequent transitions: walk to trot, trot to halt, etc. These transitions are mini-bursts of intense effort.
Trail riding might offer longer, steady efforts, but the necessity to navigate obstacles (e.g., stepping over logs, climbing slopes) forces unpredictable muscle demands. Both methods are effective but challenge the body differently.
The Role of Tack and Equipment
The equipment used can subtly shift the calorie cost.
- Western vs. English Saddles: Western saddles are generally heavier and place the rider in a more upright, balanced position, which might slightly favor stability over deep muscle engagement compared to some English disciplines.
- Bit and Rein Contact: Heavy, constant pulling on the reins (often due to an unbalanced horse or rider error) tires the arms and shoulders quickly, increasing upper body burn but potentially decreasing overall efficiency.
Rider Skill Level and Efficiency
A novice rider burns more calories than an expert doing the same gait. Why?
- Tension: Beginners are tense. They grip tightly with their knees and squeeze the reins. This excessive muscle tension wastes energy.
- Instability: Novices constantly fight to stay balanced, using muscles inefficiently.
- Horse Response: An untrained rider may not communicate clearly, causing the horse to become confused or resistant, leading to unnecessary fighting and added rider effort.
As skill improves, the rider becomes more relaxed and effective. The movement harmonizes, and the equine exercise calorie expenditure shifts from wasted tension to purposeful movement. However, advanced work (like collection or complex movements) requires immense, focused muscle control, which keeps the burn high even for experts.
Practical Tips to Increase Your Riding Calorie Burn
If you use riding as part of your fitness plan, try these methods to boost your burn rate:
- Incorporate Transitions: Aim for 10–15 walk-to-trot-to-walk transitions in a 20-minute session. These spikes in effort mimic interval training.
- Ride Without Stirrups: For short periods (5–10 minutes at the walk or slow trot), ride without stirrups. This intensely targets inner thighs and core stabilizers. (Ensure safety first!)
- Use Hills: If riding outside, look for inclines. Riding uphill is the equestrian equivalent of uphill sprints.
- Practice Posting Diagonals: If you trot, actively choose to post the ‘wrong’ diagonal for a minute or two. This forces different muscles to engage and disrupts your easy rhythm.
- Focus on Collection: In dressage or advanced work, actively asking the horse to engage its hindquarters (collection) demands immense core strength from the rider to maintain the frame.
Health Advantages Beyond Just Burning Calories
The fitness benefits of horse riding extend far beyond mere weight loss. It offers holistic physical improvements.
Improved Posture and Balance
Riding teaches body awareness—proprioception. You learn exactly where your weight is distributed. This awareness carries over into daily life, improving posture while sitting at a desk or standing.
Low-Impact Cardio
Unlike running, which pounds the joints, riding is fluid. The horse acts as a sophisticated shock absorber. This makes it excellent for maintaining cardiovascular health without stressing knees, ankles, or hips. It’s a fantastic form of horseback riding for fitness for people seeking gentler exercise options.
Mental Health Benefits
The connection with a large animal is mentally stimulating. It requires focus, patience, and emotional regulation. This mental engagement lowers stress hormones, providing a significant mental health boost alongside the physical workout.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long do I need to ride to see fitness benefits?
For measurable cardiovascular benefits, aim for at least 30 minutes of sustained moderate effort (trot or canter) three times a week. For core strength, even 15 minutes of intense focus or stirrup-less work daily can make a difference.
Does the type of horse affect the calorie burn?
Yes. A heavier horse or a horse with a less smooth gait (one that is naturally “bouncy”) will require the rider to work harder to stay balanced, thereby increasing the burning calories while riding a horse total.
Can I use a heart rate monitor while riding?
Yes, many riders use fitness watches with chest straps. Because the movement is complex, the watch might struggle to read your pulse accurately from the wrist, but a chest strap usually works well enough to track your heart rate zones during the ride. This is key for accurately assessing your horse riding metabolic rate.
Is lunging a horse as good exercise as riding?
Lunging (handling the horse from the ground in circles) is excellent for teaching control and is very demanding on the handler’s legs and endurance, especially if you are moving quickly or teaching advanced maneuvers. However, riding provides the added dimension of core stabilization against the forward momentum of the horse, often leading to a slightly higher overall calorie burn for the rider.
What is the most effective gait for burning calories?
The canter or gallop generally burns the most calories due to the necessary speed and sustained muscle engagement. However, for many riders, the sitting trot, because it demands intense, sustained isometric work from the core to remain perfectly seated, provides the most demanding strength-focused calorie burn.