Jilly Cooper famously described horse riding as ‘a sport where the brave horses are almost human, but the humans behave like animals’. But you don’t have to be (or be after) Rupert Campbell-Black to consider clambering into the saddle.
According to the National Equestrian Survey, there are now 1.82 million regular riders in Britain (up from 1.3 million more than ten years ago) and 3.2 million occasional riders, too. The vast majority (over 90%) are women and more than a third are over 45, according to the British Horse Society.
More and more of us, it seems, are hot to trot. What’s the appeal? Ask Campbell-Black and he would likely say (as he does in Riders): ‘Hunting’s like adultery. Endless hanging about, interspersed with frenzied moments of excitement, very expensive and morally indefensible.’
But you don’t have to join the hunting classes to ride. In fact: ‘Riding horses is good exercise,’ according to Dr Dennis Sigler from Texas A&M University and lead researcher in a paper published in the International Journal Of Exercise Science and examining the fitness benefits of getting into the saddle. ‘Riding a horse for 45 minutes at a walk, trot and canter can burn up to 200 calories. If you do something a bit more strenuous such as cutting or reining, that can come out to nearly seven calories per minute for the entire length of the riding period.’
Another study, commissioned by the British Horse Society, found that 30 minutes of trotting exerts more energy than the equivalent time spent playing badminton. ‘Horse riding and activities associated with horse riding, such as mucking out, expend sufficient energy to be classed as moderate intensity exercise,’ they say. When they surveyed riders, they found that more than two thirds (68%) participated in horse riding activities for half an hour or more, at least three times a week: ‘Sport England estimate that such a level of sporting activity will help an individual achieve or exceed the government’s recommended minimum level of physical activity,’ they explain.
Riding builds strength, too, and not only in your core. In activating a lot of muscles that may have lain dormant for a while, it also boots your balance and improves your posture – vital whether you are in the business of wooing a Campbell-Black or just aging well.
What to read next
In fact, a 2018 study suggested that equine therapy can ‘improve balance, mobility, gait ability, and muscle strength, as well as could induce hormonal and cerebral activity changes in healthy older adults.’ All of which could help to prevent falls.
In fact, riding might be a particularly good exercise for those who find other forms of movement difficult due to injury, illness or general wear and tear, Dr Sigler suggests: ‘Some have joints that just can’t stand a jog, but if they can ride a horse and burn 400 calories a day, that’s significant. Horseback riding is also an excellent way to beat childhood obesity. And we haven’t even measured the therapeutic aspect of horseback riding.’
One study showed that participants in an eight-week course of therapeutic riding experienced a measurable rise in serotonin (the feel-good hormone). Meanwhile, riding is now routinely used as a therapy and rehabilitation tool.
It’s probably not quite what Campbell-Black would have had in mind for you, but it might still be the most fun you can have toning up and slimming down after 50.
