Horse Riding Is A Great Exercise For Human Body And Mind

 

Looking from aside, a lot of people consider the horseback riding as an activity where the rider has passive role. Everything looks like simple sitting on the horse's back, not doing anything, expect giving instructions such as, whoa and turn. That's not true. There is much more then the casual observer might think. Whether you aim at competition, exercise or just having fun, the unique correlation of the rider's movement against the movement of the horse, provides extraordinary benefits for all elements of the human body.

If you are facing with the dilemma if it is worth it to get yourself involved in this activity, you better check some facts about how horse riding affect on the human body and mind. Here is the quick view:

-Horse riding is an exercise that provides cardiovascular benefits. Although horse riding might look easy, an hour of this activity can burn similar number of calories as 30 minutes of jogging or bicycle ride.

-Riding provides muscle conditioning benefits. The explanation of how it works starts with the fact that the rider has to react on every horse's movement, in order to adopt the correct position in the saddle. This means the rider's muscles must contract and relax according to the horse movement. By doing that, every single muscle of the rider's body is toned and strengthened.

-Riding improves the concentration level. Starting from preparation of the horse for the ride to the dismounting the horse, you have to pay attention to every detail involved in this process. The most of all, you have to keep your concentration to enable synchronization of all your actions with the horse's movement.

-Improves self-discipline. The art of horseback riding or horse care is a great example of inter-species communication. Every single action of your behavior affects on the horse's behaviour. So, in order to be a good horse rider you must achieve high level of self-discipline by performing multiple activities like smooth and rhythmical breathing, overall calmness…and so on.

-Improves patience. Riding a horse requires learning a whole set of new skills, which require time and patience. Understanding the physiology of the horses as animals is a process, too. Therefore, with regular riding one can learn to be more patient, and that is a huge quality.

-It works as a stress releaser. During the horseback riding, you need to be aware of the entire practice and procedure. This and the enjoyment of the ride is something that would definitely take your mind off the everyday worries.

-Improves self-confidence. The idea of being capable to control an animal much bigger then you, will absolutely increase the self-confidence. Also, the fact that you're adding up a new skill to your repertoire, you'll have the feeling of bigger self-confidence. Even a win in some race of the horse games can increases your self-confidence a little.

These are just the elementary facts about the health benefits of horse riding. There is so much more about this topic. It can be discussed for hours and still there is more to say. I would say, if you got interested in riding, you can look for more information about the horse's basics, care of horses, about the places you can take your classes, things you'll need to know before getting on the horse etc… there are thousands of books and articles on the Web pages, which can offer you the needed information.