As a horse gallops, the rider is subjected to an up and down motion that puts pressure on the spine. This repetitive stress can build up over time and result in spinal conditions like herniated discs, or osteoarthritis. Horseback riding can also lead to acute spinal injuries from a single accident.
Symptoms of Back Pain
Many horses will feel “disconnected” from front to back, or may have a short strided gait in general. Discomfort to grooming or pressure over the back. This should be interpreted with caution because some horses may simply be “thin skinned” and may not be experiencing significant back pain.
The majority of injuries in horseback riding occur to the head, trunk, and upper extremities. Predominant types of injury include head injury, fracture, and soft tissue injury. Head injury accounts for 50% of horse-related injuries leading to hospitalization.
Natalie says: “Riding physically strengthens the body, especially the core. It's a full body workout and helps to increase our balance and improves our posture. It's likely that your posture out of the saddle will improve the more regularly you ride.”
Low back pain is common among horseback riders. These are mostly the aches and pains of strained muscles from excessive riding or improper posture while on the horse. Controlling and riding a large animal like a horse requires the same strength and effort as is required for many other sports.
Horseback riding is physically demanding and can help you stay in shape. In fact, it is now considered moderate-intensity exercise after the 2011 publication of a study commissioned by the British Horse Society (BHS) to look at the physical health, psychological, and well-being benefits of recreational riding.
Deb Bennett, PhD, founder of the Equine Studies Institute and an expert in the biomechanics of horses, has advised that the “Total weight of rider plus tack must not exceed 250 lbs. There is no horse alive, of any breed, any build, anywhere, that can go more than a few minutes with more weight on its back than this.
Improves circulation and flexibility
Like many forms of exercise, horseback riding improves circulation. The rhythm of movement your body does while riding a horse promotes healthy circulation and stretches many of your muscles. This, in turn, improves flexibility and your range of motion.
Horse riding helps with:
Cardiovascular health - Horseback riding has been shown to be good aerobic exercise. Core strength - Maintaining good posture in the saddle ignites your core muscles. Muscle strength - Riding requires strength – so does saddling a horse, and carrying buckets of hay and water.
Riding a horse releases endorphins and other feel-good chemicals that make you feel good. If you're having fun (and we bet you will!), these euphoric chemicals will be released by the brain, reduce your stress, and make you feel better.
Recent research has shown that even subtle signs exhibited while ridden can reliably indicate the presence of pain in horses(4). Numerous studies have shown that pain may be misinterpreted by riders and trainers as the horse just 'behaving badly'.
Strengthen Your Core – Exercises that strengthen the abs, lower back, and glutes, can help you to maintain proper posture while riding. This will both help improve your riding ability and make it less likely for you to suffer an injury as your spine won't have to absorb as much of the impact.
It's OK to ride your horse every day, but not advisable to work your animal strenuously during each outing. Horses need recovery time after vigorous exercise, just like human athletes. Many people think the more you ride, the better, but often the opposite is true.
Some horses have physical conditions or diseases that require an early retirement. Other horses can be ridden late into their life without issues. As a general rule, most horses should stop being ridden between 20 to 25 years old. Any horse, no matter their age, still requires a decent amount of exercise.
Horses are herd animals, and they instinctively believe you are either a part of their herd or a threat. It would be best if you established dominance over your horse. Many horses accept humans but test them to check if they have the power or you.
If you want to ride in upper-level competitions, it's not uncommon for horses to get an intense training session 6 days a week. However, if you just want to keep your horse in a healthy physical condition, riding your horse three times a week for at least 20 minutes at a time can help maintain a good level of health.
As you're riding, you'll burn as many calories as you would by going to the gym or playing certain team sports (think football or netball). Even at walking speed, you can burn over 200 calories per hour on a horse, while if you get up to galloping you can burn up to 650 per hour.
All riders need to be flexible, balanced and have good core strength and stamina to be able to sit in the correct position and support themselves on the horse.
It can be tiring
A lot of physical and emotional strength is required to ride a horse and it will wear you out, especially if you are dedicating a lot of your time to the sport. If you lead a busy lifestyle, then you will need to take this into consideration before taking up horse riding properly.
Horses that are suffering from back or leg problems may experience some pain when being ridden. As horses age, they will also suffer from arthritis in the same way humans do. Young or small-sized horses can also experience pain from riders who are too heavy for them.
A study commissioned on behalf of the British Horse Society found that horseback riding is indeed a good cardiovascular workout. Even just a half hour of riding is considered “moderate exercise,” said BHS PR executive Megan Hawkins, “while trotting exerts more energy than playing badminton.” Core strength.
Unhealthy Posture – Hollow: When the horse braces and drops his back, his neck is up and his hindquarters trail behind. Instead of pushing with his hind legs, he pulls himself forward with his front legs. His movements are awkward, stiff and unbalanced.
One of the most frequently cited recommendations on matching horses and riders comes from the U.S. Cavalry Manual of Horse Management. It recommends that the rider and gear weigh no more than 20 percent of the horse's weight.
As a general guideline in the UK, a rider should weigh no more than 10% of the horse's bodyweight, but in the US, this limit is doubled to 20% of the horse's weight.
That's right, riding a horse supports core strength, which includes your abs, lower back, and obliques. In order to ride well, or comfortably, the rider must keep her core engaged, thus protecting the spine and keeping herself upright. Horseback riding requires as much patience as it does balance and coordination.