Horses are amazing animals and have shared a close bond with humans throughout history. Horses were first domesticated around 3,000 BC, in what is currently Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Since then, they have been used for everything from farming to transportation to battle to entertainment.
While horses have always been considered useful and skilled animals, many people don’t realize that there are actual mental and physical benefits to riding them. This article will teach you all about the benefits of horseback riding.
Types of Horseback Riding
Before we get into the benefits of riding, you must understand that not all horseback riding is created equal. Doing a casual trail ride is going to be much different – and affect you differently – than doing a competitive discipline. The first distinction to make, therefore, is between competitive and non-competitive riding. Competitive horseback riding includes a wide variety of sports, and they can be broken into the following loose categories: racing, performance, and sporting.
Horse racing includes high-profile track racing like the Kentucky Derby as well as other forms of racing like barrel racing or cross-country (endurance). Performance sports are those like dressage, show jumping, reining, and cutting, where the technical movements of the horse and rider are more specifically judged. Sporting includes things like vaulting, hunting, and polo, where the rider is not only guiding the horse but also performing in a sport too.
Rodeo is another mention in the sporting category, and eventing, which is the popular Olympics equestrian event, is a triathlon of show jumping, cross country racing, and dressage.
While all of these activities can be done non-competitively, they require time, training, and specialized equipment in some cases. Most casual riders are not going to necessarily train their horses in barrel racing or show jumping, but there are many other ways to enjoy your horse and riding without doing it competitively. Trail riding, pleasure riding (hacking), and fox hunting are some of the most common non-competitive horseback riding forms.
Benefits Specific to Competitive Horseback Riding
Now that you know the difference between competitive and non-competitive horseback riding, let’s take a deeper look into how they affect the rider and their benefits. Competitive horseback riding offers many of the same personal benefits as other individual sports.
To start, it requires large amounts of personal discipline, and helps train that discipline in the rider as they work with and train their horse(s). It helps develop focus, perseverance, and resilience in the face of adversity throughout the training process.
Riding competitively also teaches a person how to win – and how to lose. Maintaining humility, recognizing your horse’s role in your victory, and winning graciously are all positive attributes that can be gained from winning competitions and events. On the flip side of that coin, you also learn how to keep your cool and lose with grace and class.
Adaptability and problem-solving skills can also be gained through competition. Forgot a piece of equipment? You’ll have to figure out how to get yours, use someone else’s, or go without. Messed up a part of your reining routine? You’re not in the position you would normally be in for the next part, but you can guide your horse there. Being able to troubleshoot on the fly is something that comes naturally with competition – and will serve you well in many areas of life.
General Benefits of Horseback Riding
Maybe you’re not a competitive rider, and you never plan to be. The good news is that there are still several benefits you can gain from horseback riding in general, which will improve both your mental and physical health.
1. Caring for Horses Teaches Responsibility
Horses are not low-maintenance creatures. They require daily care and upkeep, and taking on a horse is a huge responsibility. Even if you’re only horseback riding for a day, some places will have you first start by learning how to care for your horse. This teaches responsibility, and also encourages you to start bonding with that animal. Which brings us to the next point:
2. You Learn Compassion and Empathy
Horses are highly sensitive creatures that both pick up on and respond to the emotions of their riders and handlers. If you are nervous, anxious, or distracted, your horse might become more unsettled as well. If you are calm, warm, and patient, your horse will also respond to that. Through working with your horse and guiding them, whether on a gentle trail or in the course of training, you will start to learn their preferences, fears, pains, and stimulants. This will allow you to develop a strong bond full of compassion and empathy for these creatures.
3. Horses are Good for Mental Health
A study from the BHS found that 80% of surveyed horseback riders experienced positive emotions during the ride, and even afterwards. Horses are inspiring creatures that are full of personality, and interacting with them regularly conveys all the same mental health benefits as being with a companion animal like a cat or dog.
4. Horseback Riding is Good for Physical Health
You may think that horseback riding involves simply sitting in the saddle and giving your horse an occasional nudge or directive with the reins. While pleasure riding can certainly be relaxing, many people don’t realize that you are actually burning calories in the saddle.
This is because horseback riding requires the use of many different muscles. You build and maintain core strength by keeping yourself upright and centered in the saddle as you ride, which also improves your overall balance and body coordination. You also use your legs quite often, even during gentle rides, to help position yourself.
Even riding at a slow to moderate speed for a half hour has been classified as a “moderate exercise”, and this has cardiovascular health benefits as well as promoting muscle strength. The more intense the ride, like in racing and jumping, the more intense the workout. Some horseback riders may even be able to see a lower blood pressure over time as a result of regular riding.
In conclusion, there are many different ways to approach horseback riding from gentle and casual to intense and competitive. The benefits of riding transcend all of the different forms, however, and can provide physical and mental health benefits as well as instill positive character traits into riders of all ages.
