To learn more about the many health benefits of horseback riding, continue reading. Horseback riding is an isometric exercise that targets specific muscle groups and helps maintain strength. While riding, one's core muscles, such as obliques and abdominals, engage to balance on the horse's back. In addition to the core, muscles in the back, chest, inner thighs, and pelvis are also strengthened so that the rider can maintain proper posture.
Riding a horse involves performing various movements simultaneously to properly balance on and guide the horse. One's coordination--or ability to efficiently utilize different parts of the body at once--is improved as a result while horseback riding. Strong abdominal and lower back muscles are essential for maintaining good standing and sitting positioning. Horseback riding provides a great way to improve one's posture due to the core muscles it targets.
In addition to strengthening core muscles, horseback riding further helps improve posture due to the specific poses required to keep balance. But did you know that they also make us healthier? From the natural high feeling you get after a ride, to the surprising number of calories burned in a day at the barn, riding and working with horses has astounding impacts on our health.
Let's take a look at a few of the ways that horses are good for humans. One of the most surprising things that horses do for us is that they literally make us better people, by increasing our empathy. The science behind this is pretty amazing.
As humans, our feelings of empathy are linked to a brain chemical called oxytocin. Interaction with all animals increases our oxytocin levels, but this is particularly true of horses, because they're so dependent on our training.
As any riders know, working with a horse so they understand our verbal and physical cues isn't just a process of training your horse, it's a mutual process where you learn to understand each other. And that fills your brain with natural chemical goodness. Of course this isn't the only good chemical that your brain releases to say "good job" when you're done riding.
In the same way as runners experience a natural "high" after a run, riders experience a "riders high" thanks to the endorphin release that follows a ride. Anyone who's gone full wet-noodle at the end of a tough ride knows this, but it's surprising just how amazing riding is as a workout. In terms of cardiovascular and calorie burning benefits, riding at a canter does twice as much as going for a brisk walk. Oh, and it's also literally a full-body workout.
Many equestrians really fall in love with the sport when they need it most. Often, that's during or just before adolescence, a time when our self-esteem tends to be at its lowest. Riding, caring for horses, and the social environment provided by a barn has been shown to improve self-esteem significantly , and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. What do you think, do horses actually make us healthier? And did we miss any ways that horses improve our mental or physical health?
Let us know in the comments below or over on Facebook. This would make a great poster. The study commissioned by the American Youth Horse Council found that young people who learnt horsemanship skills showed better decision-making, thinking, communicating, goal-setting and problem-solving.
Say no more. In short, your typical horsewoman is not about to fluff around the edges. Horses like clear and unequivocal signals from their riders. This is all about leadership. This is not pie-in-the-sky stuff. Research in found that riders were a happy bunch. It was found that horse riding stimulated mainly positive psychological feelings. It transpires that horse riders are strongly motivated to take part in riding by the sense of wellbeing they gain from interacting with horses.
This important positive psychological interaction with an animal occurs in very few sports. So, in short, riding puts a smile on your dial. Horse-riding builds self-esteem in individuals. In fact, American research has shown that just five minutes of horse riding in the great outdoors can boost your mood and self esteem. A pleasant ride along a water way or beside the sea, amid shades of blue and green, is likely to be even more invigorating, the study reveals. Horse riding has become part of what is now known as a green prescription to achieve better health.
So, there you have it. The German Equestrian Federation commissioned this study to investigate what character elements shone through with horse riding. For comparison, the researchers surveyed non-riders who collectively met the same gender distribution, age and income bands of the riding group. Riders, it was found, were generally more determined, enthusiastic, structured and balanced than their non-riding counterparts.
They also showed greater leadership, were more assertive and competitive, and demonstrated greater resilience. This especially benefits young people. Written by Lewis Whitehall. I know, sacrilege!! OK…who pays for the house, insurance, cars, food, bills, retirement, vacation, clothes, gas?
Run away! Few horses are kept by themselves, so soon another beast will be taken care of. Maybe later coming inside stinking of the barn and trying to relax. Not going to happen with the horses needing care.
Graduated and got a job to afford the horse..
0コメント