You do need however to keep on top of any injury, if an injury occurs , don’t ignore it deal with it. So that your body is not left to over compensate in other areas, putting your body out of synchronization and adopting “Pain Avoidance behaviour”, is not a good idea, after all you want to keep that fluid synergy between you and the horse
For different sports within riding you use your body differently, for instance if you were riding on a pony trek, or a afternoon leisurely exercise, this would still provide cardiovascular benefits, just an hour of horse riding can burn off more calories than jogging or riding a bike for 30 minutes, when you start to ride you will notice how your muscles will change and become in better condition.
There is a simple explanation for this, it is in the fact that as the rider you have to react to every movement of the horse by having to adapt to the correct position in the saddle, your muscles must contract and relax according to and in conjunction with the horse’s movement, in doing so, every single muscle of your body will naturally be toned and strengthened.
You will use your Transverse Abdominals muscles more, because of mounting and dismounting from the horse twisting and turning and bending and flexing, did you realise there are more than 29 muscles used in aiding core stability and you will use all of them, you will also use your Adductor’s when guiding the horse along with your TLF, ITB and your Glutes, that is a lot of muscle work on just what could be considered simple riding.
When you are doing Show jumping movements you will have to use more forward shoulder and neck movements, rise and fall movements using your Hamstrings down to your Soleus and Gastrocnemius, these are the muscles that can be very prone to tightness, regular Massage can help with keeping these muscles flexible.
As you grow in confidence with riding as you will, let’s face it, you will have to if you are going to be capable of having control of an animal that is bigger than yourself, the horse does need to feel your confidence for them to feel confident in you, remember it is a partnership.
You may want to get involved with some of the other sports on horseback such as Dressage or Show jumping, or you may like a faster pace and become part of in a team, you may take an interest in Polo.
This is a fast and invigorating sport, it is exhilarating and demands a lot of technique and flexibility, needing all your abilities, the muscles you will use a lot in Polo, will be your Core muscles.
There is no getting away from the fact that you have to work and keep all your muscles in shape, you will also find that you will build up your reaction times, you may not think it when you first start, but you will really become more mentally aware, of your surroundings, the game usually involves more manoeuvring and shorter plays, lower speeds and space limitations of an arena.
