Riding

Riding is a aerobic exercise and develops muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory fitness. There are different types of horse riding, some of which make greater demands on your body than others.

When your mount is walking, your leg muscles, particularly your calves, are constantly active as you make contact with its girth and nudge it along with the back of your ankles. As you go into a trot, your leg muscles continue to grip the horse's girth but now your body is faced with the additional challenge of rising from the knees in your seat - up, down, up, down, repeatedly, using your calves and knees as you push off from the saddle. Once you are into a canter, you no longer rise in the saddle, but your leg grip needs to be powerful if you are to stay astride.

FACTFILE

Calories burnt per minute: 2.9-8.7

Benefits: good for muscular endurance in the legs and stimulates cardio respiratory fitness

Complementary exercises: swimming aerobics

You need: safety helmet, riding boots, riding gloves (rubber-coated string gloves), especially in the rain as wet reins are difficult to grip

PRE-RIDING EXERCISES FOR EXTRA SUPPLENESS AND POWER

Lean forward over the horse's neck to touch your left toe with your right hand. Now repeat the process on the other side. Continue until you feel limbered up.

With arms outstretched, and head up and slightly back, turn around as far as possible, twisting your upper body from the hips. This is designed to increase the suppleness of your back and waist.

In order to loosen up your back muscles, fold your arms over your chest and lean right back on to the horse's quarters, with your legs remaining in the normal riding position.

Buying and owning a horse can be very expensive but you can hire them quite easily. Once you have learned to ride, the options are unlimited:

Hacking out once or twice a week with a riding school (trotting, cantering, galloping and jumping in a variety of terrains)

Show jumping (taking the horse over a series of different types of jumps in competition)

Dressage (taking the horse through a series of specific and carefully controlled manoeuvres)

Cross-country trials (timed competitions over set courses with a number of different styles of jump)

Riding holidays in which you trek several miles a day (a good introduction to horse riding for beginners)

Mountain-trail riding of a group trek along a trail in mountainous countryside)

It is best to learn to ride with a qualified instructor.. The cost of riding will vary from area to area., whereas hacking in a group, for example, will be less costly. You should always, without exception, wear a safety hat.