Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Health Benefits of Intense Horse Back Riding: A Case Study



I am fifty six years old and an experienced rider. My riding is primarily on lumber roads and trails through the woods. Beginning January 1 of 2016 I kept close records of my riding distances in order to compare the results of my blood work from my annual physical to the previous year in which I was riding but not intensely.

Riding for the past two months has been at a high level--much higher than the average recreational rider. During the months of January and February I rode 365.94 miles, the vast majority trotting or cantering. Weather permitting, I sought to do a fast five or six miles each morning before going to the office and on the weekends put in many more miles, but at a slower pace.

Here are the results:

Weight: loss six pounds

Overall Cholesterol increase of 7% (from 150 to 161)
Good Cholesterol increase of 12%(from 41 to 46)
Bad Cholesterol Decrease of 9% (from 111 to 101)

Triglycerides Decrease of 51% (from 142 to 70)

That is after just under two months of hard riding (I also did some Tabata Protocol for three of these weeks)

These are some pretty good reasons to go enjoy your horse more.

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