If you were ever doubtful about your hobby being something that gives you no other advantages aside from making you feel free, look awesome like a warrior and have a sore butt all day, then know that it actually has a lot of health benefits.
For one thing, it develops core strength.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to maintain a balance and a posture while riding on top of a beast running at miles per hour? That takes a lot of skill and practice. No wonder your core strength is way more impressive than the rest of us.
It improves coordination
You kind of have to learn this by force, since it needs coordination to know how to make your body lean the right way when the horse is going left or right. Also, it’s needed for when you want the horse to jump or go left and right.
Encourages trust
You can’t exactly get on top of a horse without trusting it, right? Fearing that it might throw you off or something and then get injured for it will make trust harder. You need to trust the horse. Trust develops easily after that.
Exercises the mind
You can’t let your mind turn off during this hobby. It’s an exercise of the body and mind. The way you communicate with your horse and then execute movements are getting stored into your brain, which makes it a habit you will learn in the end.
Develops problem solving
Directing your horse is part of a problem solving in and on itself. Doing it all the time gets you to train more in how you solve problems.
Increases socialisation
It’s one of the niche groups in sports, so making friends with people in the same niche as you is fun and exciting, also easy. You get to know so many people, whether it’s other riders, your instructor or even your horse.
Creates time to relax
If you’re ever stressed about something, riding a horse is one of the best things that takes you mind off some things. It’s kind of hard to think about anything else when you’re too busy trying not to fall off your horse.
Provides opportunities to compete
It IS a sport. If you want a friendly competition, then horse riding is one of the things that easily transitions you from friendly horse riding with a friend, or racing.
Increases muscle tone and strength
The strength lies in how you grip the horse with your thighs. Even if you aren’t riding a horse, you would tend to want other activities that are more physical in the stable, like grooming your horse, helping out the stalls and so on.
Improves mental state
Spending time with animals help improve your mental state in general, and horse are intelligent animals. Being with them all the time helps relax your mood and in turn, improves your mental state.
