When It Comes to Calorie-Burning, Riding Scores Higher Than Sex But Lower Than Snow Shoeing

According to one very reputable source, Glamour magazine.

Horse riding is generally considered one of the least athletic sports. Some maintain it doesn’t even qualify as a sport. Like lawn bowling or darts, it’s a skilled hobby. And an expensive one at that.

Usually the people spouting these views have never actually sat upon a horse, which means—technically speaking—they don’t really matter. But that’s not a nice thing to point out. (To their face.) So, to put the debate to bed once and for all, we consulted the authority on beauty, health, and sex living—Glamour magazine. The goal: to find out how riding stacks up against more common physical activities.

Turns out, we didn’t do very well after all. According to Glamour’s calorie counter, 30 minutes of riding burns a paltry 123.83 calories. (Maybe horses are doing all the work.)

That’s almost half the calories of aerobics, snow shoeing, or WALKING UPHILL.

And less than a third of the calories spent playing squash.

In fact, the only activity horseback riding scored higher on in this highly scientific study is sex. Recent research from the University of Montreal, reports that men burn 100 calories in the average sex session, while women expend 69. (Apparently, women aren’t doing the work there either.)

The good news is grooming a horse for 20 minutes pushes the calorie burn up into squash territory, so says HealthStatus.com.

Somehow, I don’t think that’ll do much for riding’s sport status. However, it is one more reason to Go Riding!

Carley Sparks covers show jumping and related ridiculousness at getmyfix.org.

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