Dan's Papers - August 22, 2008

How do you get toned thighs and adductors, a tight stomach, and a fit bum? Ride a horse up and down a polo field for two straight hours, that's how. Horseback riding in general is a fantastic lower-body work out. Posting keeps your quadriceps and gluteus working as you trot down the pitch, but try hauling ass at 30 miles per hour, leaning fully extended swinging a mallet at the same time, it is one hell of a total body workout.

The proper position while riding requires a strong core. If you've ever taken a turn a little too tightly whiled driving a car, you have felt your stomach tense up in an attempt to keep you in your seat, try a sharp turn while sitting on top of a horse, without the comfort of a form-fitting leather bucket seat. Keeping on a horse requires a great deal strength. Your abdominal muscles stay at a constant state of stimulation, as your adductors cling to the girth of your horse.

As a rider, your balance is constantly being compromised while the horse turns, stops, rears up, and runs. The more you ride, the more your body will be aware of these movements, and the faster it will trigger reactionary measures to keep you on the horse. After your first day in the saddle you will fell aching in muscles you didn't even know existed. These are called the sartorial muscles, which run from the hip to the inner tibia and are the longest muscles in your body. Even though the horse is the one that is doing all the running, an hour riding can burn the same amount of calories as a half-hour jog.

Now add the upper body movements. Though your left arm stays rather stationary compared to your right, the constant control of the horse, and maintaining proper position creates a combination of isometric and anaerobic exercise for the left arm. The right arm, the one swinging the mallet, on the other hand, gets an intense workout and stretch. On a near side forehand shot the deltoids and biceps get the brunt of the workout, but as soon as you start making neck shots you start incorporating your chest muscles across your body and the body of the running horse.

On other levels, polo increases you eye hand coordination. Hitting a croquet ball from a standstill isn't exactly difficult, but extend the mallet's shaft, shrink the size of the head, climb six feet atop a horse, and try to hit it while in motion. The difficulty, in the beginning, will be obvious, but as you progress, your ability to make contact, and eventually control the direction of the ball, while controlling the horse, will reap benefits in other activities, such as tennis and golf, where movement and ball contact are crucial. In an intense match, your heart rate will spike as your adrenal glands kick in, which may sound like a bad thing, but tests have proven that people who momentarily push their hearts to higher rates for short periods stand a better chance of surviving a heart attack.

From a psychological aspect, playing on a team leads to a better understanding of one's self. You concentrate on the overall picture and no so much on the individual. Friendships arise, camaraderie's are founded, and the general happiness levels are higher than non-athletic persons. At the same time, while your teamwork skills will improve, as you progress in your learning process, many find a boost in self-confidence which resonates to other aspects of your life; your job, your family, etc.

If you want to further your workout, muck your own stalls. Sure you can hire someone to heave the manure and old straw from the floors, but this is a great opportunity to work out the lower back, legs, and arms. Grab the heaviest pitchfork you can find and go to town, heaving horse chestnuts into a wheelbarrow. Use the right form, bend at the knees, lift with the legs and arms, and keep aware of any strain you feel in your back. It's not exactly like shoveling cannon balls, but the repetition of this exercise over six stalls can lead to a weary back if done incorrectly.

With all these benefits, polo stands as an outstanding sport to keep you in shape for the summer. Sure there's a possibility you will get hit in the head with a mallet, or fall of the horse, but what is life without a little risk? Even if you're not about to pick up a mallet, just riding on a horse for an hour can offer you relaxation, exhilaration, and a better view of life.