They seem so unrelated at a glance. Horse riding takes place in big, open spaces. You move quickly, and always thanks to the physical gifts of another animal. Volleyball, on the other hand, is confined. The court is small. Your section of it is even smaller.
Every motion you make is, naturally enough, the direct product of your own effort. No mounts are doing the heavy lifting in this sport.
While volleyball and horseback riding may seem unrelated, they involve many of the same skills and abilities. Hand-eye coordination. Core strength.
By focusing on the right things, you can use horse riding as a way to strengthen your volleyball game and improve your overall health. How? Let’s get into it.
For Happiness, Just Add Horses
Once you begin to interact with horses, you won’t want to stop. You’ll start with the occasional ride. Before you know it, you’ll be checking the horse racing odds and hosting Kentucky Derby parties.
Many people assume that horseback riding is only for the wealthy. While it is true that these experiences can be costly, they also don’t require yacht money. Look for stables with affordable riding packages in your area. You may be surprised by what you find.
More to the point, think about your riding experiences as more than just a splurge. This activity provides a unique blend of physical and emotional benefits that would be hard to find anywhere else. That’s got to be worth something, right?
Weight Regulation
While your weight is not necessarily a factor that will determine the quality of your volleyball game in its own right, it can influence your overall athleticism. People who ride horses regularly burn a surprising amount of calories—to the tune of 200-500 per hour. This is because your muscles are constantly working.
Horseback riding engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously as you maintain balance and control the horse. Even at a walking pace, your body is making continuous micro-adjustments to stay centered in the saddle. As pace increases to trotting or cantering, the caloric burn intensifies significantly.
The physical demands of riding vary based on the discipline. Jumping and cross-country riding typically burn more calories than dressage or trail riding, though all forms provide meaningful exercise. Regular riders often develop lean muscle mass rather than bulk, creating a physique that’s well-suited to the sport.
Core Strength
Possibly one of the biggest benefits of horseback riding as it relates to volleyball is that it is an excellent way to build core strength. All of the muscles you use to stay on and control your mount are also used in typical volleyball actions.
Of course, you can develop these muscle groups in the gym. However, horseback riding gives the chance to do it in a more dynamic way.
That has several benefits. For one thing, your muscles are being developed in a way that more closely reflects the way you will be using them. In a gym setting, you will often use machines that are extremely repetitive.
This can have benefits. Consistency. The certainty that you are working out the right way. It is also limiting. Volleyball motions are not static. They change based on the situation. Your workout should at least in some ways reflect this.
Horseback riding is also just a lot of fun. You need that in your workouts, sometimes. Where spending two hours in the gym will often feel like a chore, two hours on a horse is a true treat.
Balance
Balance is another important component of both sports. In volleyball, it centers you, giving you the ability to maximize the efficiency of your movements and approach each shot with stability and confidence.
In horseback riding, it saves your life.
It’s not really hard to imagine how riding can help you develop this trait. It’s a constant component of the effort. Your improved core strength will factor here, giving you the muscle groups required for consistent stability.
Mental Health and Clarity
Horseback riding can also just add balance to your routine. Getting outside, experiencing nature, connecting with animals—these are all activities that literally reduce cortisol in your brain. Cortisol and adrenaline are stress chemicals. Your body uses them as a way of recognizing and responding to danger.
However, they can accumulate in your body, creating unease, inflammation, and exhaustion. All experiences that can reduce your quality of life and hurt you on the court.
Horseback riding provides a rare intersection of several activities that are very effective at reducing stress at the biological level. Experience the great outdoors, get exercise, and physically interact with an animal all while doing one activity.
In terms of stress reduction, you won’t get much more bang for your buck than that.
