Horse riding is a form of workout too

Horse riding, often seen as an activity to be enjoyed, is also a good way to stay in shape.

It provides a whole body workout, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

* Cardio workout: It gets your adrenalin pumping, your pulse raised and improves your metabolism. This means that it's good for burning fat. Just one hour of horse riding burns 650 calories.

* Tones muscles: Horse riding is great for toning your muscles. When riding, a rider's muscles relax and contract according to the horse's movement. Since you need to adapt to your body positioning using small and controlled movements, every single muscle of your body will become naturally strengthened and toned.

* Improves body balance and co-ordination: Horse riding requires good balance and co-ordination as the rider must listen and be aware of what the horse is doing, and adapt their own body movement accordingly. Therefore, the muscles and thought processes required to balance on the horse and to ride have been proven to significantly improve core strength, stability, posture and co-ordination.