Working Out At The Ranch

    Bypass the expensive, stinky gym and go straight to your local barn or horse ranch. This is where your workout can really be productive. You can help move 50# hay bales or clean out stalls and move wheelbarrow loads of manure to the compost pile.  When your done with your strength training, you can burn plenty of calories with the following activities:
   
     Horse grooming  -                burns* 405 calories per hour
     Ground training your horse-             454 calories per hour
     Walking undersaddle-                     190  calories per hour
     Trotting undersaddle -                     490  calories per hour
     Galloping undersaddle-                   604  calories per hour
     General horse activities-                  299  calories per hour
     Hiking out to catch a horse-            405 calories per hour

*all figures were based on a person weighing 150# and derived from "The Most Accurate Calorie Calculator" -  click on the calculator to see how many calories you will burn doing a variety of activites or to get the calorie count for your current weight.

      They claim fencing burns 405 calories per hour but I don't imagine they think of fencing the same as we think of fencing. However, at the ranch you can burn calories and strength train at the same time while helping to run new fence. Volunteer to help in the gardens and burn an average of 369 calories per hour. Not only can you get an excellent workout and burn calories but a trip to the ranch is a lot more fun than a stinky gym.