Evaluation of energy expenditure in athletes practising horseback riding

The aim of this work was to evaluate the energy expenditure in healthy subjects practising horseback riding. The records were obtained using the “Actiheart” which is a metabolic Holter. The Actiheart clips onto a single standard ECG electrode with a short ECG lead to another electrode that picks up the ECG signal. It is normally worn on the upper or lower chest, this device allows physical activity to be correlated with heart  rate (HR) and energy expenditure (MET) to be calculated from both [1-2]. We analysed 14 subjects of both sexes. Subjects were divided into two groups: “adults” with an age ranging from 21 to 55 years and  “children” ranging from 15 to 16 years. We consider, for each subject, a training session of about one hour in which were practised “step” “trot” and “gallop”. Results allowed us to evaluate the energy expenditure resulting from the practice of this sport by young or older subjects. Collected data were also compared with similar data reported in the literature [3-4].