Counting steps?

[QuestionMark]

Very occasionally, I get interested in how many steps I am taking each day and look on the very basic “Health” app that came on my iPhone. Sometimes I get interested enough to try to shoot for 10,000 or 15,000 or whatever, but am never interested enough to, say, buy an app that tracks different kind of movement differently.

It never fails to crack me up when I check the count after I get back from a trail ride. Also, I usually just decide to count those as real steps, haha. I figure it’s not the SAME, but some things about riding are probably easier and some things are harder compared to walking.

Anyway, has anyone actually figured out whether your iPhone counts your riding steps accurately (or, like, double for each set of legs)?

[KBC]

The only thing I know, I clock up twice as many steps in a lesson than I do riding on my own.

[VodkaRedbullx2]

I think my horses bump my count about 4-6000 each ride depending on what I’m doing. Usually land around 30k a day with riding.

[Willesdon]

Research done by the BHS showed that trot work is “medium level” exercise and is harder work than cycling. ANY of the wearable health measuring devices are at their most accurate when one is sitting still (unless properly calibrated and under trained supervision) and phones are inaccurate but generally not so far out when comparing data with friends when out walking. So really the good thing is that people move to meet their personal target. Any exercise is better than none.

[FitToBeTied]

My wife used to get frustrated with her totals and the HR monitor of her watch. I kept trying to explain to her that it is all relative. If your watch records 5000 steps today and 7500 the next day then you know you have walked more as long as your activities are similar. The HR thing is the same. On my watch, resting is about 54 BPM. When I am on the treadmill it is about 110 BPM. When I am on the elliptical it is about 124 BPM. I know that if any of those are significantly higher than I am either getting sick or doing something more strenuous.

[Libby2563]

@QuestionMark

It never fails to crack me up when I check the count after I get back from a trail ride. Also, I usually just decide to count those as real steps, haha. I figure it’s not the SAME, but some things about riding are probably easier and some things are harder compared to walking.

This is a timely thread because my employer just started incentivizing steps and I was curious to see how my riding would factor in. I use my Apple Watch to track my rides as “equestrian sports workouts” so you wouldn’t think it would also count that time period as steps, but it does.

My co-workers are grumbling a little but I don’t see a way to manually subtract steps and anyway, like you I figure that a walk trail ride is easier than walking on your own feet but a working ride is harder, so it evens out. At least I’m not sitting at my desk kicking my feet or whatever.

[MunchingonHay]

Years and years ago, before trackers, I was told that 30 mins of riding equalled to 20 mins of jogging. Not sure if that is true, but it sounds good to me.

[Texarkana]

@Libby2563

@QuestionMark

It never fails to crack me up when I check the count after I get back from a trail ride. Also, I usually just decide to count those as real steps, haha. I figure it’s not the SAME, but some things about riding are probably easier and some things are harder compared to walking.

This is a timely thread because my employer just started incentivizing steps and I was curious to see how my riding would factor in. I use my Apple Watch to track my rides as “equestrian sports workouts” so you wouldn’t think it would also count that time period as steps, but it does.

My co-workers are grumbling a little but I don’t see a way to manually subtract steps and anyway, like you I figure that a walk trail ride is easier than walking on your own feet but a working ride is harder, so it evens out. At least I’m not sitting at my desk kicking my feet or whatever.

My employer has two “step challenges” a year. I kill those things.

But to account for people like us horse people, they don’t count total steps but rather how many days you get above 10,000 steps over a time period.

[QuestionMark]

That does sound good!

[Libby2563]

Well today I did an hourlong XC lesson in the heat and only have about 14,000 steps, so I don’t feel too bad. That was way more work than walking for an hour!

[usernameTaken]

A few of us went to a popular fancy fitness trainer’s program in a city nearby, part of the deal was to record all physical activity like steps or workouts done between sessions - but when the instructor saw riding, he scoffed and said no. He insisted we just sat on the horses, so it didn’t count, neither did stacking hay or barn chores, but walk around the block? Yes, of course, that was actual exercise, so that counted. Mind you some of the group rode daily and were conditioning for a busy eventing season. Pretty sure he had never picked up a bale of hay or rode a horse, but he did consistently underestimate our strength and stamina. (Which we didn’t get from walking around the block. lol)

[QuestionMark]

STACKING HAY didn’t count?? lol forever, that tells me everything I need to know about that guy.

[S1969]

I definitely would have invited him to the barn for a ride. I get not “counting steps” while riding; it’s just not accurate and might throw off a competition. But not counting riding as exercise? That’s ridiculous. He would definitely have qualified for a free lunge lesson.

[RJC]

And posting with no stirrups in that lunge lesson!