High Thigh Muscle Strength but Not Bone Mass in Young Horseback-Riding Females

Abstract. To evaluate whether the type of weight-bearing loading subjected to the skeleton during horseback-riding was associated with differences in bone mass and muscle strength of the thigh, we investigated bone mass and isokinetic muscle strength in 20 female horse riders (age 17.9 ± 0.6 years) who were riding 7.0 ± 3.4 hours/week, and 20 nonactive females (age 17.8 ± 1.1 years). The groups were matched according to age, weight, and height. Areal bone mineral density was measured in total body, head, lumbar spine, right femoral neck, Ward's triangle, and trochanter, the whole dominant and nondominant humerus, and in specific sites in the right femur diaphysis, distal femur, proximal tibia, and tibia diaphysis using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Isokinetic concentric and eccentric peak torque of the quadricep and hamstring muscles were measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. There were no significant differences in bone mass between the horseback riders and nonactives at any site measured. The horse riders were significantly (P < 0.05–0.01) stronger in concentric hamstrings strength at 90°/second and 225°/second and in eccentric quadricep and hamstring strength at 90°/second. Horseback riding in young females is associated with a high muscle strength of the thigh, but not with a high bone mass.