Riding and Skating - Complimentary or Contradictory?

[ONskater74]

As I posted elsewhere, I've purchased a horse to get back into riding. I'm wondering how this might affect my skating muscles? When I rode before I did not skate, and now I'll be doing both. Does anyone else here ride regularly?
A lot of what I learned from riding has been applicable to figure skating, particularly the bending and flexing of the knee and ankle (if not the "keep your weight in your heels" bit) and the erect firm upper body with shoulders back and chest open. I guess time will tell how my body adjusts. I don't think the riding will work against my skating as a recreational skater.

[Landing~Lutzes]

Hi,
I am a rider also, I do hunter-jumpers and dressage. I have not found that riding effects my skating at all, although some of the falls I've taken have caused me to miss a skating lesson here and there! ;-) One thing I have found is that my knees tend to tire more on days I ride and then skate, but I have knee probems from years of ballet. I think the posting trot / jumping courses is what bothers my knees and tires them, and then all the knee bending in skating accentuates that...but that could be just me! ;-)
Congratulations on the new horse, I just had.to put my girl down :-( Hope you have tons of fun!! What kind of riding do you do?

[ONskater74]

At one time foxhunting. Hunter/jumper basically. Three years away from it I think will see me just hacking out on the trails once I'm secure in the ring. No fences for awhile till I see what my mare is made of. Big Perch/TB mare, black and just over 17hh . I took a few dressage lessons years ago.

[nicklaszlo]

I haven't ridden for a long time, but I'd speculate that riding would help correct the imbalance in upper leg muscles that skating tends to cause, reducing the risk of knee tracking issues.  It probably also strengthens the muscles that prevent popped jumps.

[Skittl1321]

At the low recreational skating level- it is unlikely ANY other activity would be contradictory.

[AgnesNitt]

At the low recreational skating level- it is unlikely ANY other activity would be contradictory.

This.

[sarahspins]

At the low recreational skating level- it is unlikely ANY other activity would be contradictory.

Yep, the only thing to really concern yourself with is injury, but you can injure yourself walking across the parking lot at the rink, so I wouldn't really worry too much