If you think you have hit the gym to stay fit, think again. Country artist and true cowboy Trent Willmon says the best workouts just require a little horse sense.

“I had a job exercising racehorses for a couple of years, and I was in the absolute best physical shape of my life,” says Willmon. “I think a lot of horse activities, from starting colts to riding cutting horses, can be quite strenuous and can keep you in shape. Just the everyday maintenance of feeding, watering, cleaning stalls and riding will keep you in shape.”

Willmon should know. He worked as a ranch hand and a horse trainer before he hit the road as a country artist. He rode and roped on a regular basis until excessive touring and long stints away from home forced him to give up his horses. “I currently have no horses, and no time to tend to them if I did have them,” he says. “I sold my last horse a couple years ago. Occasionally, though, I do get to borrow a horse to rope or just ride. I have a few good friends who understand my predicament.”

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