Can I lose my virginity if I ride a horse?

Many riders ask this question quietly, often feeling embarrassed for even wondering. I did too.

Horse riding involves pressure, movement, and friction in an intimate area, so it’s normal to worry about what that means for your body (especially if you’ve never had penetrative sex).

As a rider, and as someone who grew up spending hours in the saddle, I want to answer this honestly, without myths, fear, or shame — and with riders specifically in mind.

Can we imagine a mother or father who forbids her daughter to ride horses for fear that the saddle or the impact will make her lose her virginity? It certainly seems strange to think about these recommendations, however, there are myths about it, so much so that even a religious group - in the voice of Ayatollah Khamenei, the top leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran - has recently prohibited the use of bicycles by its young women for considering that this “demonic” object makes them lose their precious purity.

The concept of virginity no longer has the recommendations or prohibitions of yesteryear, at least in these parts of the West. It is the young women who can decide to have sexual relations according to their wishes. And I say having sexual relations and not "losing virginity" because that should be the concept: living sexuality with another, and not complying with a rigid and patriarchal precept that still represents, an "act of initiation".

For riders who experience frequent pressure or irritation, reducing friction and protecting sensitive areas can make a big difference in long sessions.

Hymens can be worn down during everyday activities, a flexible, fimbriated hymen could, in theory, be worn down potentially just by walking in a certain way.

What often creates confusion is that riding can stretch or put pressure on the hymen area, especially during long sessions or intense training. As riders, we’re taught to normalize discomfort (sore legs, pressure, friction) without always questioning what’s happening in our bodies.

That’s why many young riders worry they’ve “done something wrong”, when in reality, their body is simply responding to sport-related movement, not sexual activity.

Anything that exerts pressure on your crotch in a certain way can cause the hymen to become thinner. That is to say that the hymen isn’t a tissue that’s only prone to be damaged by sexual activities. Some females can be born without hymens while others can have hymens that don’t properly cover the vaginal opening. The sexual activity would not damage the such hymen

Anyway, in any reasonable society, the loss of virginity is associated with the initiation of sexual activity. It isn’t the breaking of the hymen that’s supposed to constitute the loss of virginity.

You may also find interesting... No Taboo: 7 common equestrian intimate health issues

Last updated: 2026