![]() Unless you have been diligent over the winter months and have ridden your horse on a regular exercise regimen it is generally safe to say that some conditioning workouts are in order. Here are some simple steps to ensure you and your equine partner are ready to tackle the summer of 2016. Step One: Make sure your horse is healthy to start a conditioning regime. Check off all the veterinary necessities your horse needs for a healthy baseline. Vaccinations, de-wormer, teeth floating, and a regular check-up. Talk with your veterinarian about the training schedule you have in mind and get confirmation that your horse is physically ready for it. Be sure to talk about nutrition with your veterinarian and what increased dietary needs your horse may have with more activity. A ration balancer is always a plus to make sure your horse is getting proper micronutrients. As always, make sure your horse is seen regularly by your farrier and that your horse’s feet are prepared for the type of work and surface that you will be riding on if it is different from that during winter months. And call your favorite animal chiropractor to have your horse checked so his body and nervous system can function at its optimal level. *Insert shameless plug here.* Step Two: If your horse’s body shape has changed over the winter it may be a good idea to have your saddle fit checked (stay tuned for next month’s blog on Saddle Fit!). The angle and contours created by the panels of your saddle should match the contours of your horse’s back. ![]() Step Three: It’s time to ride! If your horse has had the winter off of work or was not worked consistently be sure to start with frequent, short workouts that are relatively low in intensity level. This will help prevent injury and will allow your horse to build both muscle and endurance. If your horse has had the winter off and is just starting back to work it is recommended to start with about 15 minutes of walking under saddle for the first week. The second week you can add trot work and it is recommended that you start with a 5-minute warm up including vigorous walking, followed by 8-10 minutes of “long and low” trot work or “long trotting”, and finish with a 5-minute cool down to start building muscular and cardiovascular endurance. If you don’t think your horse is quite ready for a full 10 minutes of trotting you can break up that time with a 1-2 minute walking session to let him catch his breath. Once your horse is comfortable with the 20 minute pace and is still fresh after riding you can slowly increase the length of each training period, but keep the same low-level intensity. “Slow” means increasing the workout by approximately 10 minutes each week. Remember, frequent but short workouts will best suit your horse. It is recommended to work your horse a minimum of three days per week in order to build fitness. It is also recommended that your horse have at least one day of rest per week for adequate rest and recovery time so his muscles can heal and rebuild. Remember to tailor each training session to the individual needs of the horse. It’s important to take into consideration your horse’s age, breed, previous level of fitness, specific discipline requirements, and any previous injuries. ![]() ![]() Step Four: It is imperative to monitor your horse along the way. Knowing your horse’s normal vital information such as heart rate, respiration rate, and temperature are key to proper management of your horse’s health. Once you know his normal vitals you can check them again at the end of your workout to see how long it takes to return to normal levels. This will give you an indication of your horse’s fitness level. ![]() You should now be ready to tackle your spring training sessions! Make sure YOU are ready to ride and compete as well. The winter can be slow and less active for riders too, so be kind to your body and get it ready properly for this increased workload. A healthy, fit, and balanced rider helps the horse perform better as well. Check out this article to help you get ready for riding. And as always if you have more questions or would like help with a certain aspect of the conditioning regimen please ask Dr. Kyla or Dr. Maya. We would love to help. Also, check out some helpful resources below! Additional links: |