If your horse has been out of work, it might be for a variety of reasons; injury, time constraints, being on the back burner, etc. Whatever the reason is, when you begin to leg him back up after time off, don’t throw him into conditioning boot camp without properly preparing him for exercise. Here are 7 tips for legging up the out-of-shape horse.
Pro Tip: Before you begin a conditioning program, have your horse thoroughly evaluated by your veterinarian, and work with him or her to refine a program right for your particular horse. This is especially important if your horse is coming back from injury.
1. Know His Baseline
As you start to bring your horse back into condition, start by knowing his baseline vitals and health status. Does he have a preexisting condition that you need to be aware of? Should you be avoiding certain exercises, such as circling, to protect his joints? You can understand your horse’s baseline health status by observing him daily, knowing his normal respiratory rate, temperature, and behavior.
When you begin exercising your horse after time off, you’ll want to know his baseline health stats so you can determine if his reaction to exercise is normal exertion, or if there is a more concerning and underlying problem. Monitor these vital signs throughout the conditioning program, and get to know your horse’s new baseline health as he becomes more fit.
Find out what’s normal for your horse by checking his resting heart rate every morning for five days straight, then average those numbers. Note that a higher or lower rate than normal can indicate a health problem; if your horse’s resting heart rate is abnormally high or low (for him) call your veterinarian.
2. Make a Plan and Know Your Goals
What are your goals for conditioning your horse? Are you legging him up for spring trail riding? Or maybe you’re getting ready for the summer run of rodeos. Perhaps you just want him fit enough to trot down the road on a cool, fall evening. Your conditioning program and plan will look differently based on the goals you have with your horse.
If you’re a human trying to get in shape, your best bet is to follow a workout program that suits your needs. Someone that wants to run a 5K will have a different workout program compared to someone that is trying to crush their powerlifting goals. The same concept applies to your horse. Figure out your goals and come up with a conditioning program that will help your horse meet those goals while also suiting his current fitness level, and baseline health.
3. Scaffold the Intensity
Just like you wouldn’t want to start your exercise regime by running 10 miles the first day, your horse needs time to build up the intensity of his exercise. This rings especially true if he’s coming back from an injury, a senior, or is extremely overweight and out of shape. When you’re making your workout plan for your horse, steadily increase the intensity and length of the workouts, but give him plenty of time to adjust throughout.
Start with short, easy rides at a walk. Gradually add more miles at a walk, then add some trotting and loping/cantering. Ride in open country over natural terrain. At first, ride him every other day or every three days. After a few weeks, his body will start replacing fat with muscle. Once he’s in shape, take him on a longer ride once a week. Avoid overdoing his workouts, which can lead to mental burnout.
Before you push your horse hard, give him enough time to build up his internal systems. Note that his respiratory and cardiovascular systems will take longer than his muscles to get in shape. He’ll also need to develop a working mentality, in which he works steadily without wasting energy jigging or prancing.
Keep in mind that a green horse or one that’s never been highly conditioned will need a longer and more gradual conditioning program than a horse that’s been in shape before. Don’t expect your unfit horse to reach his top potential in one season. Another thing to consider here is the discipline you’re preparing your horse for. An endurance horse will need more stamina than a breakaway horse. Consider where to target your efforts, and don’t neglect working on flexibility, softness, and collection along the way.
If your horse is very soft, begin with a few days of short daily rides at the walk before you actually start conditioning. He might need as long as two months to regain fitness; the safest way is to start slowly, at a level or so below where you left off last year.
4. Mix It Up
Keep your horse from being bored or burning out by mixing up your workouts! Trotting circles around the arena every day is a great way to sour your horse to the arena. Mix up your exercises, and incorporate groundwork, obstacles, and riding inside and out of the arena.
Varying the type of surfaces you’re riding on is another great way to up the level of intensity in a workout. And also get your horse comfortable on his own feet. He might be a performance horse that is used to the arena, but taking him outside and letting him find his feet on different ground will not only help build muscle, but give him more mental stimulation.
If you’re prepping your horse for long, summer trail rides, don’t discount the effectiveness of riding hills. Hill work helps your horse build strength, lung capacity, and stamina by pitting his body weight against the force of gravity. The effort to climb makes his heart pump faster. And makes his lungs and muscles work harder than they do on flat ground. A horse conditioned on flat ground won’t have the necessary muscle strength to carry you over hills and will tire quickly. He’s also at risk for damaging his joints, tendons, and muscles, because he’s not accustomed to steep, uneven terrain.
5. Don’t Skip the Warm-Up and Cool Down
A key part of every workout for your horse should include a thorough warm-up and cool down. If you ride for an hour, consider breaking that up into three fairly even sections. Maybe you attribute 20 minutes to a warm-up, 20 minutes to training or the workout, and 20 minutes for a cool down. However you structure your workouts, skipping the warm-up and cool down can make your horse stiff, sore, and even cause injuries.
A proper warm-up includes lots of walking and trotting. You can also incorporate exercises here such as; flexing, sidepassing, turnarounds, backing, walking or trotting over ground poles, and moving off your feet. This is not only a good way to warm-up his physical body, but help him focus on you and the task at hand.
Give your horse about 10 to 30 minutes to cool down. The exact time he needs depends on the length and intensity of your ride, as well as his fitness level. Do progressively slower work on your way home. If you were galloping, trot for several minutes to keep the blood circulating. (Circulation brings overheated blood to the body surface where it cools and helps flush muscle waste.) Then bring him down to a walk until he stops sweating, dries off, and his chest feels cool.
6. Focus on Your Own Fitness
Working on your own balance, endurance, and fitness goals will be a benefit to your horse as well. Everyone’s fitness and health goals look unique to them, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. However, giving priority to your own health will not only allow you the stamina and endurance to keep up with your horse, but help you reach your equine goals as a team quicker. We ask a lot of our horses, and it’s only fair that we’re doing our part to be the best teammate we can be as well. This means prioritizing your health, mental well-being, and striving to be the best partner you can be for your horse.
7. Watch For Red Flags and Know When to Rest
If you can catch a problem early, and slow down or stop before your horse is in serious trouble, he’s more likely to recover quickly. But if he’s already seriously compromised before you end the ride, he can suffer further damage, which can be fatal. As you steadily increase the momentum and intensity of your workouts, keep a close eye on your horse to ensure he’s adjusting appropriately.
[READ: Is Your Horse Stiff? Find Out Why]
Be alert for early warning signs of problems, such as signs of fatigue, dehydration, and tying up. Note that fatigue at this level of conditioning is usually self-limiting. That is, your horse will be fine if you allow him to rest. Know when it’s time to end the workout, dismount, remove the saddle, and let him relax.
It’s also important to build in rest days. Your horse will function optimally both mentally and physically if you allow him a day off now and then. If you overdo, you’ll tear down his body tissues rather than building them up. He can also burn out mentally and start to resist. Time off helps him to return to work eager and happy. How much time off you give your horse depends on his stage of conditioning. And how much work he did on the previous ride. After a long ride, he’ll need time to repair damaged muscles.
