Rachel Moody, Livestock Educator, CCE Orange County
Looking out the window and still seeing snow makes it seem like spring is far away. However, March is now here, with longer days and warmer riding weather coming soon. Some people may have been able to ride all winter, but not everyone is so lucky. Preparing for spring riding means getting your equine friends in shape. Just like a person, animals need to get conditioned to meet the athleticism we want out of them. I am in no shape to do any jogging, or continuous exercise that does not involve a shovel, so I shouldn’t expect my horse to be either. Here are some things to consider and start working on with our horses as spring approaches.
The consensus is to start with hoof care. Ninety percent of all lameness issues arise from foot problems, so trim those toes! Also, discuss dietary needs, dental hygiene, routine deworming and vaccinations with your veterinarian.
Your horse may be just as excited and eager as you are to go for the first ride but that doesn’t mean that they are fit to do so! While you are waiting for the farrier and the vet, you can write up an exercise plan for your horse. A few things that come into play when deciding your conditioning plan are your horse’s age, what are you planning to do with your horse for the year, how physically fit was your horse prior to winter and its body condition score. You need to make sure you are planning accordingly with the horse’s diet as you increase the level of exercise.
Slow and easy is the key; asking too much too soon will result in injury. The biggest problems are the tissues that lack a good blood supply, tendons, ligaments and bone. It takes a lot longer for them to heal, or get back in shape. “To avoid over-stressing these structures, all changes in activity level should be gradual, and you must closely monitor the lower limbs for signs of pain, heat, and swelling” (Ray Geor, BVSc, PhD). The consensus for a conditioning program is at least six weeks of long, slow distance (LSD) aerobic exercise to build a base, or foundation, for any age horse and for any athletic discipline. The longer the horse has been out of practice, the longer it will take them to get back in shape properly.
Once your LSD (or endurance) conditioning has been established, then you can start pushing more cardiovascular work and focusing on your discipline. You still need to work slowly up to where you want your horse to be. For instance, for trail riding, just walk and don’t do such a long trail, then progressively add length and speed. Or, when jumping, only start out jumping once a week. When adding speed work such as running barrels, “start out with increasingly longer slow canter sets. The big mistake a lot of riders make when they think of “doing gallops” is to allow the horse to gallop in a long stride (which the horse likes to do)—this overloads the front end. If a horse becomes fatigued that way, there's a significantly higher risk of injury to his tendons and ligaments. You need to allow your horse's body to gain strength during slow work so he will not fatigue when you apply speed work.” (Chris Newton, DVM, of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY).
Now that you are beyond the foundation part of conditioning you may feel your horse is ready for anything, but resist the urge to ride every day or for too many miles in one session. Your horse may feel great as they work but they need time to rest and heal from the previous day’s work.
Now that you have written out your conditioning plan and your horse has “new” feet and his vet checkup, you are almost ready to ride. There are still a few things to take care of. One is to check your talk and equipment and make sure it is not dry rotted, cleaned and in good shape. You may consider oiling your leather pieces. Another is to check your saddle fit on your horse so it will not create back sores. We want a comfortable horse as much as we want a healthy horse. The last thing is you. If your horse has been on vacation for the winter that means your body has also had time off. You need to make sure you ease yourself back into the saddle as well, and prepare yourself for these workouts. Further and more specific information can be found on the websites listed under sources. Happy, healthy and safe riding!
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Last updated March 5, 2015