A Horse Hiatus

Whether you are returning your horse to work after a winter break or recovering from an injury, or you are wanting to improve their fitness and increase workload, preparation is essential! Consider how your horse’s health and fitness will be maintained during the fitness regime and once the ideal level of fitness has been achieved.

A conditioning program’s growth should be such that fitness and strength improve in tandem with the development of technical skills. Once a horse has learned a technical talent, it tends to stick with them, albeit refinement may be required, whereas fitness must be maintained by frequent training. A horse that is not trained for more than one month loses cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, and bone, muscle, ligament, and tendon resilience. Strength regresses to pretraining levels after a few months. Before returning to full training and competition at their previous levels, these deficiencies must be corrected.

A professional polo player said, “When the horses have played all of the seasons, from September to April, a rest break is usually required. A three-month rest time is essential for the horses since it gets quite hot in the summers and the horses have been fatigued after competing for the past nine months. So, relaxation is essential for them to regain their strength, just like work requires a vacation once a year.” He also added that “Rest periods are essential for the horses to return to their peak performance and recover from any minor injuries sustained throughout the season’s competitions. Rest is also vital for the horse’s and the player’s minds and souls to refresh and relax”.

Things to be considered before developing a fitness program:

Level of fitness: Take into account both your horse’s and your own present fitness levels. Allow yourself time to heal, and if necessary, take gentler days or a few days off to allow yourself and your horse to rest.

Present condition: Any weight gain is likely to put pressure on joints, tendons, muscles, and the cardiovascular system, which should always be kept in mind while changing your horse’s workload. To keep track of your horse’s condition, fat score him before you start your fitness program.

Age and Experience: When dealing with a younger horse, consider how well-established they are in their work as well as their level of growth in terms of the exercises you offer through your fitness program. Excessive stress and strain on a young horse’s joints, bones, and muscles can lead to serious disorders later in life.

Length of time away from work: The longer your horse has been rested, the longer it will take to return them to the desired level of fitness.

The season: Be prepared for delays in your program as a result of weather, as this may affect facility access. If your horse has allergies or shakes his head, the time of year will be a crucial factor to consider when designing a fitness program.

Facilities: What is your aim for getting your horse fit? For example, do you want to complete a preliminary dressage test or a 10-mile leisure ride? Consider the resources you will require to do this, such as an arena or safe hacking for road work.

Rider Health and Fitness

To be a good horse companion, you must also be concerned with your own fitness. No matter what discipline or mounted activity you participate in, you must be able to maintain balance and follow the movement of your horse. The rider’s cardiovascular fitness is also important in this. If you become weary while riding, you will most likely begin to lose your balance. Riding off-balance and adjusting your weight distribution in the saddle on a regular basis might result in imprecise and inconsistent assistance. As a result, the horse may have to modify their job to accommodate the movement, which may raise the horse’s activity needs.

Questions to ask before starting the training:

• How much time has my horse been off from training?

• Did my horse have any health or soundness concerns prior to this rest period?

• Has my horse lost weight or muscle mass as a result of the break?

• Is my horse properly shod, vaccinated, and otherwise healthy?

After considering all these aspects, then you should plan a fitness program by consulting a trainer or veterinarian.

It is just as vital to give horses rest as it is to train them. Resuming training should be done correctly and with adequate ramifications, since each horse is unique, and a fitness program should be devised accordingly.