SERC Lothians

New Season upon us......

With the arrival of spring, many horses and ponies will be brought back into work after a winter of relative idleness, or complete rest. The purpose of this article is to outline a suitable fitness programme for the unfit horse, emphasising the need to follow a gradually progressive routine, to avoid undue stress or injury. Rider fitness is also considered, with some useful advice, and suggestions for an effective exercise regime.

Fitness For The Horse

 

Check list prior to starting the fitness programme: 

 

Contact the vet & arrange for any vaccinations, e.g. flu or tetanus that may be due. Ask advice on the most suitable wormer. Either the vet or a horse dentist should check the horse’s teeth.

 

Have the horse shod before roadwork commences.

 

Check out all tack and accessories. Make sure they are clean, repaired where necessary, and ready for use.

 

Apply surgical spirit to areas of soft skin, which need to be hardened, to avoid girth galls and saddle sores.

 

If the horse has a winter coat that you intend to clip, avoid clipping until after completion of the initial walking stage of the fitness programme when the coat will be needed for warmth.

 

Assess your feeding regime, making any changes gradually. Feed according to the work being done.

The Walk Phase

When starting fitness work remember the golden rule is to make haste slowly, and don’t be tempted to do too much too soon. The initial all-important period of slow conditioning, in walk, should never be rushed. Traditionally, in this country, horses have started their fitness programme with roadwork, where steady walking on firm ground will tone up muscles, tendons and ligaments, in preparation for the work to come. Heart and lung efficiency will also improve, as the work progresses. Protective knee boots are generally advisable for roadwork. Mature, experienced horses will need one to two weeks of walking, starting with half an hour daily, and gradually increasing to approximately one and a half hours daily. Over weight horses, youngsters, and horses recovering from injury, will require more time.

The Walk–Trot Phase

After the initial walk phase, trotting can be introduced. Start as usual at walk for about half an hour, and then introduce periods of steady trotting. Only trot slowly and for short periods on hard roads, to avoid the danger of concussive injury. Include two to four trots spaced out over the one to one and a half hours, gradually increasing the length of time spent in trot. The best way to increase fitness, at this stage, without increasing concussion is to introduce hill work, starting with gentle slopes, then building up gradually to steeper and longer ones. This type of work will make the horse physically stronger, develop greater efficiency of heart and lungs, and if the horse is worked in a correct outline it will also develop good topline muscles.

Introducing Canter Work 
& Short Schooling Sessions

When the walk/trot phase has been well established over a period of two to three weeks, canter work can be introduced gradually, keeping the canter steady, with the horse working in a good outline. With excitable horses it is a good idea to introduce early canter work in the confines of the school, rather than in open countryside. Short schooling sessions can be included at this stage preferably starting with a short hack to settle the horse and stimulate its circulation prior to schooling. An hour’s hack followed by about ten minutes in the school is ideal, gradually reducing the hacking and doing more schooling over the following two weeks. Schoolwork should not be too demanding at this stage, consisting of simple suppling exercises, mainly in walk and trot.

Introducing More Intensive Work  

By this stage the horse should be working from one to two and a half hours daily, with a regular rest day each week. As the work in the school gradually becomes more intensive these sessions will become shorter, with longer sessions of less demanding work. When the schoolwork has been built up over a period of one to two weeks, show jumping and cross-country practice can be introduced as necessary.

The horse will now be sufficiently fit for most purposes, although some more demanding disciplines will require a longer and more specialist regime. For example, a novice event horse will usually need 10 to12 weeks to prepare for its first event, and a more advanced eventer will need approximately 16 weeks.

Further points to consider throughout the programme:

Be aware of your horse’s respiratory rate, making sure its breathing quickly returns to normal after work. If not you are doing too much too soon. 

Check the horse’s legs for signs of heat or swelling, which would indicate that you had progressed to fast work too soon, or that you were over-feeding concentrates.

Keep the work as varied as possible to encourage the horse to enjoy its work, and to avoid boredom and lack of concentration.

Continue to turn your horse out whenever possible. Horses confined to a stable for long periods are likely to stiffen up, suffer from circulatory problems and develop stable vices.

Continually assess your feeding regime, in relation to the amount of work being done. The best guide is whether the horse looks and feels well. 

Lungeing is an excellent method of improving the horse’s level of fitness throughout the training programme, as well as adding variety to the work routine. Cold backed horses that are prone to bucking will also benefit from a period of lunge work before working under saddle. However lungeing is a fairly strenuous activity, more suitable for fit horses, and care must be taken not to overtax the unfit horse, when it is worked on the lunge.

Fitness For The Rider

Many riders are very good at looking after their horses; getting them fit and taking care to warm them up before work then cooling them down afterwards, but frequently they neglect to think about their own bodies. Regular riding and an active horsy life-style can be enough to maintain a reasonably good level of fitness. However, during the winter it’s all too easy to become unfit, and those forced into more sedentary lifestyles, perhaps desk-bound in offices, may find it difficult to maintain fitness levels. Working out in the gym under the supervision of a personal trainer, is ideal and increasingly popular, but it is also possible to prepare for riding by following a few simple guidelines and an exercise programme designed to work on specific muscle groups.

Check list prior to exercising: 

Anyone with health problems should check with their doctor or physiotherapist first.

Build up slowly and gradually.

Little and often is better than infrequent long exercise sessions.

Yoga based exercises that concentrate on gentle stretching and holding are especially good, being suitable for all ages and states of fitness.

Useful rider exercises:

Hold each pose for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat up to 10 times.

The Hamstring Stretch  

Cross one leg across the other and close together. Keep the front knee pressed straight against the back knee and bend forward from the hips.  

The Achilles Tendon Stretch

Stand on a small step and let your heels hang down until you feel the stretch. This can also be done one leg at a time to further increase the stretch.  

The Adductor Muscle Stretch

Stretch one leg straight out sideways then bend the other knee until you can feel a good stretch on the straight leg. Repeat with the other leg.  

The Back Flexion Stretch

Lie on your back and roll up like a ball by bending both knees up to the chest and holding the knees. Pull your knees towards you to stretch the lower back.  

The Quadriceps Stretch  

Stand with your weight equally distributed on both feet, bend the knee, take hold of one foot behind you and stretch. Repeat with the other leg.  

The Back Extension Stretch  

Lie on your stomach, arms bent close to your sides. With your hands on the floor just under your shoulders push up so that your arms are straight. Keep your pelvis on the floor so that your back is arched.