Spring is here! With warmer weather, bright sunshine, and glorious days ahead it is an exciting time for equestrians. With many of us allowing our horses time off in the winter, or a less rigorous activity schedule, it is important to assess your horse’s fitness when getting ready to jump back in the saddle.
How do I score my horse’s current fitness?
It’s time to pull out the calendar and look back over the last 12 weeks! To achieve a decent baseline of fitness it is recommended that horses are in work 3 days out of the week, with each session lasting 45-60 minutes. After 4 weeks of no work, or limited work, a horse’s fitness will greatly decline. However, after 12 weeks without work a horse’s fitness will be at square one, and a fitness recovery plan is best put in place.
What is a fitness recovery plan?
The priority with a fitness recovery plan is to help your horse rebuild their stamina and stability by targeting their cardiovascular system and core muscles. When restarting your horse’s activity routine it is important to keep your exercise basic, limit early sessions to 35 minutes, and aim to provide a workout that targets your horse’s postural muscles through Calisthenics (read more about them here) while limiting the stress on their cardiovascular system. A recovery plan is best spread out over a 6-8 week period consisting of slow, controlled routines which are built upon each week.
Example of a fitness recovery plan:
Week 1-2: 2-3 Sessions 35 minutes each:
Flat work at an active walk with 5 minutes of calisthenics
Weeks 3-4: 3 Sessions 35 minutes each
Flat work at an active walk/trot with 5 minutes calisthenics
Weeks 5-6: 4 Sessions 35 minutes each
Flat work at an active walk/trot with 5 minutes calisthenics or schooling over ground poles.
Weeks 7-8: 4 Sessions 45 minutes each
Flat work at an active walk/trot/canter, begin introducing hill work, and ground poles a couple of times a week