Developing your horse’s training to perform in a new discipline, or to achieve success at a show will take practice and time. Many training goals are best achieved with repetition, fitness programs, and drills. But sometimes our focus on these training goals means we lose sight of other important considerations which can lead to burn out.
Entering the arena every day to perform the same routine, and ending with returning your horse to their stall is not only unimaginative, but can take a toll on your horse mentally, and physically. Horses are intelligent beings, and are as susceptible to boredom as humans. Additionally the physical strain of repeating the same movements, and drills each day will likely lead to your horse’s muscles, tendons and ligaments not having the time they need to recover from the demands of the training session. These repetitive routines can leave your horse’s body without the time to repair, and rest which can lead to strains and even injury.
Many equestrians will combat the demands of training with stall rest, or days off, but could there be a better solution?
Active Rest; also known as Active Recovery, is an idea that is not new to human athletes, and can make an amazing addition to your horse’s training routines. The thought process behind Active Rest is to take time off from an athlete’s usual activities, but rather participate in a different activity which keeps the body moving, and often requires the use of different muscle groups and thought processes.
Incorporating Active Rest into your horse’s routine is rather easy, and can be achieved in a few ways. Here are our top three methods of avoiding burnout:
Cross-training is a great starting point and is the process of incorporating different types of activities in your horse’s exercise program. This style of training will not only keep your horse engaged mentally, help them develop a diverse set of skills, but will also help preserve his soundness and can even prevent strain and injury.
Change of scenery can mentally stimulate your horse, and provide new experiences and activity to their training regime. By going on a hack, schooling at another location, or even heading down to the beach your horse will be exposed to new sights, sounds, and smells along with new terrains, challenges, and activities. You can even incorporate a few minutes of training you would ordinarily be practicing at home, but remember these changes in scenery are about allowing your horse a change, and rest from daily routines.
Turnout is important to a horse’s mental, and physical wellbeing. Unlike stall rest which can lead to loss of fitness and can induce stiffness – turnout time is considered an Active Rest as horse’s have the ability to run, stretch, and play. A couple weeks of “Turnout Holiday” will not significantly reduce your horse’s fitness, and will allow them the time to relax, and be horses.
Massage is an art form that is often seen as a way to pamper your horse, or fix a problem – but it is so much more. Integrating massage as part of your weekly routine can help relax their muscles, lessen body aches, and provide mental relaxation while providing time for you and your horse to bond. To read more about the Horse Massage, and how to introduce it to your routine click here.