Comments on: Spring Conditioning for Every Horse

By: Briana

Briana — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:54:15 +0000

Thank you for the tips

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:44:00 +0000

Very helpful,especially for the senior horse.

By: Galadriel

Galadriel — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 23:09:12 +0000

My horses don’t get a break for winter. Poor things…

By: a

Thu, 27 Feb 2014 11:24:38 +0000

Jan, here’s what the article said to answer your question: ” This horse will be easy to bring back to steady work as long as you take a little time to let him get his feet under him again while you leg him back up. You can probably accomplish this with 4-5 days of easy riding each week at walk, trot and some canter over a 3-4 week period, with gradually increasing demands on his output.
A safe approach asks your horse for incremental increases in length or difficulty on about an every five-day cycle. This gives his body time to accommodate the new intensity before moving to the next level of effort. As you build his conditioning, increase either duration of time in the saddle or speed, but never both at the same time. Following each workout, monitor his legs for signs of stress, such as lameness, swelling or pain.”

By: Jan

Jan — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 09:34:41 +0000

This is good information for youngsters and senior horses, but what about middle age horses? Like humans, horses approach middle age differently. What is the best way to get our horses (age 14-18) in shape? Thank you.