If you’re like most Minnesotans, you have noticed that the days are getting shorter and the air is getting colder. It is a fact of life in the northern Midwest: Winter is fast approaching.
You have spent all year carefully building your horse’s fitness and training, and it seems inevitable that the progress you have made is about to be lost as you imagine the long months of being confined to an indoor arena – and that is if you are lucky. Do not despair. All is not lost: You just need to reinvent your winter workout routine. It is time to stop imagining endless circles and start planning.
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Remember that conditioning consists of combinations of slow work, speed work,strength and suppleness training, and discipline-specific exercise.While the type of work asked from a dressage horse differs signifi cantly from the work asked of a barrel racer,there are many similarities in training principles that can be capitalized upon in winter work. There are many benefi ts to using tools that are not eventspecifi c, such as underwater treadmill training. You can also incorporate exercises outside your discipline –such as ground poles and cross rails for a non-jumper or walk-and-trot work to build endurance in a barrel racer. Cross training like this helps to reduce the risk of injury, discourage boredom,and build fitness in various systems throughout the body.Other exercises under saddle include interval training and some careful speed work, if space allows..jpg)
But what can you do off the horse to help prepare for the next show season?Consider exercises such as stretching.Literature is widely available for horse owners to educate themselves on the benefits and methodology of stretching to build suppleness and strength. At the University of Minnesota Equine Center,we have experts who can show you the correct and most effective way to utilize these exercises for each horse. The Equine Center also has an underwater treadmill that is offered at an affordable price.The AquaPacer helps build strength and suppleness by encouraging the horse to work properly and over their back.
To monitor your horse’s fitness throughout the winter, consider monitoring his or her heart rate. Resting heart rate (RHR) and the time it takes a horse to return to their RHR after exertion are good indicators of cardiovascular fi tness. A diary or journal can be useful to monitor qualitative signs of fitness, while pictures give an objective look at the
horse’s musculature and any changes over time.
Another way to stay geared up for the next riding season is to keep yourself in shape! The same tools that keep your horse fit will help keep you fit; consider stretching, interval training,strength training, and speed work. Attending clinics and auditing lessons will help keep your knowledge base brushed up so you can get back to your former form as quickly as possible come spring.
It is diffi cult to completely avoid the winter doldrums,but hopefully you can find a few new areas of indoor fun and fi tness to explore with your horse. Mix things up in whatever space you have available, and take opportunities to ride outside if possible. Packed, non-icy snow is suitable for careful riding and offers a great A horse works out in the AquaPacer. change of pace.
Source : University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine