Horse Fix Conditioning Program©
Developed by Angela Lea
Here follows my equine conditioning program ideas 🐴From my experience the longer and more consistently the rider takes getting a horse fit the better the long term outcomes for the steed and thus the partnership.
Here follows my recommendations which have been tried and tested successfully on numerous all year round fit horses - from a pony club mount to elite performance horses. It is important not to turn horses out once they are fit. So many 'fair weather riders' use weather permitting as an excuse in Oz. Aussie riders have no excuses to not ride during winter - we live in a mild climate and drizabones and headlamps exist!
With the resuming work in Spring mentality, riders put their horses at risk of reconditioning vulnerability. The theory behind the Horse Fix training program is that consistency is key. Slow introduction of work, which is then maintained by identical training, week in, week out. Identical training is safe and enables adaptation without risky changes in the program.
What I'm about to recommend can be tweaked according to:
1. How much work the horse has done with a trainer.
2. The horse's muscle memory.
3. The balance and fitness of the rider.
Start with an every 2nd day ridden and every other day hand walking program. Consider what a horse would do in the wild..... mainly long slow work over undulating terrain.
1st week:
Day 1/3/5/7 - 15 minutes straight line walk, flat terrain, under saddle.
Day 2/4/6 - 30 minute hand walk, any terrain. Wear leather gloves if you go off property!
2nd week:
Day 1/3/5/7 - 25 minutes straight line walk, flat terrain, under saddle.
Day 2/4/6 - 40 minute hand walk, any terrain.
3rd week:
Day 1/3/5/7 - 35 minutes straight line walk, flat terrain, under saddle.
Day 2/4/6 - 50 minute hand walk, any terrain.
4th week:
Day 1/3/5/7 - 45 minutes straight line walk, flat terrain, under saddle.
Day 2/4/6 - 60 minute hand walk, any terrain.
5th week:
Day 1/3/5/7 - 45 minutes straight line walk and trot, flat terrain, under saddle. Walk/trot - start trotting 100m initially, 300m walk.
Day 2/4/6 - Keep up any hand walking, any terrain and/or begin lunging. Lunging shouldn't be any longer than 5 minutes on each rein in the first week. You can increase it gradually as the weeks go on.
6th-8th week: increase duration of trot, not speed, 100m to 200m then walk.
Till the horse is going for 2 months avoid back to back ridden days.
Month 3-5 avoid canter on green/young horses. Wait till the horse is balanced under saddle at walk/trot prior to introducing canter work. Do transitions within the trot, halt trot transitions et cetera, instead of canter.
Copyright © 2020 Horse Fix - All Rights Reserved.