Get your Horse in Top Condition to Have a Top Performance

By Dana Hokana 

I remember when I went to work for my first show horse trainer and I was amazed to see that many of their horses were fat and soggy. Keeping them out of shape helped the trainers because they could get their horses tired quicker at the shows. We kept forty horses in training and I realize now that it takes a lot of time to get a horse in shape and keep a horse in shape. Having a conditioned horse wasn’t as important to many of the trainers back then as it is now. The shows weren’t quite as competitive or tough as they are now and I believe the training techniques weren’t as advanced. But to win at the major shows today your horse needs to be fit and conditioned. Just think about it, our performance horses these days are athletes. Performance horses shown at their best are performing a beautiful athletic event. Let’s help our horses to be their best by giving them our best!

Increase Your Horse’s Range

I feel that in today’s competitive world our show horses will move and perform better if they are in good physical shape. Muscles that are toned and conditioned have more strength and flexibility than tight unconditioned muscles.

The exercises that I do are done to not only condition my horses but to increase their range of motion. I specialize in western pleasure horses but these techniques will help in any discipline and any event. We want our pleasure horses to move like ballerinas but they need our help to keep them supple and flexible. Improving your horse’s movement will always make your horse look better and place higher. It will also make your horse like his job more. A horse that is tight and choppy and one that looks and feels uncomfortable could not be as happy as one that is conditioned and reaching and flowing! We find ourselves spending a lot of money on equipment, clothes, trailers, etc, our horses are expensive hobbies. I feel we need to invest the time in conditioning our horses and then maintaining their condition.

I am not a veterinarian, I am a horse trainer, so the exercises I give you are ones that I have grown to like through my own personal use. Ask your veterinarian for a more detailed fitness program.

I always start and finish my ride by walking my horse to warm up and cool down. This is so important. When your horse first comes out of the stall his muscles, tendons and ligaments are tight and cold. I know a top veterinarian once said you will have a lot less soundness problems if you walk your horse to warm up, before every work out. I always walk at least five minutes preferably ten for my warm up and also to cool my horse down when my work out is finished.

I will then start jogging or trotting for five to ten minutes. I will start in a slow jog, I take a hold of my horse’s face and push or drive with my legs to encourage collection in my horse. I start slow and encourage my horse to step and reach into a medium trot, I care more about roundness in their back and the length of their step than I do speed. I listen for their foot fall and most always their stride will start out short and choppy, I hold and drive until I get a longer flowing step. If you count with your horse’s two beat trot you can feel when the stride changes from a quick one-two to a slower one-two. On stiff horses this might take you ten to twenty minutes to get them to reach but if you do this in their daily work out it will get easier and easier for them. The next thing I look for is consistency. As the horse is strengthened he will be able to “lock in” as I call it and carry himself and stay with that reach. At the beginning you may only get a few consistent steps as your horse gets more conditioned you can hopefully get longer stretches of consistency. I will let my horse walk a moment in between stretches of trotting to catch their breath and cool down.

It is very important to watch your horses breathing, I am very mindful of my horse’s breathing while I ride. As you are conditioning your horse try not to work your horse when he is out of air. When your horse is breathing hard and running out of air he will not only dislike his job but he is also more prone to injuries. Let him walk a moment in between exercises to catch his air. Also in your ride you may find that sometimes his breathing changes and appears more labored or louder. Be mindful of this as I find some horses will change their breathing like this when a certain maneuver is very difficult for them.  Just pay attention to this and go slow at these times. Your horse will tell you when something is difficult for him. As his rider we are his coach and trainer but we also want to be very respectful of what he is capable of doing. It’s good to push your horse to a new level, just go slow. The next exercise I will do is to two track my horse at the trot. This is literally asking my horse to trot sideways. I will trot at a medium speed trot and ask my horse to trot from one corner of the arena on a diagonal line to the other. When you first start this you will find that your horse will probably lead off with his shoulder or his hip. My goal is that he trots evenly sideways taking equal steps with his front feet as his hind feet. This is important to know, because if he is leading off with his front feet he may need maintenance on his ribcage and hindquarters. He is probably either stiff or resistant to your leg. He may be dropping his shoulder so badly that his hindquarter cannot keep up. What ever the reason, it is important for you to know your goal or expectation. You want him to trot sideways while going slightly forward collected and with contact. Identify if he is trotting forward and sideways and is even with his steps front and rear. You don’t want him to rush off your leg or be too worried. It’s just part of the workout. Work on both sides equally unless one way is really stiff. Then you may need to spend a little more time on that side. You will trot from the left to the right moving off of your left leg and then from the right to the left moving off of your right leg.

Next I advance this exercise by paying attention to the reach my horse has with his inside front leg. When my horse is lifting and driving at his fullest I can see the inside front leg taking a full step and I can see him pointing his toe. When you can get control of his steps you will be thrilled with how much flatter he moves with his front leg.

Another important tip is to be sure you keep your horse well hydrated. Especially during these warm summer days ahead. Also make sure he is sweating properly for the amount of work he is doing. There is a very dangerous condition that causes a horse to be unable to sweat in response to work and/or body temperature increases, it is called anhydrosis. Anhydrosis can develop suddenly or slowly over a period of time, and is usually, but not always, seen in athletic horses. It is usually found in horses that are raised in cooler areas and then shipped south to regions that have high temperatures and high humidity. Being sure that your horse is well hydrated and even supplementing with electrolytes in the warmer months can possibly help to reduce the chance that your horse will suffer from this condition.
As I do work my horses with these exercises I try to be very mindful as I ride. I’m not just putting in my time going through the motions I am being intentional about looking for results. I want to feel more body control, lift and step. I want them soft and pliable and moving with more brilliance of movement and reach. Learn to ride mindful and you will be thrilled with your results. My training DVD Maximizing Your Western Pleasure Horse has many other exercises that you can continue on with after you have mastered these. Remember to pay attention to the details. Champions are made by paying attention to the details. Good luck and good riding.