Meddleton Equine Hospital

GRADUALLY bring your horse back into work! Every horseperson knows to go slow. But what does that mean? "Taking it slow" varies considerably among trainers and riders. Bringing your horse back from an injury, or reconditioning, is a form of conditioning which is distinct from and must precede conditioning specific to your sport.

The severity of the injury, and consequently the length of time the horse has been laid up, is going to determine just how slowly and cautiously you need to proceed. Be sure the horse has sufficiently recovered from the injury. Ideally obtain Veterinary approval to go back to work. When you do start, be sure to watch for any pain, heat, or swelling in the affected area, or any sign of lameness. If any of these signs appear, you will need to back off. If they persist, you should have your Veterinarian reexamine your horse.

Bringing a horse back after a lay off involves strengthening of the cardiovascular and muscular systems as well as the supporting structures such as bone, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. With exercise, horse's cardiovascular and muscular systems respond quickly making significant changes in a few weeks. The supporting structures adapt to exercise much more slowly, however, taking many months to strengthen. You should keep your horse working within his cardiovascular capacity as you recondition him so he does not fatigue.

If fatigued, horses are prone to sloppy movements that can stress the supporting structures. Short layoffs of less than a month do not cause much loss of cardiovascular fitness. But even short layoffs can cause some loss of bone and ligament strength. Therefore, when bringing a horse back from an injury, it is always best to be cautious and progress slowly. A good rule of thumb is one month of reconditioning for each month off.

The specifications given here assume a prolonged period of inactivity such as you would expect after a bowed tendon, colic surgery, orthopedic surgery, etc. For layoffs of shorter duration use these guidelines to help you devise a more brief, but careful, period of reconditioning.

If your horse has been stall-rested for the duration of his layoff you may want to begin by turning him out into a small paddock, approximately 30-40 feet in diameter. Be sure the ground is level and the footing dry. If you suspect he might want to kick up his heels, consult your Veterinarian regarding the use of tranquilizers for the first few days. Provide lots of hay to keep him busy. Start with 1-2 hours of supervised turnout. If he remains quiet you can double the turnout time every few days. Once your horse has had enough turnout to begin working with him under saddle or, if necessary, on the longe-line, you can begin the process of reconditioning.

Ideally start your horse back to work with controlled exercise, i.e., under saddle. If your horse is too hot to ride initially, however, begin with longeing. The small circles of a longe-line workout put additional stress on tendons, ligaments, joints, etc. Therefore, your horse must not be allowed to get going too fast. To keep your horse under control and focused, work in a quiet, enclosed area; not a large open space. Round pens with a 40-50 foot diameter are helpful.

You should keep your horse on a line in the pen to minimize the risk of re-injury from running and bucking. If no round pen is available you can construct one out of hay bales to create a visual barrier and enhance control on the longe-line. In the first few days, longe your horse for only 20 minutes. Begin at the walk, and if necessary, hand walk him around the perimeter of the pen. Spend only three minutes at a time going in one direction. Once you get through the first week, hopefully your horse will be quiet enough to work under saddle.

• Day 1-3: Walk 10 min. Trot 2 min. Walk 2 min. Trot 2 min. Walk 5 min.
• Day 4-6: Walk 10 min. Trot 2-3 min. Walk 2 min. Trot 3-4 min. Walk 5 min.
• Day 7-9: Walk 10 min. Trot 3 min. Walk 2 min. Trot 5 min. Walk 5 min.

Once your horse is quiet enough to start reconditioning under saddle proceed as follows: For the first two weeks do road work at the walk and trot working long & low. For the following 2 weeks introduce light ring work. Your road work should progress as outlined below:

• Day 1: 30 minutes of active walking.
• Day 2-3: Walk 10 min. Trot 2-3 min. Walk 10 min.
• Day 4: Off.
• Day 5-6: Walk 10 min. Trot 2-3 min. Walk 5 min. Trot 2-3 min. Walk 10 min.
• Day 7: Off.
• Day 8-14: Begin and end with 10 min. of walking. Intersperse intervals of 2-3 min. of trot with 2-3 min. of walking to make a total workout of 40-45 minutes.
• Week 3: Increase trot work to 5 minute intervals.
• Week 4: Increase trot work to 8 minute intervals.

Consistency helps, especially with young horses and with hot horses. I usually recommend giving one day off for every 2-3 days working. Some horses, however, seem to do better, and work more safely if worked every day. Monitor closely for re-injury at every stage and after each increase in activity.

After 2 weeks of road work spend another 2 weeks doing light ring work for 2 days of the week and road work as previously described for 4 days of the week. A good plan is to begin the week with 2 days of road work, then take a day off (with paddock turnout), then 2 days of ring work, followed by another day off, then 2 more days of road work and so forth.

Your ring work should include an initial warm-up period of 20 minutes of forward movement, first at an active walk, then trot, and possibly a slow, easy canter to increase the blood supply to your horse's tissues and prepare him for his workout. Then incorporate suppling exercises into your workout to put your horse=s joints through their ranges of motion and to stretch corresponding muscles. This can be accomplished by working in gentle serpentines, circles, and leg yields, but nothing too stressful for the first month of reconditioning.

Repetitious ring work should be avoided, as it can cause fatigue and muscle strain. Maintaining a variety helps to work different muscle groups more evenly without fatigue. Always complete the workout with at least 10 minutes of a cool down walk.

Once you are past the first month of bringing your horse back after an injury, begin conditioning by gradually increasing the intensity and duration of your horse's workouts. After each increase in work stay at that level of exercise for at least 3 days to allow his body to adapt to the new demands. Expect to take another 2 to 6 months of conditioning to reach a level from which it is safe to begin rigorous training specific to your sport.