Equine conditioning program

Other trainers will gallop their horses at near maximum event speed one time every five days. The common goal of high-speed conditioning is to increase the amount of training that stimulates anaerobic production of ATP without causing fatigue or overtraining. It is thought that conditioning at maximum event speed may overwork a horse; therefore, most trainers condition their horses at 70 to 85 percent maximum event speed. In England, horses work on a rotational conditioning schedule of hills and flat ground.

Using a treadmill with a 5 to 10 percent incline will also increase the anaerobic capacity of a horse without galloping at maximum speed. The physiological adaptations to high-speed conditioning include an increase in Type II muscle fibers.

Interval training is the use of multiple workouts on the same day separated by short rest periods. Limited research has shown that interval training may alter muscle fiber type, something that has not been shown to occur with strictly high-speed conditioning. Although certain types of exercises predominate at certain times throughout the year, it is important to note that all exercises do play a role through the year.

The amount they are used will vary, but they are all useful in contributing to the overall athletic development of the horse. Care must be taken to identify chronic fatigue issues early, and to reduce the workload until the body has recovered.

And there you have it, a quick blueprint for building a yearly training program. Every yearly plan needs to be customized to the horse based on age, gender, experience, goals, available facilities, and so on.

This document is meant to provide a starting point for planning, such that more complex topics e. Download a free Training Schedule template to get started. Tim Worden has worked as a sport scientist with numerous FEI-level show jumping riders. He has a PhD in biomechanics and specializes in applying human high-performance training techniques to horses.

Tim Worden. June 16, A correctly structured yearly training plan induces physiological adaptation and allows a horse to peak for important competitions. There are two main reasons for creating a yearly training program: During the day-to-day operations of a busy stable, it is easy to get caught up on the immediate issues, and to forget the overall goals and what needs to be done to achieve them. At the end of the year, it allows the trainer to reflect on what did and did not work in their program.

Conversely, for the months the horse did poorly, results will be at least partially explained by the training during that time assuming the poor performances were not medically related , and these training practices can be removed from future plans. Pin Share 2K. About the Author Dr. But nothing can beat having a good, experienced trainer right there to help you make wise judgment calls as you go along!

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Beyond the Saddle Podcast. The Jurga Report. Equine Disease Alerts. Some of the most important physical adaptations achieved by conditioning involve:. Respiratory System — increased oxygen uptake, decreased ventilation during exercise. Tendons and Ligaments — strength and quality may be affected. Bone — decreased bone turnover, increased quantity, quality, and geometry of bone in response to training.

Thermoregulation — involves cardiovascular system. A conditioning program should be specific to the event in order to train appropriately for the type of exercise in the event. For example, Thoroughbred trainers would not want to strictly use an aerobic conditioning program for their 3-year-old Thoroughbreds because racing is mostly an anaerobic event.

There are two general classes of conditioning programs: slow speed and high speed. Slow-speed long distance conditioning, or endurance training. Slow-speed long distance conditioning, or endurance training, is used in the first weeks of all conditioning programs and may include breaking.

This method usually proceeds fast exercise in some conditioning programs, such as racehorse training. It includes sessions of trotting and cantering at slow speeds for long distances to promote aerobic production of ATP adenosine triphosphate for energy. Trainers usually start the horses off slowly and gradually increase the distance at two-to-three week intervals. The total length of time a horse remains on this conditioning program varies with the type of event and can be anywhere from four to five weeks racehorses to nine months endurance horses.