Reconditioning After Layup

Whether your horse has downtime for an injury or just a vacation, how you bring them back can dictate their eventual competitive success.

After any layup an athletic horse needs to be brought back to peak condition gradually. If time off was simply a vacation over winter, you can start the horse back into work at a lower level and increase the length or intensity of workouts but never both at the same time. You must also adjust the horse’s feed as needed to address present body condition as well as nutritional requirements for the change in work. If, however, the layoff was due to illness or injury, the horse might need a more careful return to fitness.

Let’s discuss various reasons why your horse may be on a break:

Simple Layoff

A horse that’s been in shape before can be brought back to fitness quicker and easier than a green horse. The process still requires a specific program for each horse’s abilities and how much and how soon to increase his work.

Some important considerations when reconditioning a horse are proper warm-up and cool-down, gradual increase in work and making sure the horse always has enough water during long workouts to prevent dehydration.

Warm-up may consist of brisk walking, alternating with a trot, or moving in circles to limber muscles and tendons. Five to 10 minutes of warm-up gets the heart rate elevated a little, increases circulation to muscles, and increases respiration rate in preparation for faster work. A warm-up increases oxygen intake for muscles, stretches the tendons, and stimulates natural lubrication of joints to prevent injuries.

Proper cool-down afterward can prevent muscle stiffness and other problems. A lot of horses do this themselves, -wandering around a pasture, drinking etc. if allowed. Do not put your horse straight from work into cross ties or a stall. A horse can be adequately cooled down at the end of a conditioning workout, however, if you drop to a slower speed before you end the workout. Horses that have been doing fast work can benefit from several minutes of trotting before they walk–since trotting keeps the blood circulating more–to bring overheated blood to the body surface for cooling.

Do not put a horse away if his heart rate is still in the 85 to 100 range.” (Normal resting heart rate is 36-44 beats per minute.) HR monitors can assist with monitoring this. If a horse is put away before he’s fully cooled out, he’ll generally break out in a sweat again, even if he was dry when you put him away.

To get a horse back into condition, consistent and regular workouts are a must. Be cautious not to overdo it. A horse kept in a stall needs more careful reconditioning than a horse at pasture that can self-exercise.

You need to learn to recognize when the horse is getting fatigued, conditioning is fairly easy; you just take it one step at a time–doing short, easy rides at first, and gradually increasing length and intensity. It will take a couple weeks of riding every day to make progress. As their conditioning improves you can progress with time and intensity.

A horse walker may be a great way of starting off your reconditioning program. The horse is free to move as he chooses. Sometimes they get frisky and bounce around, especially a horse that’s feeling good. When you put him in there to jog he may buck and play, but he won’t hurt himself since he’s not hung up by his head.

Getting the heart and lungs back in shape takes longer than the time required for muscles to adjust to a greater workload and more stress, and bones and joints take longest. Stay with easy, gentle terrain at first, then add more hill work after the horse starts to build fitness. Going up and down hills is one of the best tools for fitness conditioning; this works the body harder than speed work on the flat.

After Injury

The nutritional issue must be addressed along with the exercise program. The horse may need feet or teeth taken care of if he’s been at pasture for a while.

It’s important that the owner have a veterinarian examine the horse prior to reconditioning, especially if the horse is to come back from an injury. A chiropractic evaluation is essential at the beginning of a reconditioning program to make sure there are no underlying problems.

Owners’ goals with regards to the ultimate level of fitness, and time period is essential when creating a rehab program.

Swimming is a great way to build up the cardiovascular system slowly. Gradually increase the laps so that you don’t overexert him, but you want a good cardiovascular workout. Concurrently begin some groundwork to start putting legs back under the horse.

A couple weeks before the horse goes back, into work, start putting someone on his back, doing an easy workout on a gallop track. It is imperative to have an experienced rider do this so that they can tell if the horse is pushing off properly or not pushing off his hind legs or not using himself properly in the front end. Sometimes the horse is ‘choppy,’ and this is important for us to know because we might have to step backward a little and try to solve these problems. This may have been a problem that caused the horse to be laid off in the first place.

Sometimes there are other issues, as when a horse is overweight at the start of the program. If a horse is 200 pounds overweight, you can’t just starve him to take the weight off. The horse needs energy for the work he’s doing, and you have to slowly take his weight down as you gradually increase his workload. It might take 60 to 70 days to get the weight off and have the horse in peak condition. Make sure you work through this process under the supervision of a veterinarian.

Take-Home Message

Whether you gave your horse a short break during the “off” season, he got the whole winter at pasture, or he is recovering from an injury or surgery, the way he is reconditioned can be crucial to his progress in recovering to full athletic performance. Work closely with your veterinarian and other providers to ensure the horse is not encountering any physical problems, and that he is maintaining his weight appropriately during the reconditioning process.