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Training your horse is likely both enjoyable and rewarding for you—and ideally, it should be for your horse as well. But how do you know when you've trained just enough, and when you might be overtraining? You can gain some insights here. A key element is the number of breaks during training.
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A tired horse is much more susceptible to injuries than a horse that is fit and fresh. When a horse is tired, its fine motor skills are affected, making it more likely to stumble and fall. Muscles that support joints and tendons tire much faster, significantly increasing the risk of joint and tendon injuries when the horse is fatigued. Additionally, the muscles themselves are more prone to damage when the horse is tired. If we want strong and healthy horses that have longevity, it takes a long time to develop full strength in tendons, joints, and bones.
As a rider, it’s important to be aware of signs of fatigue in your horse. These signs can include an increased heart rate, faster breathing, reluctance to work, or difficulty concentrating, which can lead to stumbling. It’s essential to incorporate breaks into training sessions to allow the horse to recover and catch its breath. This applies not only to individual training sessions but also to the overall training plan.
For instance, try not to schedule two consecutive days of hard work. If your horse has worked hard on the first day, the second day should be lighter. After competitions, your horse will benefit from calm and relaxing activities, such as going for a walk or a gentle ride. On the other end of the spectrum, it's also wise to avoid giving multiple days off in a row, as this can increase the horse’s risk of developing tying-up syndrome. Additionally, it’s important to adjust the horse’s feed intake when it has downtime.
Breaks can be too long, so after extended breaks, training should be adjusted according to the horse’s current condition. Even after just a few days without work, a horse can lose some of its speed and coordination. After one to two weeks, a decline in fitness will become noticeable, and after a bit longer, muscle loss will start to occur. Following very long breaks, lasting months or even years, bones, joints, and tendons can begin to lose strength. Once a horse is in peak condition, it doesn't take much effort to maintain that level of fitness. This means a horse in top form requires less intense and less frequent training to stay fit.
You can strategically adjust your training regimen to peak in time for competitions. Between events, there is plenty of time for recovery, during which your horse can be trained less intensively until the next event.
Source: Veterinarian Kristina Johansen.
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