Equine conditioning

How long does it take to get a horse "legged up" after "time off"?

62% report 3 months, 35% need two months and 2% say it takes 4 weeks to be legged up.

Chances are good that they all could be right- and if you read some of the comments, you'll see why... There were some key facts left out of the question, but there were also a couple of hints... "after taking the winter off" and "ready to compete" are important, but still don't give us everything we need to know.

When getting my own personal horses ready to run again, I would generally say 3 months to be ready to take to a jackpot and cruise an easy pattern after taking 3-4 months off, considering they were in excellent condition when turned out in a large pen or pasture. However, a horse who's first run back will be a winter pro rodeo, or a horse coming back after extensive time off or injury may need more time than that.

There are SO many factors to consider and there is no "one size fits all". The point of Tip Tuesday is to spark discussion and get us thinking about what is best for each horse as an individual.

For our purposes, we will assume that your horse was in good shape prior to planned time off for a few months over the winter. This post is for educational purposes only **ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR VET** for recommendations specific to your horse(s)!

Things to consider...

1. What is my goal with my horse(s) for the upcoming season?

2. Where am I now?

3. How do I get from 2 to 1? Map it out!

4. What is my timeframe? Don't pull your horse out of the pasture two weeks before the first rodeo. EVER- and especially when your goal is to make the association's' finals... I could fill four pages with research showing how detrimental that is for your horse, but you'll have to trust me on that.

Mapping out your plan:

1. How much time has the horse been off? The longer the horse has been off, the longer it takes to return to condition.

2. Current level of performance- if you're loping your horse through patterns or pen roping steers for practice, you'll probably be ready to "compete" in less time than your friend who's first event is a Circuit Rodeo. The young horse going on short trail rides will be ready to haul before my sister's ranch horse who needs to cover 6 sections of rugged pasture in the Badlands.

3. Horse's age and history of injury. Older horses require more time to get in shape due to decreased elasticity in soft tissues. Prior injuries require longer periods of low intensity activity to build the strength necessary to compete and to decrease risk of reinjury.

4. Turnout area- one of the biggest factors in speed of conditioning and predicting risk of injury for performance horses is turnout! Horses that get 12-24 hours of natural movement are less likely to sustain injury during training.

Your spring conditioning program is probably the single most important predictor of success (again, in horses without preexisting conditions). Nutrition, balance of rider, and expert farrier work are also incredibly important, but topics for another week...

1. Don't forget to walk!! Extensive walking to warm up and cool down have been proven to increase blood flow to the lower leg and hoof which is essential to strengthen soft tissues and decreasing risk of injury.

2. Build up TIME BEFORE SPEED- when your horse is walking several miles without difficulty and recovering quickly once done, add a couple of minutes of trotting as tolerated until they're ready to add loping. (Be sure to alternate posting your diagonals at the trot to keep your horse balanced).

3. Discipline specific conditioning- I am a HUGE fan of straight-line long trotting, but eventually we need to break down the mechanics of the actions we are expecting our horses to complete and strengthen those muscles, tendons and ligaments for optimal performance and decreased risk of injury.

4. Evidence based, FDA approved therapeutics performed by trained, educated, certified professionals can speed conditioning, increase soft tissue elasticity, decrease risk of injury, and improve recovery.

Email PresenceOT@gmail.com with any questions regarding your customized conditioning program!