22/10/2025
Movement, exercise, training!!
I place those above in different categories
Movement is the key to a healthier horse but for me that means the ability to have the freedom to move if it so chooses, we can encourage this through the environment we place our horses in, i.e horses move horses, space to move in and not just walk it is the ability to move according to the horses emotional state of mind, if it gets spooked it has the room and ability to move away at whatever gait it deems necessary, a young horse may have a different need for speed than an older horse and why I have more than one horse and why I dont only choose a species appropriate companions but also a size, age, appropriate companions.
We may have to compromise the ability to move if say we are on a yard that brings horses in, yet we cannot compromise on both the stable and the turnout being small, for then we only compromise on the structures of the horses body and mind for it truly cannot act appropriately for how it feels in the moment.
We often talk of pain with spooky horses yet never the quality of the ability of being able to get away from what it perceives as a danger, we talk alot about the nervous system yet often horses never have the ability to move away so, we often very rarely talk about the state of mind of a horse that may lack the ability to move and keep up with its companions and often we see it within our micro herd system that sometimes those horses begin to be left a little on the outside.
So maybe your spooky horse when leading out from the stable has had a fright in the night and not reached the dial on the nervous system that kicks in the parasympathetic system after a heightened sympathetic state, (and why often being made to stand still is so hard for some horses yet we think they feel safe??)
We also have to ask the question are we the issue is the ask to much so simply the horse may not feel safe with the handler, reflection on our own actions may resolve something we thought was the horses issue.
Exercise can be achieved through appropriate turnout my horses are not ridden but can move 24/7 they have developed bodies for the purpose of well doing what horses do, their core engages every time they take a step, their backs are healthy through having the ability to utilise their whole body as one unit and the biggest most important aspect to the movement and exercise is they have no underlying issues which may present a problem in the enviroment i have provided because we must be willing to keep reflecting on that if issues arise.
Training for me has always been a change up in what I was going to ask of my horse, like the movement and exercise is the baseline that all horses need yet I no longer required them to just do what horses do I now wanted them to step into a different shape for whatever purpose I was asking of them.
Before training there was always the ask, is my horse fit enough and how am i going to begin to achieve fitness for the task ahead?? What training will I do for the job I was going to ask, does it require stamina or dexterity or both, do I need to work on my own fitness to be able to not be a hindrance to my horse.
Age, health, weight, temperament and personality all have to be taken into consideration.
Does my horse have any issues which may escalate or deescalate on the programme he is about to enter, do I need to adjust and keep adjusting the programme as their fitness begins to develope I.e do you want to still be doing week 1 by week 8, training will change as fitness increases
We can always begin with basics but if you are still at walk how do you know if the horse has the ability to do your ask at different gaits, we often only think of muscle yet the heart, lungs and other organs will perform differently at different gaits.
Where are you going to train, if you only stay in the school but your goal is cross country then the dexterity that developes as your horse moves over different terrain can never be achieved by a soft pliable surface that is encased by a fence
(Anybody who goes on a treadmill then thinks they are fit to go out cross country will know its alot harder out in the real world 😀)
Rehabbing is a whole other category on its own and each plan must always be individual because each horse will be unique in their ability for tolerance levels, recovery, and we already know by the time we get to that rehab stage we are often not just dealing with the diagnosis.
Throughout any of the above the most important part is checking in with your horse, is it improving
If you can only stay at walk or else everything falls apart, if you can not get back on because the old issues resurface, how is your horse has it become quiet, more aggressive, switched off then maybe we need to address our needs and what we think the horse can achieve our goalposts may not be in reach for the horse.
Stopping is not a bad thing because remember you are only stopping the training part they still can achieve movement and exercise with appropriate turnout, they may not move the same as its neighbour but the neighbouring horse should never be a comparable goal if your horse simply cannot do it
Anyway hope this helps xx
And yes I dont ride anymore but I know the horses body, I dont forget my training just because I choose not to ride but maybe in that I look at the horses ability a little more objectively and of course its only my opinion 😀
