09/25/2025
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞
Asking a horse to run barrels after a layoff is like asking a couch potato to sprint a marathon. It is not just about being “fresh” it's about tissues, lungs, and joints being ready to handle the stress.
Horses lose condition fast, and how long it takes to get them back depends on two key things:
1. How long they’ve been off – A horse off a couple weeks might need a light tune-up. A horse off for months often needs 6–8+ weeks of gradual work before competition.
2. Body condition – An overweight horse carries more stress on joints, ligaments, and lungs, so they need longer, slower work to avoid injury. A skinny horse lacks muscle reserves, so topline and strength must be built before asking for speed.
General conditioning guidelines:
- Frequency: 4–6 rides per week
- Duration: Start with 20–30 minutes of walk/trot, then add long trots, loping, and breezing sets gradually
- Progression: Add intensity slowly; don’t ask for hard turns until they can handle sustained long trots and controlled loping without heavy blowing
Skipping this step risks strains, tie-up episodes, joint flare-ups, or poor performance. It's not worth it if it costs long-term soundness.
Respect the time off. Respect their body condition. Consistency now means more seasons of success later.
Every horse is different, and their conditioning plan should fit their history, body type, and workload.
𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐗 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬
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