Work often has a way of getting in our way of more important things—like spending time with our horses. Many of us, in part to support our equestrian habit, work during the week or have other obligations and are thereby limited to weekends and holidays in which to spend time horseback. This situation of being able to get out and ride only one or two days a week naturally leads us to questions such as “How much can I safely do with my horse?” and “How can I keep myself and my horse ready for weekend trail activities?” These are important questions to consider in order to keep your horse healthy, sound and trail- ready.
healthy as possible. Horses evolved as roaming animals that naturally move on a regular basis throughout their day
T
while grazing. Movement by way of walking, trotting and occasional loping be- tween periods of grazing and resting are what horses naturally do best. If you have the option of housing your horse in pasture, this is the optimum choice as compared to a stall or paddock. Housing in pasture allows a horse to exercise on his own, keeping his fi tness level up in between his weekend exercise regimen. As a side benefi t, continual grazing as compared to twice-daily feedings is
healthier for the equine digestive tract. If you are not fortunate enough to have access to pasture housing for your horse, then regular turnouts are the next best thing. If you can make time during the week, if even only once or twice, a turnout will allow your horse to burn off pent-up energy, assist in keeping his fi tness level up and make for a more calm and pleasurable ride for you the following weekend.
GROUNDWORK BENEFITS In addition to housing, there are ways to use short windows of time during the
week to optimize your horse’s state of well being both physically and mentally. Short amounts of time spent on groundwork will contribute to your horse being a plea- sure to be around and safer to ride on your weekend excursions. Disciplining your horse while on a lead rope to respect your space teaches him to be respectful of you as the leader and makes for a much more pleasurable riding experience later on.
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US • June | July 2010 39 continued next page
he housing of horses during the week while you are unable to get the horse out for riding is a key factor in keeping your horse as fi t and
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