horse in terms of distance and pace can be increased. A horse becomes muscu- loskeletally mature by age seven and at that age the horse’s activity level should no longer limited by age alone. Prior fi t- ness levels will also effect how much you should ask of your horse during weekend trail excursions. A horse that at one point in his life had a sustained level of fi tness, such as a retired endurance horse, will re- tain a signifi cant amount of that fi tness for an extended period of time, such as many months and even up to a year.
THE FIT STAY FITTER Horses, unlike people, retain their fi t-
ness levels at remarkable levels with little to no exercise. And horses have a unique ability to regain their prior level of fi tness very quickly. For example, a retired endur- ance horse who was trained to a competi- tion level of fi tness for several years and has now had one or two years of limited to no exercise, will regain an extraordinary level of fi tness in just a few weekend trail rides. That horse will have the ability to carry you many weekend trail miles very comfortably with minimal conditioning/ build-up rides. The other possible scenario is a horse that has never been conditioned to any level of fi tness. This horse will take months of shorter weekend trail rides to build up to the point where you should be able to ride him on longer, all day trail rides in more challenging terrain. Spending time with your horse enjoy-
ing the serenity and beauty of trails is one of life’s greatest pleasures. To enjoy that pleasure to the fullest requires some time preparing both you and your horse. For those who can get out in the saddle only on the weekends, a minimal amount of non-riding time spent with your horse during the week along with proper housing and feeding will go a long ways towards making your weekend trail events the most rewarding and enjoyable they can be.
For more about training and condition-
ing your trail horse, see “10 Fitness Tips For a New Season on the Trail” in the March issue of Trail Blazer, p.28.
Melissa Ribley, DVM, is an endurance rider and veterinary control judge with nearly 18,000 career AERC miles. She and her husband Robert Ribley train and
condition trail horses at their ranch in Grass Valley, California. Visit them online at
www.ribleystraining.com
42 June | July 2010 •
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