How to Keep Your Horse Fit Without Riding

When the shorter, colder winter months settle in, brief but purposeful groundwork sessions become critical for a horse’s physiology. Granted, fitness-based groundwork will not keep a horse at peak performance level, but it will prevent total erosion of neuromuscular and metabolic fitness during times of abbreviated schedules. When consistently and strategically practiced, it improves muscle tone, basic metabolic function, and neuromuscular patterns. 

In fact, evidence has shown that a large percentage of muscle activity can be maintained in non-ridden horses when groundwork sessions are performed six or more times per week for a period of 25 minutes or longer. A daily 25-minute bout of continuous movement at 40 percent of maximum heart rate is the minimal amount needed to retain a fitness base. For most horses this equals a rate of 90 beats per minute, attained at a brisk walk or easy jog as performed during groundwork.

At this rate, when done consistently, groundwork contributes to a horse’s athleticism in the following ways:

• Improve neuromuscular activation and coordination;
• Increase activity of sensory and motor nerves, awaken poorly recruited muscles;
• Strengthen postural muscle and ligament system;
• Improve balance, alignment, and joint flexion through practicing range-of-motion in a relaxed state.

Non-riding plans for horses aiming to maintain fitness rely on the following principles. Keep these in mind when moving beyond groundwork for burning energy or teaching skills to a means of measurable physical gains. 

Consistency

Above all, fitness-based groundwork depends on consistency. Think of these daily doses of low intensity stimulus being bricks that stack up on each other to form a solid structure. Each brick relies on the placement of the previous ones. Similarly, low intensity activity like groundwork requires high frequency each week to affect physiology.

When practiced sporadically, physical gains will not be made, although it could arguably still benefit the horse’s mental state during periods of downtime. The benefit of this type of training is cumulative. No single session or set of exercises will bring results unless it is stacked on dozens of other ones. In other words, it will always be more fruitful to spend 25 to 30 minutes doing productive walking exercises five or more days per week versus allowing a horse to idle during the week and then longing him on Saturday until he puffs and drips sweats.

Variation

Your lines of travel should blend plenty of long straights with occasional bending and circles. In fact, circles should happen sparingly, carefully, and with purpose.