How to Safely Condition Young Horses

Controlled Wandering

Rather than longing youngsters around repetitive circles, which torques their lower limbs and developing joints, I recommend what I call “controlled wandering” on a longe line. This involves traveling around an arena or field combining a variety of loopy circles and straight lines. By walking quickly or jogging alongside the horse, you’re asking him to sync up with your strides and mirror your movements around a large area. This way, you’re getting the exercise benefit that comes with longing without the negative physical consequences. 

The simple activity of continuous walking at a prescribed pace offers numerous benefits for a young horse. Leading him in-hand on power hikes or ponying him alongside another horse helps him develop a rhythmic gait, creates proprioceptive gains on changing terrain, and makes good use of straight lines (as opposed to detrimental repetitive circling) for exercise. As a general rule, aim to travel at least a mile or for 20 minutes. As long as your youngster is not too anxious, however, you can walk up to four miles on these outings. Whether you are leading or ponying, be sure to change sides periodically to mitigate asymmetry in the horse’s body posture.

One way to add a mile or longer outing is to briskly walk your youngster two or three times per day up and down the driveway for ten minutes continuously. These consistent doses of exercise result in positive adaptations over the long haul. It is also a useful way to introduce the practice of shortening and lengthening his steps as you ask.