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Sunday, 18 March, 2018
We have already discussed the subject of shearing and blanketing your horse in winter(see article). This time let's take a look at the horse's work in winter. Winter should not be a period of hibernation for the horse. Indeed, if you want to keep your horse fit, you must continue to work him regularly.
If his workload decreases from 5/6 times a week to less than three times a week during the winter, there will be consequences on his cardiovascular system. The strength of his musculoskeletal system, the tone of his tendons and ligaments, will also be affected. He will need a few weeks or even months of work before he is back in shape. However, a few precautions should be taken to work a horse well in winter.
In winter, it is therefore important to continue to work your horse for his well-being. This helps to maintain the horse's fitness and training level. For show riders and horses, winter is the ideal time to fix the problems encountered during the previous show season. You can then prepare for the next season.
First, let's talk about equipment. An unshorn horse will generally not need a liner while working. Except in the case of rain, when a waterproof liner is recommended. However, care must be taken to ensure that the horse does not catch cold if it sweats during work, so it will be necessary to adapt to each case.
For shorn horses, it is important to ride with a kennel rug. There are fleece, thermal or waterproof ones. The horse should not be cold, but it should not be too hot and sweaty either. If it does, it could become ill. The liner is therefore recommended for the warm-up and recovery phases. It can be removed during labour.
Like us, when it is cold, the horse will need more time to warm up its muscles. This will allow the blood to circulate properly. In winter, horses generally spend less time in the pasture. Adapting their work is therefore all the more important as they spend most of their time in the stable. Warming up the horse is an essential step in every training session, especially to prevent the risk of injury. It is therefore even more essential in winter.
It is recommended that you do a 10-20 minute warm-up and stretch to prepare your muscles for work. This will start the blood circulation and relax the joints. Of course, you have to adapt to your horse. A horse living in a box 24 hours a day will need a longer warm-up than a horse living outside. The latter has the opportunity to move around in its meadow/paddock.
The ideal is to start walking the horse in neck extension for about 5 minutes at a walk. Then trot for 5 minutes in large circles still in neck extension. This is a good way to start your warm-up. Then, we can ask for smaller circles, lateral movements, and transitions. Finally, we will be able to work quietly in canter on large circles and then smaller ones, always doing a lot of transitions.
The recovery period, although important in any season, is essential in winter to allow the horse to catch its breath, dry out so that it does not catch cold, and to avoid muscle soreness and stiffness. We recommend 10 to 15 minutes of quiet walking, whether in the saddle or in hand. As mentioned above, shorn horses should be covered during this recovery period to prevent them from getting cold.
After the session, you must be careful never to put a blanket on a wet horse that would automatically get cold: make sure your horse has dried well - if necessary, walk as long as possible and/or use a dryer - before putting the blanket back on him, if he is wearing one.
Varying his work, even in winter, is important to keep his horse in shape, well in his head, and with a good morale. A 20-minute lunging session once or twice a week instead of a mounted session will keep the horse in shape. A bit of work on foot or in the open is always a good idea to work on your connection with your horse in particular but also to allow him to let off steam.
It is also recommended to take a few quiet walks outside. Trotting for 5-10 minutes at intervals during the ride will help work your horse's cardio. On the other hand, be careful not to gallop on surfaces that are too hard, too soft, or covered with snow, on which your horse could be injured.
The horse's limbs and hooves
In winter, because of the risk of mud scurf, pay particular attention to the legs and especially the pasterns of your horses. Moreover, it is important to clean and dry them well (with a towel for example) when grooming. If you use water to remove mud and dirt, prefer lukewarm water to cold or hot water, so as not to attack the horse's skin and encourage the entry of bacteria.
It is of course important to check your horse's feet before and after each session. In winter, you should be particularly careful that the feet do not dry out too much, or on the contrary that they are not too wet and become soft. It is advisable to use a suitable ointment once or twice a week on clean and dry feet. In some cases, if the horse lives in a very muddy meadow, or on damp or poorly maintained bedding: he may suffer from fork rot. Be careful, applying tar will only make things worse (it will lock up bacteria), so it is very important to talk to your farrier who will advise you on an appropriate treatment.
Feeding the horse in winter
In winter, as in any season, make sure your horse always has plenty of fresh water available.
You may need to change your horse's feed and/or ration. Like us, he will spend more calories to keep warm, so you may need to increase his calorie intake to compensate for this increased energy expenditure so that he doesn't lose weight. You should also consider your horse's workload; if he works less frequently or less intensely, consider adjusting his ration accordingly.
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In this article we have discussed the periods of warm-up and recovery of the horse's work in winter. If you would like to know more about the work of the horse in preparation for the next competition season, we invite you to read our article on this subject, written with MC Fuss.
See you soon for a new article,
Team Seaver
