| The
Power of Exercise
Doris Eraldi
Never underestimate the role of exercise
in your horse’s
life, especially when it concerns his behavior and training.
Horses in their natural wild state travel about 30 miles
a day. Very few of our domestic horses even come close. Even
those who are kept on large pastures and have the potential
of moving around, seldom do. My herd is on a ten acre hillside,
but they spend 90% of their time loafing around the barn
and water trough, where the feed appears twice a day. Horses
in the wild are usually forced to range far and wide in search
of feed and water.
Many of the most common problems that
occur when we go to ride our horses can be solved or minimized
by providing ample exercise before we ask them to settle
down and pay attention to a rider. This is particularly
important for young horses and those with a high energy
level. I like to turn my training horses out or free-longe
them in the arena for at least 15 minutes before saddling
up. This gives them a chance to run and play, and burn
off that excess energy. I seldom take any horse out of
the stall, saddle up and get on, even if I know the horse
is well trained and probably won’t
do anything un-toward. I feel that the horses appreciate
having a few minutes to roll, play and stretch their legs
before going to work and I get a better response.
With younger horses, I might actually
work on the longe line until the horse is slightly tired
before beginning a training session. At some point, if
I have been riding every day, I do saddle and get on, but
then plan on long-trotting around the arena for 20 minutes
before asking for complete attention. I also expect the
colt to feel good and move out, though I draw the line
at bucking or speeding up into a faster gait. I want the
horse to stay in the trot if that’s
what I asked him, and to guide in circles, but I don’t
bother asking for collection, a slow “horse-show” gait,
or any new work until he is settled down and paying attention.
Sometimes this takes a while, and so as a trainer I have
to be prepared for it.
Trail riding is great experience for
young horses. Along with being interesting, a long ride
usually teaches the colt that he’d better not waste all his energy in first
hour … there may be many hours after the first one!
Very few of us could stand to ride around an arena for 6
hours, but out on the trail a long ride is fun. Still, if
I were concerned about the colt’s behavior those first
few miles I would longe a bit first, just to give me the
head start!
Since I train Pleasure Horses, I’m often asked how
to make a horse slow down. I start by going fast – letting
the colt move out until he’s tired and asking to slow
down. This greatly improves my chances of having him respond
to my slow-down cues. So, I usually work on the Western jog
at the end of my ride, and end all rides by walking quietly
for five to ten minutes. Trying to force a horse to slow
down can create other problems, “allowing” them
to slow is a more positive training technique.
Another thing to consider is that in a new location, it may
take longer for your young horse to settle. He might be ready
to ride after 10 minutes at home, but at a new arena it could
be twice or three-times as long. Every horse is different,
so be prepared to spend some time letting him move out and
expend some of that stored up energy before going to work.
It will make the ride a more pleasant experience for everyone.
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