Bringing horses back into work

Over the last few months of lockdown many horses will have been kept in minimal work, or rested completely.

With restrictions starting to lift our attention is now turning to getting these horses fit / fitter as they look to return to their normal work load.

As with any period of time off it is important that work is introduced, or increased slowly. This is a critical phase, as fitness and strength needs to be regained without causing injury, and your usual regime to get horses back to full fitness should be followed closely.

During this fitness phase you may want to restrict calorie intake to prevent weight gain and over exuberance. It is vitally important though that the horse is still receiving a balanced diet with plenty of forage and a digestible source of protein.

Once horses have returned to work, and their level of exercise starts to increase, there is an even greater demand for protein to support the increased rate of muscle protein turnover (breakdown and repair) that occurs with exercise.

Care of the legs

International groom Kate Harley has this advice:

So how can we help to try and keep legs healthy and injury free?
Use boots or bandages for exercise to help support the legs. There are pros and cons to both. For example boots are quicker and easier to put on and take off, but maybe don’t give the level of support that bandages do. However badly applied bandages can be detrimental and cause more harm than good.

Cooling legs after exercise

There are lots of theories regarding which methods work best. There are various options and some great products on the market. Cold hosing is one of the easiest and cheapest options, however this can be quite time consuming as research suggests that you should hose each leg between 5-10 minutes to cool them adequately.

Equine spas are brilliant but unfortunately pricey. These are great because they not only cool the legs with a consistent water temperature they also use salt water and have a massage function to help improve circulation and reduce swelling.

As well as cold water options there are some great products available, such as ice boots. These are simple and easy to use and a lot less time consuming as you simply put the boots or the ice pack inserts into the freezer and then when needed take the out and put on the legs, they then stay on for roughly 15/20 minutes thus freeing you up to do other jobs.

There are also cooling gels and clays. These work by drawing the heat away from the limbs and help to prevent swelling. A lot of the clays can then be bandaged over once dry to add additional support.

The clays and gels then need to be washed off after a certain period of time, although this differs for each product. Whichever method you chose think about practicality and time constraints, for example if you are at shows some options aren’t always possible.

Doing fitness work properly and slowly after a break is imperative as muscle tone, strength and fitness will be lost even if only after a short time.

Turn out as much as possible to keep the limbs moving and help promote blood flow to the area; obviously you don’t want them charging around though

Never cut corners with bringing horses back into work and remember prevention is better than cure!”

Don’t forget about yourself…

Working with horses comes with its challenges, and we all know that bringing horses back into work can come with its fair share of ‘hold on tight’ moments. Make sure you have a hard hat that fits correctly, correct footwear and gloves as a minimum. 

While we think ‘it won’t happen to me’, accidents do happen, even to the most experienced riders, on the most predictable of horses.

Don’t get caught short – make sure you have personal accident insurance. Have a look at the No. 1 trusted grooms insurance, provided by the BGA at a discounted rate.

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