It’s spring … finally. It’s warm … miraculously. Cabin fever’s been working your nerves, and you have to get out and enjoy this eagerly awaited respite from a much-too-long winter. There he stands – Blaze – in his mud lot-soon-to-turn-green-pasture looking just as bored and frustrated as you feel. The ideal solution for you both: the first refreshing, rejuvenating trail ride of spring. Right?
Hold on. Don’t grab that saddle quite yet. As beckoning as the sunlight and pussywillow buds may be, consider just how ready you and old Blaze are for this little adventure. Seatbones encountering little more than a Lazyboy or office chair for the last several months may reward you unkindly for an abrupt deliverance to the minimally padded environment of most saddles. Inner leg muscles, virtually unemployed in daily activities, may painfully resist the return to mounted exercise.
Even so, you’re still just the passenger. Who’s sweat and effort really go into these trail rides? That’s right; it’s that old equine pasture ornament, Blaze. He’s been standing around all winter doing little more than munching hay and digging for whatever hints of green lay dormant under the hard-packed snow. He’s been enjoying his seasonally imposed, semi-independent lifestyle, and work is the farthest thing from his mind. You need to reintroduce this riding concept gradually, but not before tending to a few preliminary necessities.
Now is the time to catch up with housekeeping duties perhaps put off during the coldest part of the year. A thorough grooming is done in order to inspect the horse’s body for signs of injury or illness previously hidden under the long winter coat. Grooming will also loosen grime and dandruff from the skin, remove shedding hair, and stimulate circulation and oil secretions to shine the emerging summer coat.
Matters of general health should also be addressed before riding begins. Yearly vaccinations as recommended by your veterinarian are best administered before flies and mosquitoes make their appearance. Deworming will rid the horse’s system of unwanted guests who can make the most lethargic and susceptible to digestive problems. Routine examination and floating of the horse’s teeth as necessary will take care of dental problems and further avoid digestive difficulties.
Contrary to popular opinion, horses’ feet do continue to grow throughout the winter months. Even if you were unable to persuade your farrier to visit during the freeze, you should have no trouble enlisting his services during the thaw. No horse should be expected to endure a ride on long, chipped, and unevenly worn hooves. Discuss with your farrier the types of surfaces over which you intend to ride your horse (grass pastures, dirt trails, gravel roads, pavement), and follow his advice concerning the use of shoes and pads to protect your horse’s hooves.
Many horses come out of winter at a weight of one side or the other ideal. Skinny, ribby horses need to be brought up to a reasonable weight before work begins. It is very difficult to put weight on an animal simultaneously with an increase in activity. Conversely, obese horses should shed the extra pounds before lush pastures become available. Fat, out-of-shape horses can safely tolerate only very light exercise.
In fact, any out of shape horse, fat or otherwise, should be returned to work slowly and gradually. You certainly wouldn’t leap off the sofa on the first warm spring day after months of virtual inactivity and jog ten miles, would you? Inflicting that sort of physical inconsideration on a horse is likely to result in muscle soreness, if not injury, and no small amount of mistrust and resentment the next time you attempt to approach with a saddle. And let’s not forget, it’s unlikely the horse’s body is the only one lacking riding fitness.
For both horse and rider’s sakes, it’s essential to devise a program of progressive conditioning. Variables such as the horse’s age, normal activity level, anticipated type and amount of use, and general health and condition will factor into any exercise program. If you are unsure how to go about putting your animal back to work after an extended layoff, always err on the side of slow and steady. It may take longer to get your horse into condition, but you don’t risk injuries that may put your horse out of commission for the entire riding season.
Let your horse tell you how much riding is enough. Even the slowest return to work may be too much for some animals. Be aware of your horse’s energy level. If he’s dragging his feet and refusing to move enthusiastically, you’re probably asking too much. Watch for labored breathing or excessive sweating with minimal work. Examine unshod hooves daily for excessive wear or tenderness which will necessitate shoeing. Examine the legs for heat, pain, or swelling that may require veterinary attention. And keep an eye on his attitude.
Try beginning your riding program with twenty minutes of very active walking for the first two days. Add ten minutes a day until you are up to an hour of energetic walking by the end of the sixth day. Even horses deserve a day off, so ride only six days a week until you have brought your horse up to the desired level of fitness.
In the second week, sprinkle one-minute, medium trots into the rides; two the first day up to twelve, one-minute trots in each hour-long ride by the end of the second week. Handle week three identically to week two, but make the trots two minutes long each.
Depending on the type of work you intend to do with your horse during the most active part of the season, these three weeks of steady, progressive conditioning will offer a good start toward building up muscles necessary to carry you comfortably on your rides together. This gradual return to the saddle will also allow you, the rider, to develop your “saddle legs” and strengthen up your seat bones at a pace equal to the increasing demands of each ride.
One more order of business before you place that saddle on your horse’s back for the first time: clean, oil, inspect, and repair as necessary all tack and equipment before use. Nothing takes the joy out of a trail ride more quickly than having a cinch strap or girth snap and deposit both saddle and rider unceremoniously in the dirt. Nothing is as disconcerting as having the bit fall out of your horse’s mouth the first time you attempt to tug him away from that tempting tuft of grass.
Now you are at long last ready to step up into the saddle. The day is even warmer than you imagined. The pussy-willow buds are still waiting to brush your cheek in passing. And what’s that? The herald of spring peepers and the enticing scent of early growth will not allow you to remain housebound one more instant. Have a great ride!