Getting Horses Back into Condition

Once a horse is in fit athletic condition, taking a week off now and then won’t bother him. However, if he’s idle for a longer period—three months, for example—how do you begin getting him back into condition, and how long will the process take if you want to avoid injuring him by asking too much?

An article in Horse Illustrated suggests following the old maxim of a day of conditioning for every day the horse has been out of work, so in this case, ideally you should begin easing your horse back into condition about ten to twelve weeks before you plan a weekend of hunting, eventing, or strenuous trail riding.

Begin with short periods of slow flat work, gradually building up in small increments to a full work schedule. Remember that muscular fitness returns fairly rapidly, but it’s important to allow plenty of time for the much slower conditioning of tendons, ligaments, and bones.