Page 93 - Speedhorse September 2017

“Remodeling is
the p
erfect word
pe
to de
scribe what
happen
es
ns with bone,
becau
se you have
us
to tea
r something
ar
down be
efore you can
re
eb
build it”
Placing
tress and strain on muscles,
gs
s
t
bones,
ndons, ligaments, heart, lungs,
,t
te
en
etc., ca
ses micro-damage. As the
au
us
horse h
als and repairs itself, the body
he
ur
ea
structu
e is strengthened and becomes
re
He says children can be used as an example to explain fitness training, and that some of the best human athletes started playing sports when they were young. Then, when they are around 10 or 12, they have already adapted to stresses placed on their bodies. If, however, they have led a more sedate life up until that time and then try to do something athletic, their bodies are not adapted and they are more apt to injure themselves.
Casner recalls a study of a group of 8-year- old club swimmers who had been swimming for 3 or 4 years. “The researchers took their weights and measurements and checked their hearts, and compared them against the general popula- tion of children the same age that had not been swimming. They found that the swimmers’ hearts had significantly stronger left ventricles. This was a conditioning response created at an early age. Kids that start running at an early age also develop stronger hearts,” he says.
In the same way, horses that have been conditioned at an early age are less likely to suf- fer injuries when they start racing. Training, or stressing, in small increments and very gradu- ally increasing that stress can create a fitter, more adapted athlete.
“One thing we know is, whether we’re race- horse trainers or conditioning coaches for kids, once a level of fitness is obtained, it is much easier to get back to that level of fitness and
we don’t have to start over again,” he explains. “You regain fitness very quickly, especially cardio-respiratory systems. The left ventricle stays strong.
“I try to start this process early with my horses,” he continues. “Most are started into the breaking period when they are about 18 or
19 months old. Generally, we start with some light activity, maybe just some socialization and handling and desensitizing them to different things, walking them over tarps, PVC pipes, etc. We also do a lot of handling. Picking up their feet every day, cleaning their feet, and getting them used to everything. We help them with the transition from their mamas to us as their leaders. We go through a handling/train- ing process to gain their trust.”
GRADUAL FITNESS TRAINING
Unhurried and steady fitness training will allow the body to stimulate new and stronger body structures. The process can take a while because you must address both the mental and physical aspects of training. The young horse may be dealing with mental stresses from the new experiences, and he also must be able to get where he can do the actual exercises. He must become more coordinated and learn to use various muscle groups.
Casner begins his training in several differ- ent ways. “We start doing a little swimming in March or April of their yearling year,” he says. “By June, we have them on a regular swimming program and up to about 5 laps in my swim- ming lake. Their cardiovascular and respiratory systems must become stronger. You are training this as well.”
Casner starts putting the horses on vibra- tion plates in February of their yearling year. “The science behind this tells us that the mild stress of vibration helps build periosteal bone, cortical bone and tribecular bone, and we are seeing the advantage of bone adaptation. By the time we put a saddle on them, they’ve had 6 to 8 months of bone adaptation. Their bones have been stressed as if they had been galloping, but it’s easier on them and, as a result, we don’t get shin splints.”
What a trainer hopes to accomplish is mak- ing the young horse stronger to avoid problems later when the breaking and race training processes begin.
“One thing to keep in mind, however, is that after these horses have been swimming
for several months, been on the vibration plates, and worked in the round pen, they
are fitter than most long-yearlings,” Casner says. “We start to work some of them 3 days
a week, cross-training in the round pen and making them do a big jog in both directions. We start putting weight on their back at some point, using a small barrel-racing saddle, and we might get them up to carrying a full stock saddle when we are working them in the round pen. We are building fitness and also strength- ening and building their backs, and you can really see the difference. When you get on an
strong
than it was to begin with.
ge
er
rt
Swimming is a great cardio workout for a horse, enhancing the lungs while keeping stress off the legs.
SPEEDHORSE, September 2017 91
EQUINE HEALTH