Page 164 - Equine Chronicle August Select 2020

GETTING BACK IN THE GAME
in phases, and different exercises (both for endurance and skills) should be planned. Time, duration, frequency, and intensity of the training stimulus need to be considered to prevent not only injury but also overtraining. A coordinated team effort with the rider, trainer, farrier, and veterinarian is key for success,” Marqués says, reminding riders that the goal of reconditioning is to “induce a maximal response to exercise, while preventing injury.
“All the muscles, tendons, joints, and organ systems need time to gradually respond and adapt to the specific exercises or tasks for which horses are trained. If a really fit horse is turned out to pasture to rest, all the structural, physiological, and biochemical adaptations that had been achieved through a training program will be lost over time, a process known as detraining.” Marqués explains that all tis- sues, whether muscles, bones, tendons, or joints, will gradually adapt to new stimuli, which, when on
pasture rest, might only be walking or
light trotting. “The key point of recon-
ditioning is achieving a gradual adap-
tation to perform a specific task, so
putting a horse back into training en-
tails gradually regaining some of the
beneficial adaptations lost during the
resting time,” he says.
As much as some riders may appre- ciate a day-by-day calendar of how to regain a horse’s fitness, there is, of course, no one-size-fits-all program for reconditioning performance horses. A Barrel Racing, Eventing, or Western Pleasure horse should be con- ditioned in different ways depending on their job and its requirements. Some riders or trainers may choose to focus on endurance with long aerobic training sessions, where others may choose to focus on shorter bouts of in- tense work. Both methods can be ap- propriate, depending on the ultimate goal for the horse.
“Short periods of medium to high in-
tensity training will induce completely
different responses in all organ systems,
compared to long periods of aerobic
training, including how the body uses
different energy sources to maintain
muscle contraction. Training is task
specific; therefore, you want to induce the type of beneficial struc- tural and functional adaptations in muscles, joints, and lungs spe- cific to the sports or activity the horse is used for,” Marqués says. This will look different for the Hunter than it will for the Western horse. “Optimal training benefits are achieved when the exercise programs are tailored for the specific sports, along with the needs and capacities of the horse in question. Anaerobic and aerobic train- ing exercises cannot be considered good or bad, better or worse, per se. Everything depends on the specific task we are training horses for.”
Confused about the difference between aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise? Simply put, it has to do with heart rate value and intensity of effort. Aerobic exercise is more endurance in na- ture. It’s an activity that increases heart rate and breathing over a relatively long duration. Anaerobic exercise is one that involves short bursts of intense physical activity.
For example, in humans, aerobic exercise might look like hiking, yoga, or long, steady state running. Anaerobic exercise might con- sist of sprinting or time trial cycling. Both types of exercise are beneficial and help the body in different ways. When it comes to horses, aerobic exercise might consist of trotting steady, continuous laps, while anaerobic could consist of hand galloping or jumping.
Regardless of long-term goals, Bengfort says to take the appro- priate time to build some level of fitness before attempting rigorous activity. Rushing the process could be detrimental. “If your horse is in zero condition, short periods of aggressive exercise can put the horse at risk of straining tendons, pulling muscles, and stressing joints that are not yet in con- dition. The goal is to gradually improve fitness, which includes the cardiovas- cular system, along with the body strength and technical skills at the same
time,” he says.
If a rider is unsure whether the inten-
sity of a horse’s training program is too much, they can note the horse’s heart rate after exercise. With 40 beats per minute being average, a horse that’s heart rate is significantly higher than normal–up to ten minutes post-work- out–may need his training eased off a bit until his cardiovascular fitness im- proves, KER reports. That improve- ment would be signaled by his heart rate recovering more quickly from ex- ercise of the same intensity.
Fitness level after time off, intended use, and even personality–lazy horses may act more out of shape than they are and high energy horses may make rid- ers believe they are more in shape–all need to be accounted for when recon- ditioning a horse. Don’t forget to con- sider age, too. “Age has to be
considered in cardiovascular fitness. A five-year-old has a more re- silient heart than an 18-year-old. Younger muscles respond faster than older muscles. During exercises, if the heart rate is high and you can feel the heart pounding, it’s time to slow down and reduce the length of work-out time,” Bengfort says.
Reconditioning Means Sweat, and
Sweat Means Use Caution - Especially in Humid Areas
Those in true, four season climates may be finding themselves
John Bengfort, DVM
158 - August/September, 2020
continued on page 160