Horse exercising

Exercising your horse regularly allows you to form a closer bond with it as well as maintaining its fitness and general level of well being. Exercising your horse can be enjoyable, relaxing and fun and there are a number of considerations to bear in mind to ensure that your horse receives the appropriate type and amount of exercise.

The amount of exercise your horse requires will depend on its age, breed and general fitness levels. It's important not to over-exert your horse, though: just as with humans, placing your horse on an exercise regime that requires too much of it could result in serious injury or illness. For horses with a low level of fitness an exercise programme extending over 8 weeks or so should be devised: it's crucial to start the horse off on short sessions of slow-paced work, gradually building up to longer, more fast-paced sessions. And always remember to warm your horse up and cool it down before and after exercise: this will reduce the likelihood of muscular injury and the chances of the horse catching a chill in cold weather.

There are many different ways of exercising your horse – maintaining variety in exercising techniques will prevent your horse from getting bored and keep things interesting for both of you.

Schooling is essential for instilling and maintaining a basic level of fitness as well as obedience and can be a satisfying and rewarding way in which to spend time with your horse. Exercises to carry out when schooling include transitions (taking the horse through changes of pace), bending (moving in figure of 8 movements, for example) and lateral work – all of which will benefit your riding abilities as well as maintaining your horse's fitness and suppleness.

Hacking – providing your horse is safe on the road – is another highly enjoyable way of exercising your horse. Be aware of the risks attached to riding out and make sure you maintain a good contact with your horse in order for greater control and to ensure you don't undo the good work carried out in schooling. Lunging and long-reining are also highly effective ways to strengthen your horse's back muscles, tone its body, improve lateral flexibility and maintain its obedience.

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