How should I go about conditioning this horse?
Here is where we're starting from:
- 16, in good health, sound, in medium flesh (15.0, 900 lbs)
with the bunchier Morgan build.
- though sound, inclined to show a few aches and pains after a
hard show season. Last fall: a little sore in one hip, a little swelling
and heat in one pastern for a few days, sore in the back
from the show cut-back saddle. None bad enough to cause visible
lameness. Has some sidebone in one foot.
- was in "show condition" last year, which means he could do
a vigorous walk/trot/canter workout in show frame for 30 minutes
without getting tuckered out. He does sweat profusely when
exerted in hot weather--it *pours* out of him.
- has been laid off 4 months for winter and to let the aches and pains
mentioned above subside
- though his former owner of 10 years did recreational trail riding
with him in hilly southern New Hampshire in addition to show
conditioning, I doubt that this horse has ever been more than
15 miles in one session in his life.
- his resting pulse, as-is is 30-31. When I started trail
riding him a bit last fall he would recover from light use
(30% trotting, 70% walking over 5 level miles in one hour) back into
the 30s within 15 minutes, but would tend to plateau at around 34-36
and not get all the way back down to 30 until the following
morning. (I don't have a heart monitor yet, and so am
not sure what his exercise pulses were--hopping off after a
one mile cool off walk, unsaddling quickly, then taking pulse
within 5 minutes of halting I never found him above the 40s)
Starting respiration was 10, and recovered to 10 quickly.
I don't know his numbers right now.
I have read every book on endurance/competitive trail/combined training
conditioning that I can find. They provide a good framework, but
when they discuss starting a horse, they always assume that the
horse is a four or five year old youngster. Where they deal with
aged horses at all, the assumption is that he is an old campaigner
who just needs to be kept going, not a middle-aged newbie starting from
scratch whose entire muscle/tendon/skeleton system has never been
conditioned to this kind of stress.
I welcome any advice. Our goals are modest to be sure, but I still
want to get there with a sound happy horse.
Linda B. Merims
lbm@ici.net
Massachusetts, USA