Some Thoughts on Conditioning Dressage Horses - USDF
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horse-health connection editorial@usdf.org
Some Thoughts on Foals Need to
Behave Like Foals
Conditioning Dressage Horses It has been established beyond doubt
that the first two years of a horse’s life
are the critical time for the develop-
From playful foals to interval training, the latest ment of joint cartilage, ligaments, and
science on developing sound and happy equine athletes tendons. Exercise is essential during
this time period to optimize growth
By Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, Diplomate ACVSMR, MRCVS and development of these tissues so
that they will be able to withstand the
loads imposed during dressage train-
T
ing later in life. Beyond two years of
he most important fitness ing session without becoming fatigued.
age, these tissues have limited ability
requirement for dressage One of the functions of the
to strengthen in response to the stim-
horses is strength. If you look ligaments and tendons is to help the
ulus of exercise, and they have limited
up a definition of strength, it includes muscles to support the joints by limiting
ability to heal if they are injured.
wording indicating the capacity for their range of motion. For example, the
The most effective way of building
exertion or endurance but also the suspensory ligament and the digital
strong, resilient articular cartilage, liga-
power to resist force. Dressage horses flexor tendons support the fetlock
ments, and tendons is through turnout
require both of these types of strength and limit sinking of the fetlock during
with other foals during the early weeks
in different locomotor tissues. weight-bearing. These structures are
and months of their lives. Foals’ normal
somewhat elastic, so they stretch as the
exercise and play behavior have proven
fetlock sinks and recoil as the fetlock
superior to any structured exercise
rises. Strength allows the ligaments and
program for this purpose. Play behavior
tendons to resist the loading forces dur-
is beneficial because leaping, bucking,
ing weight-bearing.
rearing, and play-fighting load the limbs
A dressage horse needs muscular
in a diverse manner that stimulates mul-
strength and endurance to perform
tidirectional adaptations of the locomo-
the movements without becoming
tor tissues.
fatigued, which would result in dete-
Take-home message: Horses that
rioration in the quality of the perfor-
are destined for athletic careers need
mance and could lead to a muscular
the opportunity to run and play as foals
strain. Dressage horses also need to
and yearlings in order to develop into
have strong ligaments and tendons to
sound, resilient athletes. Try to find out
support the limbs when they are load-
how your dressage prospect was reared
ed. Tendon and ligament injuries are
before making a decision to purchase.
most often repetitive-strain injuries,
which implies that they are the result Start the Young Horse Slowly,
NATURE’S CONDITIONING PROGRAM: of repetitive, relatively low-level load-
Foals’ natural play behavior is the best way to ing rather than a single catastrophic
and Progress Gradually
build strong bones and soft tissues during the event, such as stepping in a hole. The Opinions vary as to the ideal age
crucial early years of life injury takes the form of a strain, such to start a young horse. Some train-
as suspensory ligament desmopathy ers prefer to wait until the horse is
The muscles are the motors that (pulled suspensory) or superficial digi- skeletally mature, at four or five years
drive locomotion. Muscular contrac- tal tendinopathy (strained tendon). of age; others start earlier in order to
tions generate propulsion, support Going back to our definition of be ready to compete in young-horse
engagement, elevate the forehand, and strength, muscle requires the capacity classes. As a rule of thumb, the earlier
maintain a rounded posture of the for exertion and endurance, whereas the horse starts work, the more slowly
neck and back. The type of muscular ligaments and tendons must be able to the workload should be increased.
strength required for dressage is differ- resist tensile forces. In this article, I’ll Modern-day sport horses are im-
JACQUES TOFFI/ARND.NL
ent than the explosive power required discuss some management and training mensely talented, and this makes it easy
for jumping; instead, dressage horses tips to influence the development of ap- to forge ahead with training the techni-
need muscular endurance so that propriate types of strength in a dressage cal skills. The problem is that this rapid
the muscles can contract repeatedly horse, with the goals of maximizing per- progression may not allow sufficient time
through the duration of a test or train- formance while maintaining soundness. for the muscles to adapt and strengthen.
12 December 2018/January 2019 • USDF CONNECTION
Strong muscles help to support the Higher Levels of Competition interdependence of technical skills
joints and relieve some tension from Require Highly Sport-Specific and muscular strength. Muscular ad-
the ligaments. Without appropriate aptation is specific to the joint angle
muscular strength to share the load,
Conditioning and speed of contraction. It is not
stress on the suspensory ligaments Although early diversification is sufficient simply to activate a muscle;
and flexor tendons increases, setting beneficial to a young horse’s health the muscle must be worked repeat-
the stage for a possible future repet- and development, there comes a point edly in the same manner, as in the
itive-strain injury. It is the trainer’s in dressage training when specializa- dressage movements. This means that
responsibility to control the horse’s tion is necessary to develop the highly the horse needs to be able to perform
rate of progress up the levels to allow sport-specific muscular strength a movement correctly in order to
time to ensure the development of ad- required. One of the reasons that strengthen the appropriate muscles.
equate muscular strength and fitness it takes so long for a horse to reach As the muscles get stronger, perfor-
for each new level of competition. the higher levels of dressage is the mance of the movement improves. [
Moving up the competition ladder too
quickly risks activating an injury that
may plague the horse for the rest of
his career.
Take-home message: Athletically
talented horses may learn the move-
ments more quickly than their less-
gifted peers, but they need just as long
to develop strength and fitness, and
this limits the overall rate of progress.
Allow time for strength development
at each step of the training process,
and avoid the temptation to move up
the levels too quickly.
Diverse Activity
Benefits Young Horses
Diversification implies that an athlete
is involved in a variety of sports and
activities through which they acquire
an array of skills, many of which apply
across different sports. In training
dressage horses, early diversification
facilitates learning a range of motor
skills and building a strong foundation.
Any benefits from early concen-
tration on a single sport tend to be
offset by the limitations in motor-skill
development, a greater risk of over-
use injuries, and boredom. Young
horses undoubtedly benefit from early
diversification, and statistics show
that if horses compete in two or more
disciplines before they are seven years
old, they have longer competitive
careers than those that participate in
only one sport.
Take-home message: Diversity
in the training program benefits the
young horse’s physical and mental
development.
USDF CONNECTION • December 2018/January 2019 13
horse-health connection editorial@usdf.org
interval-training format. Interval One caveat: In order to improve
training is a conditioning technique strength in a beneficial manner,
in which periods of intense exercise, the horse must perform the move-
called work phases, alternate with rest ment correctly; otherwise the wrong
intervals that allow partial recovery muscles or the wrong coordination
and reduce the accumulation of lactic patterns are trained.
acid in the muscles. An example of Take-home message: Incorpo-
interval training for dressage is to per- rating the movements of the sport
form a set number of steps of a move- into the conditioning exercises yields
ment that requires muscular strength highly specific improvements in
(such as half-steps or pirouette steps) muscle strength and endurance.
as the work phase, followed by mov-
ing forward in an easier, more relaxed Cross-Training Is Beneficial—
gait, which is the rest interval. Several but Maybe Not for the
repetitions of alternating work peri-
Reasons You Thought
ods and rest intervals form a set, after
which the horse has a longer rest, Cross-training is a popular method
usually at the walk, before performing of building sound, fit, all-around
another set. Over time, the number athletes, both human and equine. For
SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: of steps that form the work period the equine athlete, a huge benefit of
Cross-training, like this treadmill session, is increased progressively, leading to cross-training is that it gets the horse
helps to relieve horses’ boredom and varies the improved endurance in the actively out of “the sandbox” and doing some-
physical workout contracting muscles so that the horse thing other than drilling the dressage
becomes stronger in a highly sport- movements. This has mental benefits
A good way to develop strength specific manner. For more tips on in- in relieving boredom and also—very
for upper-level dressage is to re- terval training for dressage, see “Intro important—the variety reduces the
peat the dressage movements in an to Interval Training” below. risk of repetitive-strain injuries by
Intro to Interval Training
H
elp your horse build the strength he needs for of repetitions in each set as before.
dressage work through interval training, in • Maintain the same number of repetitions, but
which periods of work are interspersed with gradually increase the amount of very collected
periods of rest. canter until, after a few weeks, it occupies half of
Here’s an example of dressage-specific interval train- each circle.
ing. On a 20-meter circle in collected canter, increase the • Change the pattern: Ride the very collected canter
degree of collection for one-quarter of each circle, and in a straight line along the long side of the arena
ride the remaining three-quarters of the circle in collect- for 10 meters, followed by a 20-meter half-circle.
ed canter. The increased collection is the work interval, Repeat on the opposite long side. The distance cov-
and the “regular” collected canter is the rest interval. ered in very collected canter can be increased each
Perform four circles; that’s one set. Then allow your week, but now the horse must remain straight.
horse to rest for two minutes in a free walk on a long These are examples of how an interval-training
rein. Repeat the entire sequence on the opposite rein. exercise can be made progressively more challenging to
Practice the interval-training sequence three days strengthen the horse. You can devise your own varia-
a week as part of your training session. In week two, tions to address weaknesses in your horse’s perfor-
increase the number of circles from four to five in each mance.
direction; in week three, increase to six circles; and in What distinguishes strengthening exercises from
week four, to seven circles. By the end of the fourth regular training exercises is the adherence to perform-
week, your horse should be getting stronger, and it ing a set number of repetitions and the regular in-
should feel easier to maintain the very collected steps. creases in the distance or intensity of the work periods.
At this point, you could change the exercise in one Always pay attention to the quality of the work. If
LISA DIJK/ARND.NL
of the following ways: the horse becomes fatigued, cool down carefully and,
• Split each set: Ride four sets, each with four repeti- if necessary, cut back on the work periods for a few
tions of the canter circles; then build up the number workouts.
14 December 2018/January 2019 • USDF CONNECTION
imposing different loading patterns on Take-home message: Cross- efforts to improve performance are,
the limbs. Therefore, cross-training training is a valuable addition to a however, tempered by the need to build
falls under the category of diversity dressage training program as a means and maintain a resilient musculoskeletal
rather than specificity. of preserving orthopedic health, but it support system that can withstand the
Cross-training can take many is not the key to elite performance; this rigors of training and competing. There
forms, depending on the availability requires highly sport-specific training. is a delicate balance between doing
of equipment and facilities and on the enough work to stimulate strengthening
rider’s preferences. It might include A Delicate Balance and doing too much, which has a dam-
hacking, hill work, galloping, jump- aging effect. When in doubt, err on the
ing, swimming, underwater treadmill, Through the use of physiological condi- side of caution because repetitive-strain
cold-water spa, or working equitation; tioning, we aim to improve the horse’s injuries are a serious risk to the horse’s
it just needs to be something differ- performance by increasing his strength, health and indeed to his entire career as
ent from schooling in an arena. We power, stamina, and brilliance. Our a dressage horse. s
should realize, however, that cross-
training does not specifically enhance
dressage performance; rather, its value
lies in preserving soundness and pre- ADEQUAN®/USDF FEI-LEVEL
Trainers Conference
venting boredom.
Meet the Expert
D January 21-22, 2019
r. Hilary Clayton is the
professor and Mary Anne
High Meadow Farm • Loxahatchee, FL
McPhail Dressage Chair
emerita. She
was the origi-
nal holder of
Featuring
the Mary Anne
McPhail Dres- Debbie McDonald,
sage Chair in US Dressage Technical Advisor
Equine Sports
and the
Medicine at
Michigan US Dressage Coaches
State University’s College of Veter-
inary Medicine, East Lansing, from Debbie McDonald
1997 to 2014. At the same time,
she was a professor in MSU’s De-
partment of Large Animal Clinical
Sciences.
A world-renowned expert on
equine biomechanics and condi-
tioning, Dr. Clayton is president of
Sport Horse Science, LC, which is
Christine Traurig George Williams Charlotte Bredahl
dedicated to translating research US Dressage Young Horse Coach US Dressage Youth Coach US Dressage Assistant Youth Coach
data into practical advice for
riders, trainers, and veterinarians
through lectures, articles, and For attendance criteria, registration, curriculum, and travel information, visit
private consultations. A USDF
www.usdf.org
gold, silver, and bronze medalist,
she is a longtime USDF Connec-
tion contributing editor and a
past member of the US Equestrian
Federation’s Dressage Committee.
USDF CONNECTION • December 2018/January 2019 15
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