Spring seems to be just around the corner, with crocus blooming and horses beginning to shed out at my farm. I’m beyond ready to launder those grimy turnout rugs and give my horses a real bath, instead of just playing hide and seek with the deeply rooted dander that accumulates no matter how frequently I groom with a rubber curry and a stiff dandy brush. Even after this year’s fairly mild winter, the urge to suds up and sluice off weeks of grime has gotten hold of me and I know that the Spring cleaning bug can’t be far behind.
But along with Spring cleaning, comes time to begin conditioning our furry friends, many of whom have been couch potatoes all winter long. Now is the time to get the horses (and ourselves!) back into shape so that we’re fit and ready when the first IEO schooling show arrives in May. For many riders, that means the application of the LSD technique, or Long, Slow Distance conditioning. If you’ve never tried LSD before, it is an effective and safe means of taking our winter-soft equine companions and gently easing them back into the work world while minimizing fatigue related injuries. The goal of an LSD program is to develop fitness so that a horse can cope with 1 hour of easy exercise at the walk/trot/canter and cover approximately 5 miles during that hour. It improves and strengthens the horse’s limbs as well as his cardiovascular fitness by increasing the length of the work before increasing the speed. An LSD program can be tailored for each horse and their own special needs, but they all start with about 20 minutes of walk. You add 5 minutes of walk every day until you reach 75 minutes of walking, which is where you begin to add 2-3 minutes of trot a day. Gradually you increase your riding time, utilizing trails if you’re lucky enough to have them available, as walking up and down hills is wonderful for helping to strengthen and tone muscles.
So this week, as the temperatures begin to rise and the Spring flowers continue to emerge, think about making the commitment to an equine Spring LSD fitness program. Your horse will be glad you did!
Susan Moody, IEO President
But along with Spring cleaning, comes time to begin conditioning our furry friends, many of whom have been couch potatoes all winter long. Now is the time to get the horses (and ourselves!) back into shape so that we’re fit and ready when the first IEO schooling show arrives in May. For many riders, that means the application of the LSD technique, or Long, Slow Distance conditioning. If you’ve never tried LSD before, it is an effective and safe means of taking our winter-soft equine companions and gently easing them back into the work world while minimizing fatigue related injuries. The goal of an LSD program is to develop fitness so that a horse can cope with 1 hour of easy exercise at the walk/trot/canter and cover approximately 5 miles during that hour. It improves and strengthens the horse’s limbs as well as his cardiovascular fitness by increasing the length of the work before increasing the speed. An LSD program can be tailored for each horse and their own special needs, but they all start with about 20 minutes of walk. You add 5 minutes of walk every day until you reach 75 minutes of walking, which is where you begin to add 2-3 minutes of trot a day. Gradually you increase your riding time, utilizing trails if you’re lucky enough to have them available, as walking up and down hills is wonderful for helping to strengthen and tone muscles.
So this week, as the temperatures begin to rise and the Spring flowers continue to emerge, think about making the commitment to an equine Spring LSD fitness program. Your horse will be glad you did!
Susan Moody, IEO President
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