Training in the Right Way: Bringing Your Horse Back Into Work

Horses need an incremental approach when returning to physical exertion after some time off.  With the weather obliterating our training programs, it’s a solid time to review how to approach bringing your sound horse back into work after an unplanned break.

Dressage training is supposed to be the process of training ANY horse to be a better riding horse. The more the horse learns, in theory, the easier it is to communicate with and therefore complete more complex tasks with. Although competition dressage training often is more focused on training for the dressage test, that is not what the original intention (and original judging requirements) were for competitive dressage. Initially, it was designed to give riders and trainers a way to determine how their training measured up to the theoretical ideal of the training process. That said, it is critically important to understand the meanings and reasons for some of the terms we use to describe dressage training and what to look for when observing training and competition (and videos and photos), regardless of whether you intend to compete or just train your horse to be a better whatever you do with him. That, ultimately, is the main purpose of my articles. To provide education and knowledge for riders to understand and improve their eye and understanding of what dressage training is supposed to be. While there will always be some differences in practice and theory, good horse training is always recognizable to the educated eye. That said, it absolutely is necessary that we remember and understand that limited knowledge is limited judgment.

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Here in Florida, we are having a rough couple of weeks with our uninvited guests, Helene and Milton, visiting us from the Gulf of Mexico. Some areas have had devastating damage and loss of life, and others have experienced annoying inconveniences like light flooding and loss of power. With the weather wreaking havoc on our training programs, and my own recent experiences with evacuation, preparation, clean up and preparation again, it seems timely to review how to approach bringing your sound horse back into work after an unplanned break in training (you know, like after a hurricane or two). Here is a brief look at what you should consider when you are faced with this situation.

Black Velvet and Gwyneth schooling on a normal day. Photo (c) Gwyneth McPherson

Most of the students that I work with regularly are highly motivated and goal-oriented. And, it can be said of us dressage riders, that we tend toward the perfectionist side of the spectrum. I find it is often necessary to help my riders adjust their expectations of what their horse should feel like after a break vs. before the time off. In other words, if your horse has had one or more days off, it is not realistic to expect him to “feel” as good as he did the last time you rode him. Most of the time, when I help people return their horses to work, I spend a great deal of time focusing on the milestones that a rider should expect within each day of putting the horse back into the program.

Here are some things to consider when planning your approach to returning your fit and sound horse back to work after a few days off:

• It takes about 3-5 days to bring a sound fit horse back to the quality of work he was performing before the break.
• As with all training situations, doing too much, or doing too little will be detrimental to the process.
• Horses get stiff from standing in their stalls and trailering, and will be less supple after a break (or an evacuation).
• Even horses that have 24/7 turn out will not be as supple (and on the aids) as they were during daily training.
• All horses that are on the aids are supple. Horses that have had time off and are not supple are more likely to do things that injure riders.
• Longeing is often a necessary exercise when returning a fit horse to work, but not for the reasons that most people think it is. Longeing is, when done properly, a way to supple the horse before getting on it. It is not “just to wear them down” before getting on.
• Sometimes working your horse in two small sessions a minimum of four hours apart is the best strategy. This allows the horse to burn off a little more energy, but with less strain and fatigue. We are so conditioned to think that we should work the horse once, for an hour, each day, when often two 20-30 minute sessions a day are hugely beneficial.

Proper longeing technique produces suppleness before getting on a stiff or excitable horse. Photo (c) Gwyneth McPherson

Keeping these points in mind, it is important manage your expectations of your horse’s performance when you start them back to work. Some people are blessed with a horse that, no matter how much time he has had off, is safe to get right on and ride. But this does not mean he can function at his optimum level (in dressage terms) without three or more days of thoughtful reintroduction to his regular work.

Some riders are blessed with a horse that is safe to get on and ride after time off. My horse Dio is one of them. Photo(c) Gwyneth McPherson

Most importantly, even under these circumstances, you absolutely CANNOT expect your horse to just pick up exactly as you left off before the break. Secondly, you should plan your daily training sessions around small milestones of exercises that produce greater suppleness and incrementally incorporate more complex work each day. Ultimately, you have to modify your expectations based on your horse’s fitness level, level of training, age and temperament. A young, hot, tense horse will need much more careful management to return to safe and purposeful riding than an older, less reactive horse.

Regardless of whether you are working with a young horse or a Grand Prix horse, bringing the horse back to work after time off is a nuanced and gradual process. As the trainer, being aware of your horse’s natural tendencies and temperament is critical to your success in bringing the horse back to his optimum level of work. Using strategies such as longeing and breaking the training up into two sessions can be extremely beneficial. Managing your expectations of “what he should be like” with how to recreate the good feelings and reactions you had before the break is essential to making the process a success.

Remember: Limited knowledge is limited judgment.

Gwyneth and Flair in competition at Grand Prix. (c) flatlandsfoto.

Gwyneth McPherson has over 35 years experience competing, training, and teaching dressage.  She began her education in in the late 1970s, riding in her backyard on an 11 hh pony. Her first instructor introduced her to Lendon Gray (1980 and 1988 Olympian). who mentored Gwyneth for a decade during which she achieved her first National Championship in 1984, and her Team and Individual Young Rider Gold Medals in1987.

In 1990 Gwyneth began training with Carol Lavell (1992 Olympian) who further developed Gwyneth as an FEI rider and competitor. Gwyneth achieved a Team Bronze in 1991 and a Team Silver in 1992 in the North American Young Riders Championships, and trained her stallion G’Dur to do all the Grand Prix movements while riding with Carol.

In 2008, while Head Trainer at Pineland Farms, Gwyneth began training with Michael Poulin (Olympian 1992). Michael was trained by Franz Rochowansky (Chief Rider for the Spanish Riding School 1937-1955). Michael has shared much of Rochowansky’s knowledge and wisdom with Gwyneth, completing her education as a Grand Prix rider, trainer, and competitor.

Gwyneth’s teaching and training business, Forward Thinking Dressage,is based in Williston, FL. In addition to teaching riders and training, Gwyneth also loves sharing her knowledge of the sport and art of dressage as well as discussing relevant topics pertaining to the training itself and the current competitive landscape.