THE ATHLETIC HORSE
Exercises for a Morgan mare, padding horse shoes and finding the right iodine concentration in dairy cow teat dips.
COUNTRY VET
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Horses are born to run, but not as hard as you
might imagine.
By Andrea Looney, DVM
What warm-up procedure do you recommend for a 6-year old Morgan mare? We
ride or drive her almost daily and with so much concern
over exercise intolerance, we are willing to do what it
takes to help her exercise property. Is there any set
protocol for a horse this age, working about a half hour
daily?
—Owen Grant
Knoxville, TN
Horses are naturally designed for quick bursts of energy to
flee predators or escape fear. This fight-or-flight
response in the wild need usually be sustained for only a
few moments. However, today's horses are asked to perform
for many hours at maximal energy requirements. Just like
their human Olympic counterparts, an equine athlete needs
to limber up and cool down properly. Here's some hints for
a routine that really needs to be tailored to your horse's
daily workload, feed intake, life stage, conformation, and
other health problems. Warm-ups should be no more than
10-15 minutes long and will improve the efficiency of the
muscles working at the same time it reduces risk of injury
to ligaments, tendons, and joints. The cardiorespiratory
system also profits by increasing its oxygen uptake and
efficient use.
To maximize heavy upper muscle elasticity,
try manual stretching. During the forelimb stretch, stand
to the front and side of the animal and pick up the front
leg by grasping it above the knee, and gently pull it
forward. Pull the leg gently to the outside and across in
front of the other forelimb. Pull the leg to the outside
and then finally backward towards the hindlimbs. During the
stretch of the hindlegs, grasp the leg just below the hock
while standing next to the front shoulder of the animal,
and pull forward slowly. The hindlimb may also be gently
tugged out to the side and then directly backwards. These
stretches should be held for 10-15 seconds in each
direction. If the animal becomes uncomfortable, they should
be stopped and attempted at a later date. These maneuvers
are extremely helpful in adding flexibility and suppleness
to the muscles of the shoulder, elbow, hip, and epaxial
(back) muscles.
Making the animal reach down to the ground,
high up in the air, or around to the side of its body for a
favorite treat are what's known as "carrot stretches."
These stretches are extremely useful for dressage animals
and those doing tight circling maneuvers and will improve
flexibility and tone in the neck and shoulder muscles.
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