How to bring your horse back into work after injury

Kevin McNab gives top tips on how to bring a horse back into work following injury

Bringing your horse back into work following injury will require time, patience and a plan. You’ll no doubt be eager to climb back onboard, but depending on the type of injury and how your horse has been managed, will alter the plan you put together to start working your horse back to fitness.

In this article, Team McNab eventing shares their thoughts and tips on how to work on fitness after injury by shedding light on what to do during this crucial period in your horse’s career.

Bringing your horse back into work

Injuries are an inevitable part of competing and after enforced time out of work the rehabilitation process back to full fitness can be tricky. Therefore, finding the right programme depending on the type of injury is crucial.

After a break from riding, it is important to work closely with your vet to decide when the time is right to start and there are certain factors to take into consideration, such as how long the horse has been out of action, their age, breed, management surrounding the recovery and if they have lost a considerable amount of fitness. This will determine how long the road back to fitness is likely to take.

Before starting their journey to fitness again, it is also important to consider their routine, regime and requirements. Ask yourself, do you need to make any adjustments to their daily schedule now they are back to work?

Team McNab’s Advice

As competitive event riders, Kevin and Emma McNab know only too well the highs and lows of training horses and the disappointment often felt when an injury ends a promising season.

However, with the ability to bring horses back their previous, fulfilling and successful career under saddle, Kevin and Emma McNab are the perfect hosts to quiz for their tips and advice on bringing a horse back into work following an injury.

Consider Your End Goal

If you have a competition in mind, work back from the date of the event to build your regime accordingly. If you just enjoy leisure riding the process is likely to be easier and more a case of building up the workload gradually, over time.

At the very beginning of the rehabilitation process assess your horse and understand any weakness they possess as this will affect the plan. If your horse lacks muscle or is weak behind the saddle, more time will be needed to build fitness slowly.

Remember that warming up and cooling down is very important when building fitness, helping to keep your horse as comfortable as possible and muscles in the best condition.

Gradually Increase Workloads…

The first few weeks must be spent slowly building up the cardiovascular work. Walking on roads helps to strengthen ligaments and tendons and hacking is preferred to schooling as working in straight lines places less stress on the joints.

Further into the regime, hill work can be incorporated as this is great for building fitness and increasing muscle on the hind quarters. After all, this is the engine of the horse!

An ideal plan for an event horse returning to full fitness would involve one month of walking, one month of trotting before moving on to canter work in the third month.

Rest Well…

Not only is your horse’s exercise programme essential to the rehabilitation progress, the quality of their rest time is too!

When bringing a horse back from rest always allow plenty of time to get them fit and allow an extra two weeks for any setbacks. Short cuts only lead to pulled muscles and more time off.

Fitness is also about more than just building your horse’s stamina, it is a combination of work, grooming and feeding. It is vital to feed according to workload, gradually increasing the rations to meet the demands of the extra energy requirements.

Keep a close eye out for pain or injury, especially on your horse’s legs as they will be undergoing large amounts of loading. Always check your horse’s legs before and after every exercise session, this is the only way you will notice any changes.

Conclusion

Time and a good plan working back from where you want to be are two main points to consider when bringing your horse back into work. Take your time, work on cardiovascular fitness and keep an eye out for any new injuries as you go. Discuss any concerns with your vet and ask for their thoughts on how best bring your horse back into work.