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| Types of Conditioning A conditioning program involves three different, but complementary, types of conditioning:
Importance of Sport Specificity Equestrian sports encompass a diverse range of activities and an equally diverse range of conditioning methods are needed to address the specific requirements of different horses, riders and sports. To get the maximal benefit from a conditioning program requires an individual approach. Factors to be considered include the age and training history of the horse, the nature of the sport, the level of competition, and previous injuries to the horse that may affect performance or soundness. Dressage as a sport does not require a high level of cardiovascular fitness compared with eventing, racing or polo, though some dressage horses may be deficient in this area. Suppleness and strength, however, are extremely important for producing a good performance. This article will focus on strength training, an area that is often neglected in preparing the equine athlete for higher levels of competition.
The Need for Strength Training Although horses can certainly succeed without strength training, it is probable that many fail to reach the pinnacle of success through lack of strength. Improvements in muscular strength, not only enhance performance, but also prevent injuries by reducing the risk of muscular strains and through stabilizing the joints more effectively. The importance of joint stability should not be underestimated; in human athletes it has been suggested that more than half of the injuries in sports could be prevented by proper strength training. The best results accrue when strength training exercises are specific to the requirements of the sport. Non-specific strength training builds irrelevant muscle mass, which acts as a handicap; the additional weight increases energy expenditure, adds to the load on the limbs, and hinders heat dissipation during exercise. So the first step in designing a strength training program for dressage horses is to define the needs of the sport. It was stated earlier that strength training improves the strength, power or endurance of the muscles. Let's begin by defining each of these terms.
Sports that require muscular strength and power are those that call for an explosive burst of near maximal activity as in taking off over a jump or accelerating rapidly from a standing start. For these activities, high intensity strength training is used, with a relatively small number of repetitions of the exercise. Progressive loading is accomplished by increasing the intensity rather than the duration of exercise, so the muscles work harder not longer. Muscular endurance is required when submaximal contractions are performed repeatedly over a period of time, as in doing multiple steps of piaffe or passage. Strength training for improving muscular endurance is performed at a lower intensity, but a larger number of repetitions are performed. Progressive loading is achieved by increasing the number of repetitions, so the muscles work longer rather than harder. If we put this in the context of dressage, airs above the ground require strength and power, but this is not the goal for most of us. Dressage horses that are being prepared for competition at medium and advanced levels need to build endurance in the muscles that are active during collection. These muscles contract repeatedly stride after stride, and by improving the endurance of these muscles we allow the horse to perform longer periods of collected work without becoming fatigued. To maximize the beneficial effect, the strength training program should be based on exercises that activate the appropriate muscles and mimic the range and speed of joint motion during the dressage movements.
Effects of Strength Training If a horse performs the same amount of exercise every day, he reaches and maintains a certain level of fitness and strength, but does not continue to become fitter or stronger. Improvements in strength result from gradual increases in the amount of strength training exercises; after each incremental increase the new workload is maintained for a period of time to allow the body to adapt before another increase is applied. The alternation of an increment in the workload with a period of adaptation is known as progressive loading. If exercise ceases or is reduced in amount, the exercise-induced changes in muscle strength are reversed. The short term effect of a strenuous work session is to produce microscopic damage within the muscle tissue which usually heals within 2 days. Through repeated cycles of damage and repair, the muscles adapt to the regular strength training exercises. In the long term, these adaptations enhance the muscles' ability to perform the required amount of work. Insufficient strength training fails to produce a beneficial adaptation, but too much strength training or insufficient recovery time between workouts leads to overloading injuries. The risk of overloading is reduced by performing different types of exercise on successive days and by allowing easy days between strenuous workouts. The muscular system responds rapidly to a strength training program, with significant changes being produced in only a few weeks. In contrast, the supporting structures in the limbs (bones, ligaments, tendons) adapt more slowly over a period of many months. Consequently, in the early stages of a conditioning program, the workload must be well within the horse's rapidly increasing muscular capacity to avoid overloading injuries in the tendons and ligaments. When the goal is to improve muscular strength or endurance, strength training exercises should be integrated into the training sessions two or three times a week, which balances the need for sufficient muscular stimulation with enough rest for tissue regeneration. To maintain the current level of muscular strength, it is only necessary to perform strength training exercises once per week.
Strength Training Methods for Dressage Horses Because horses cannot be trained to lift weights or work resistance machines, we must be somewhat innovative in devising strength training exercises that load the relevant muscle groups in an appropriate manner. Gradients, gymnastic jumping, repetitions of sport-specific movements, the application of additional weight and working the horse in deep sand have been used to good effect. The use of an interval training (IT) format involves performing a period of intense exercise followed by a recovery interval that allows partial recovery of the heart and respiratory rates and dissipation of some of the accumulated lactic acid. For strength training exercises, an appropriate ratio between the work periods and the recovery intervals is in the range of 1:5 to 1:6. In other words, the recovery periods should five to six times longer than the work periods. During the recovery intervals, the horse performs easy (low intensity) work and suppling exercises.
Gradients Gradients vary in steepness and direction. Uphill gradients develop power in the hindquarters. This type of exercise is more relevant in the early stages of training when one of the goals is to develop the horse's propulsive ability. An IT format is used for strength training on steep, uphill gradients, the ascent at a walk or canter is the work and the descent at a walk is the recovery. (It's better not to trot up steep inclines due to the rotational forces on the horse's sacroiliac joints). Steep downhill slopes should be negotiated at a walk because there is an increase in trauma to the bones and joints at faster gaits that precipitates the development of arthritic changes. A gradual downhill gradient is sometimes used to deveolop a high degree of collection because the effort required to establish and maintain collection on a downhill slope is exaggerated compared with working on the flat. When the horse goes back to working on the flat, the work seems much easier. Typically piaffe is trained in this manner, but collected trot and canter can also benefit.
Gymnastic Jumping The use of gymnastic jumping for strength training is based on using a grid of fences that are jumped in an IT format: jumping through the grid is the work, and the return to the start of the exercise at a walk or trot is the recovery interval. Variables in the construction of a jumping grid include the height, width and number of fences, and the distance between them. For dressage horses, it is appropriate to use gymnastic grids during the early stages of training to develop propulsion in the hind limbs and, like uphill gradients, their use is most valuable in the early stages of training. The fences should be small (1½ -2' high) and set at bounce or one-stride distances. During each take off the joints of the hind limb flex then extend in a similar manner to that of weight-bearing during collection. Progressive loading is accomplished by increasing the number of fences or by increasing the number of repetitions in a set, while maintaining the small size of the fences. For those who prefer not get airborne, the horse can be loose schooled over fences or ridden by someone else. It is important to note that jumping exercises are only useful if the horse jumps in good form with his back round. If not, there is no benefit in trying to use this as a strength training method.
Sport Specific Movements Another method of strength training is to repeat the movements of the sport in an IT format. For example, multiple repetitions of the steps of piaffe or passage can be used to improve neuromuscular coordination and strengthen the muscles in a highly sport-specific manner, provided the movement is performed correctly. If the technique is incorrect, the wrong muscles are trained and the results are deleterious to performance. As an example, you might perform 6 steps of piaffe then proceed around a large circle in collected trot with some shoulder in and travers to supple the horse. On returning to your starting point repeat exercise. Initially, your IT might consist of 4 repetitions each consisting of 6 steps of piaffe followed by a circle at trot. This would be performed three times per week on alternate days. Each week you could increase the number of steps (increments of 2 steps) or the number of repetitions (add one repetition at a time) to produce a gradual improvement in highly sport-specific muscular endurance. By building up in this manner, in 9 weeks you could be doing 6 repetitions of 20 steps of piaffe. The trainer must guard against the horse's natural tendency to use compensatory actions (i.e. use the wrong muscle groups) when the muscles start to fatigue, which is counterproductive to strength training. As soon as fatigue occurs, the strength training exercises are stopped, even if the routine has not been completed, and the horse is warmed down. The key to using the movements of the sport successfully as a strength training aid is to perform sufficient repetitions to stimulate a muscular response without sacrificing good technique.
Weight Training In applying weight-training to horses we must distinguish between the type of weight training that loads the horse's limbs during the propulsive phase of the stride from weight training that loads the limbs when they are being elevated and which might improve the expressiveness of the horse's movement. The addition of a weight cloth (similar to that used by racehorses) forces the horse to work harder. This may have some merit for a lightweight rider on a large horse. A rule of thumb is that the weight of the rider plus saddle and weight cloth can be increased up to 15% of the horse's body weight. A 17 hh warmblood typically weighs between 1,300-1,500 lb and could carry 195-225 lb during training. The addition of weights to the lower limbs is aimed specifically at strengthening the muscles that are used to raise the limbs as they swing forward and to produce a more expressive type of movement. If the weights are added further down the limbs, their effect is greater. Heavy shoes are one way to apply this type of training; an alternative is to use sausage weights around the pasterns. Start by using a few ounces for about 5 minutes and increase gradually up to 2 lb for 15 minutes. When using weights, restrict the work to the collected gaits (in hand or under saddle). This is because the weights increase the momentum of the leg as it swings forward and there is a risk that the horse may lose control over placement of the limb on the ground during the medium and extended gaits.
Loose, Deep Surfaces Working the horse in moderately deep sand has some value as a strength training aid due to the tendency of sand to give way as the hoof pushes off against it. As a result, the horse must exert greater muscular force to produce the same propulsion when working on loose sand compared with a more stable surface. As with all strength training exercises, the work on sand should be introduced carefully and increased gradually. It is particularly important to condition on sand if this is the surface the horse will compete on. Don't overdo it though, and avoid extended work periods on deep sand to minimize the risk of tendon and ligament injuries. Remember, tendons and ligaments take much longer to adapt than the muscles.  For more detailed information about The McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine, please visit the The McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine Website at The McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine
Dr. Hilary M. Clayton
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