1	Physical Fitness for Horses and Riders Kerri A. Belsito, DVM Equine Performance Specialists of the Rockies
2	Fitness Musculo-skeletal Cardiovascular Mental Human covered by Dr. Nacey! Your horse
3	Program Design Assess fitness level ID weak areas and potential obstacles Design plan to meet goals allowing adequate time for building CV and MS system Adjust plan as necessary for new obstacles or injury Allow recovery time when necessary
4	Truth The physical fitness of the horse and rider is a directly affective relationship. The result can be positive or negative. Be Aware! A true team must feel good and be “ON” together.
5	Different Sports, Different Requirements Sprinters Endurance Long distance runners Eventers Dressage Jumpers
6	General obstacles Your time and/or commitment level Mentally unhappy horse/rider Location/weather/footing/equipment/etc. Physically unhealthy horse/rider
7	CV Fitness Obstacles Respiratory disease (leaving decreased functional lung capacity) Asthma Allergies COPD/SAID Infection-bacterial, viral or fungal Bleeders Roarers (laryngeal paralysis) DDSP Altitude Heart Anemia (low red blood cells)
8	MS Fitness Obstacles Injury-acute, chronic Scarring Pain Compensatory issues Altitude
9	Mental Fitness Equine Nutrition Comfort Turnout
10	Pillars of Health Nutrition Immune system Veterinary care Mental Health
11	Muscle function Requires proper electrolyte balance Calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise Slow oxidative muscle fibers Fast oxidative muscle fibers Fast glycolytic fibers
12	Stretching and Warm Up Ambient temperature Core muscle temperature Respiratory function Does no good to stretch cold muscles!!!!!
13	Muscle’s response to exercise Number of muscle fibers constant in adults Changes in muscle size (+ or -) are a result of a difference in size of individual fibers and the metabolic capacity of the fibers
14	Long duration, low intensity exercise Long distance running and swimming Endurance horses Increase number of mitochondria and capillaries in muscle fibers Leads to increased capacity for endurance with a minimum of fatigue
15	Short duration, high intensity exercise Sprinters, barrel racers, weight lifting Increases in muscle fiber diameter in response to this type of exercise
16	"Eventers and long distance sprinters..." Eventers and long distance sprinters utilize both aerobic and anaerobic mechanisms & all 3 types of muscle fibers
17	Age The max force generated by a muscle decreases by 30-40% between ages 30 and 80 due largely to a decrease in average muscle diameter The ability of muscle to adapt to exercise decreases with age likely due to lack of ability to synthesize protein Nutrition hint…higher protein levels are acceptable and necessary in geriatrics!
18	Muscle fatigue Different types of muscle fibers will fatigue at different rates and require varying recovery periods Short duration, high intensity fatigue is a result of lactic acid buildup Long duration, low intensity fatigue appears to be the related to glycogen metabolism and its depletion from muscle.
19	"Different muscles for different jobs" Different muscles for different jobs Recovery times up to 48 hours 45% of horse’s body weight is skeletal muscle
20	Muscle cramps and tetany Related to electrolyte imbalances
21	Core Strength Builders Pilates Yoga T’ai Chi Martial arts Regardless of which school of core strength training you belong, you should be striving to control your breathing, achieve relaxation, concentration, control, balance and fluidity which leads to increased strength and flexibility, freedom and control
22	Strength Training Build muscle Prevent bone loss Aid in balance Increase metabolism Lose fat
23	Bone density-human female Max at ~age 25 Steady in active 25-35 year olds Over age 35, loss of ~1%/year First five years after menopause, lose ~2%/year Strength Training along with a proper diet and decrease of risk factors (smoking, excessive alcohol consumption) can halt bone loss and even increase bone density up to 1%/year
24	Equine Bone Density Must get from impact work May take up to 6 months for proper adjustments/remodeling in response to new career Can be lost in 6 weeks of lay up
25	Cardiovascular Builders Aerobic exercise Running Swimming Equipment: stair master, elliptical, etc.
26	Balance Requires core strength Hours in the saddle!!! Cavaletti “Cavaletti work continually tests and improves the rider’s ability to maintain balance and bring the center of gravity in line with that of the horse.”
27	Footing For rehabbing injuries, footing matters Different sports, different footing Id stress factors, shoe accordingly
28	Pain Modulation NSAIDS Supplements/other anti-inflammatories Acupuncture Physical Therapy Shock wave, laser, magnet, light therapies
29	Mark Todd “One thing that you must never underestimate is the part that schooling on the flat plays in the fitness program of an event horse. I like to spend between 20 and 30 minutes schooling in basic dressage with a few simple jumping exercise included. Additionally, I prefer to incorporate a hack with a varied degree of trotting and hill work depending on where I am in my training with a particular horse. If you cannot school your horse often, your time hacking will need to be more demanding, so it may incorporate longer trotting periods, more hill work, extended cantering, etc.
30	Mark Todd, cont. “I typically do not work my horses for more than 1.5 hours in any given day. If I am looking to make the workout more intense, I will have them trot most of that time or they can do more hill work. Typically, the actual speed and endurance test does not take much longer than 1.5 hours so I don’t think there is any point in hacking your horse for hours on end. The combination of schooling and hacking is essential for building up strength and balance.
31	Mark Todd, cont. “I should also mention that I like to vary the horses’ routines so that they do not think that a hack always precedes their schooling. Some days, I take them straight to the schooling exercises, just as if they were at a competition. Additionally, I try to vary the timing of my schooling so that all of my horses are used to working in the morning, midday and afternoon. Given that a competition may have you riding at various times, if your horse is used to being worked only in the morning, he may become resistant or upset if he is suddenly asked to work in the afternoon.
32	Mark Todd, cont. “The key with this and all training is to establish a goal, create a schedule and work to this schedule with minor adjustments as needed. Training is a process and for both you and your horse, the combination of schooling and hacking provide a great resource to develop physically and mentally over different terrain, through various types of weather and with different stimuli present.”
33	Goals Partnership Comfort Plausible plan Adjustments Avoid Injury
34	References The Classical Seat Sylvia Loch Balance in Movement-The Seat of the Rider Susanne von Dietze Strong Women Stay Young Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D.
35	References Complete Cavalletti, Peter Lichtner-Hoyer The Pilates Powerhouse Mari Winsor Equine Locomotion Hilary Clayton & Willem Back
36	THANK YOU!!!! Questions? Comments?