Is 20 Minutes Enough?
The short answer? Nope! Keep reading for the why…
Now, I’m not talking about a 20 minute walk around the property, or a leisurely trail ride on a nice day. I’m talking about when the focus is maintenance, conditioning, strengthening, etc. or “real work.” If you are planning to WORK your horse or even “tune up,” then 20 minutes is simply not enough.
Why’s that? Because where’s the warm-up and cool-down going? Hear me out… If you’re on for a total of 20 minutes, how are you PROPERLY warming your horse up AND cooling them down on either side of the actual work? I hear your next question coming, “well how long am I supposed to warm-up and cool-down for?” Let’s talk about it.
If your horse is in the prime of their life and the weather is absolutely perfect - their body needs ten minutes of walk time to prep for work. During this time, their tendons and ligaments will warm up and become more elastic, the synovial fluids in their joints can get going, and their muscles can warm and begin to gently lengthen and contract to prep for more intense work. Not allowing your horse’s body this time is dangerous and leaves them prone to serious injuries.
Some common injuries that are often preventable with adequate training plans:
Tendon/ligament tears
Muscle strains & pulled muscles
Joint inflammation
Microfractures
Choosing to skip a proper cool-down is another thing I see frequently across all disciplines. We decide once the work is done, a lap around the arena is sufficient and it’s time to dismount and get the horse back to the barn. While often the intent is to cold hose quickly and help them return to their normal state - skipping the cool-down phase is just as detrimental to their physical health. It’s important to allow their bodies to gradually come down from work, return the cardiovascular, soft tissue, and skeletal system to its relaxed state. Hopping off after a lap of walking (or even only walking from the arena to the barn) and heading to the wash rack won’t help your horse’s body regulate well, including their soft tissue recovery.
Movement is key. Horses need to move in order to function well, recover efficiently, and perform at their best.
While it seems kind to keep rides short especially in very cold or very hot temperatures, these are times when their bodies need more help prepping for and recovering form work. So, if you plan to do more than walk your horse around, 20 minutes is simply not enough time. If you’re going to be jumping, doing collection work, running barrels, etc. warm-up and cool-down are ESPECIALLY important as you’re already adding more stress on the cardiovascular system, soft tissue, tendons/ligaments, and joints. Don’t skimp on the prep and recovery phases of work.
If you’ve read this far, and you’re waiting for me to explain how to make the warm-up and cool-down phases less boring… You’re in luck! I’ve already created a great guide to help you keep things interesting for you and your horse. My Warm-Up Guide will not only switch things up, but it will prep your horse’s body and mind for whatever work you’ve got planned that day. The exercises are helpful for all disciplines and have multiple focuses with lots of lateral work. To use these through your initial warm-up and later cool-down, you’ll simply execute the day’s routine at the walk. If you want to incorporate the exercises into your actual work for that day, you can continue through them at the trot and canter. Tap the link below to get yours!
TLDR;
Leaving out proper warm-up and cool-down time is dangerous for your horse. It leaves their joints susceptible to injury and inflammation, it leaves their tendons and ligaments poorly warmed and susceptible to tears, and leaves muscles susceptible to tears, strains, and poor recovery.
Do your horse a favor and skip the working ride if you don’t have enough time. At the SHORTEST, a ride should be 30 minutes from the time your ass hits the saddle to the time your feet hit the ground (for a scheduled dismount).