Warren Lamperd is an Australian eventing rider based at White Hart Stables in the UK. He has a UK Coaching Council Level III qualification, with both British Showjumping and British Eventing and is studying for an MSc in Coaching Science; in this article he takes a look at some of the things to consider when working a horse, developing its fitness and designing an equine fitness programme
An equine athletes’ fitness program is based on several things. What is it the horse is aiming for, how fit does he have to be, what part of the athlete has to be fit (i.e. what sort of function is the horse performing), are all considerations in designing and evaluating a horses fitness.
Traditionally it could be said that in many respects equine fitness has been a subjective art, with no real gauge of fitness other than how did the equine athlete perform and recover at competition. Only through the depth of the rider’s experience, often developed through trial and error, can an individual have a `feel’ for how fit an animal is in relation to what is required of it. Indeed, in the need for the rider to feel that they have done all they can is the possibility of overworking a horse in relation to what is required resulting in a greater risk of injury. Indicators of fitness such as how quickly a horse’s heart rate returns to normal after exercise gives an indication of comparative fitness but can’t specifically tell us at what rate the heart was working and for how long.
The basic science is that a horse working with a heart rate above 180 beats per minute (bpm) is producing energy in the muscles using anaerobic respiration. They are breaking down stored energy in the muscle cells without using oxygen and producing lactic acid as a by product. This process can power the animal to work at a increased rate but not for prolonged periods. Below 180bpm energy is being produced by aerobic respiration. Horses on cross-country will work into the anaerobic range, particularly at higher levels of competition. To this end the fitness work must develop anaerobic fitness.
One of the challenges in producing equine fitness is knowing if the horse is working above the anaerobic threshold, 180bpm. This is illustrated by a study Dr David Marlin that looked at heart rate data for equine athletes under preparation for 3* competition in Australia. Dr David Marlin is an equine physiologist and is based at Newmarket in the UK who did a lot of work for the Atlanta and Beijing Olympics and how the horse would cope in those conditions. In the study on the Australian horses showed very rarely where the heart rates pushed up to the point required to increase a horses anaerobic fitness, that is 180bpm, and when they did it was never for a sustained period.
The result was horses going to competition with their bodies in good shape but without the horses really being fit enough to perform and recover to the best of their ability. When a horse is competing cross country it’s heart rate will be towards it’s maximum, about 220bpm, for anywhere between six and 12 minutes depending on the competition. From a competitive viewpoint the equine will be tired and subject to injury later in the cross country. It will then have a reduced capacity to recover for the final day’s show jumping.
When a horse is competing cross country it’s heart rate will be towards it’s maximum
One of the best tools available to give real riders and trainers a real tool to monitor fitness programs with is a heart rate monitor. This is worn like a watch by the rider and has monitors attached to the horse that measure actual heart rate. Using a tool such as this the work program can be set up to suit the individual horse so that the work the horse does is set at the level required to work the heart at the desired rate. The program can then also be adjusted as the athlete increased in fitness. You can even get heart rate monitors with GPS sensors to give you speed and positioning information so you can map your movement on appropriate software, keep a check on distances travelled at what speed, and then keep your program and results on calendar that allows you to map the horse’s progress.
When a horse starts a fitness program its fitness will increase rapidly. A graph of fitness versus work shows a rapid increase in fitness with work that starts to slow as the work is increased, ultimately plateauing out at the maximum capacity for that animal. Racehorses work towards this high level of fitness. It requires a lot of work for small increases in fitness when working at this end of the fitness spectrum. With the level of work comes the increase in the risk of injury.
Horses are very good at maintaining their fitness level. If the horse in training has to miss fitness work for a week or two their will be little loss of fitness. This allows riders to consider a few options that may be beneficial for the horse. In the fitness program it is possible to build in light weeks were the horses workload is significantly reduced allowing it time to recover from any niggling injuries it may be carrying, before upping the work again. Another possibility is tapering the horse off before a major event or three day, allowing it to freshen up for a competition. Many riders will work the horse even harder in the week before a competition, which may have a detrimental effect on the horse physically and psychologically. The horse will be aware that things are changing and something is coming up, possibly resulting in a tension that isn’t normally there. You are going to stress the horse physically in competing so it wants to be in the best condition for the event.
It is important to train in a way that will reflect the conditions the equine will encounter when competing. If the course is going to be hilly, for example, then the horse should have hill work in its program. Going up a hill takes far more out of a horse than going down. For example going up a 10% gradient requires twice the energy to maintain the same speed. This is also to condition the horse’s body to the strains it will encounter as well as for the cardiovascular system to adjust.
When actually competing there are several things that should be considered when planning how to ride a course. Changes in direction and speed require significantly more energy to perform than a consistent speed and line. A good rider who stays in balance riding a smooth line and a relatively constant speed will have a lot more horse at the end of the cross country. Rider technique is very important. Other factors to consider are the going, heavy ground requires a lot more energy to travel in, the temperature, it is 20% harder for the horse to operate at 30 degrees Celsius than at 20 degrees, and the weight the horse has to carry.
This is just a taster of all the things to consider when working a horse and developing its fitness. It is of the utmost importance that the horse is actually doing the work it needs to be doing. This is for the horse’s well being as well as your own.
Article by Warren Lamperd
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