The competition season has been underway for nearly a month, and we’re seeing customers looking forward to the return of more outdoor shows and, hopefully, better weather. In this blog we’re exploring a topic that will help your horse stay fit and healthy throughout the season, and that’s recovery after competitions.
Why is it important to support your horse’s recovery after competition?
Hard exercise places pressure on your horse’s bones, muscles and soft tissue, as well as being tiring for them. Just like human athletes need to set aside time for rest and recovery, it’s important that we do the same for equine athletes. That way, their bodies can heal ready for your next training session or competition. In this piece we’ve divided our tips and advice into two areas – actions to take immediately after hard exercise, and then things you can do in the following days to boost recovery. We hope they help you keep your horse in top form and ready for your biggest days together.
What to do immediately after intense work to help your horse recover
- Let them drink as much as they like. First up, we’re doing a spot of myth busting! You might have been told in the past that horses should not be allowed to drink a lot of water immediately after exercise, but this has been proven to be totally untrue. They can have unlimited water as soon as they finish exercise, and it will do them no harm – and certainly not cause colic. In fact, boosting hydration will help their muscles recover more quickly. Just make sure you keep them moving in between drinks, as per our next point! You may choose to add electrolytes but be wary if you’re not sure your horse will drink with them in the water – if that’s the case, try a paste or a powder you add to a sloppy feed once they’ve cooled off.
- Cool them off with walking and a wash off. You need to walk your horse for 10 to 15 minutes after exercise to help them cool off and bring their heart and respiration rate down steadily. If the weather is hot, wash them off with cool water periodically, then continue walking them. You can monitor their breathing by watching their nostrils or flanks and extend the cool down if they are still blowing. If the weather is particularly chilly then remember to pop a cooler or sheet on after washing a horse down.
- Leave water on when it’s hot. Another myth to bust here, and one that the legendary Dr. David Marlin has been shouting from the rooftops for years! If the weather is warm, don’t scrape the water off when you’ve washed a horse down. Just leave it to run off and evaporate. People will sometimes argue that the water forms a layer in and on their coat that traps heat against the skin, but that is nonsense. The cooling effect of evaporation will help remove body heat, so in warm weather leave that water there. You can and should use sweat scrapers to your heart’s content during cooler or cold weather, of course!
- Let them eat as soon as their vital signs are back to normal. This is more advice from Dr. Marlin and it’s very important to note two things. One, that this feed is only given once the horse’s respiratory and heart rate and temperature are back to normal levels, or very close. And second, that this feed should be mainly forage with a small to medium hard feed if needed. Feeding as soon as possible after intense exercise helps to optimise recovery and replenish glycogen stores in the muscles. Make sure you offer water and forage at the same time, as a dehydrated horse could suffer from an impaction colic if they are allowed to eat dry forage in large quantities.
How to help your horse recover after competition in the days afterwards
- Give them the time and space to rest. A horse that’s undertaken hard training will be tired, and a horse that’s done that intense exercise at a competition will be even more tired. The change of scenery, travel, stress and excitement will add to the fatigue, so give your horse time to rest. That means a quiet stable with a comfortable bed, or a field where they feel safe to lie down and sleep – that often means being able to see companions. If you’re staying overnight at an event, try not to sit in the stable with them or interrupt their rest too much!
- Keep them moving. Just like humans, a horse’s muscles may feel stiff and sore after exercise. That’s thought to be due to micro tears in the muscles and waste products from cell respiration, and both will be improved with gentle movement. That might be in the form of in hand walking or a session on a water treadmill. This gentle movement without the weight of a rider helps to remove waste products from the muscles and that supports their recovery.
- Do some stretching and massage with them. Some stable stretches, using a carrot for the front end, is a great way to see if they have more stiffness in one area. You can look up some at-home massage techniques for your horse on YouTube (ideally from a qualified veterinary physio) or book a session with a physio to work out any niggles and identify areas to work on.
- Gradually return to ridden work. A light hack is a great way to return your horse to ridden work, as you can ask them to collect and stretch without overloading their muscles. It’s also a nice change of scenery for them after being on the road for competitions. Depending on the level of exertion they are recovering from, this could take place two to three days after the competition and then gradually increase the intensity of work.
We hope these tips are helpful, and don’t forget that here at Thorpe Farm you can book water treadmill sessions after events to help your horse recover and bring them for gallops session and cross-country schooling in the run up to your next event. Take a closer look at our facilities here.