I've had quite a few people asking me about getting horses going again after their long winter off. Understandably, people are concern with getting their horses back into shape without causing stress, trauma or damage to the horse. Of course, people are also trying to find a way to put their horses back together in a way that fits their demanding schedule as well. Here are some thoughts and tips that will get you and your horse ready for the season, without breaking the clock.
The best place to start is with lots of walking. Walking is great, low impact exercise for the horse physically and mentally. Bear in mind, if your horse has had the better part of the winter off, he's not going to be very fit, and it's going to take a little time for his body to catch up physically. Even if the horse is willing, or wanting to do lots of trotting right out of the gate, you'll be best served starting at the start. The walk is one of the most useful and important gaits for training a horse.
When I was starting out as a horse trainer, I was lucky enough to work around some trainers that impressed the importance of a good walk upon me. One old timer told me. "Andy, just remember, any fool can make a horse trot." Another trainer I was taking dressage lessons from told me that if horse can achieve a skill at the walk, it is world easier to perfect similar skills in every gait. These truths have served me well. The walk is the fundamental gait that is so often overlooked as a building block.
Give your horse a solid two weeks of walking. I know you think that this will bore your sox off, but you can make it interesting useful. For the first couple of days, just walk with out expectations. Take the walk the horse wants to walk, as long it's not rushed or jiggy. Every time the horse asks "Trot now?", say "walk" and settle back to a regular walk. Once this is well established, you can start playing with the walk.
Really listen to the walk. Try to change the rhythm. Start by trying to make the walk really arrhythmic. Interfere with your horse's walk to the point that the strides are so out of sync with one another that the horse looks off. Then, see what it takes to bring the walk back into an even, regular rhythm. (Hint; put the reins together in your left hand, and use your right hand on both reins to give steady half halts in the rhythm you are looking for.) When you begin to understand how to manipulate your horse's rhythm, you can start working on the tempo. You can go as far as your horse's temperament allows. Try slowing the walk to the absolutely crazy slowest possible walk with having the horse fall right over. Then try to maintain that pokey tempo. Next, gradually start pushing the horse on into a fast walk. How close can you get the horse to breaking, without breaking into a jog or a trot? What's the fastest walk he can sustain for 2 full minutes?
Don't increase contact to slow your horse's walk as if you are holding onto a hand break. Instead, give little light half halts that interfere with his forward motion. Conversely, when you ask the horse to walk on, don't throw the contact away! It's not unusual for a horse to require a slightly firmer contact to maintain a fast walk than the would normally need.
Next, start playing with the horse's length of frame. Use consistent half halts, bring the reins a little closer to your chest with every other half halt, thereby shortening the horse's frame. When your horse seems to have compressed as much as it is comfortable with, SLOWLY let your hands forward over the length of a dozen strides. You are trying to lure the horse out and down, to a longer, lower way of going. Go as far as your horse will follow, but when you loose contact, stop moving your hand forward. Repeat this exercise 6 or 8 times, looking for slightly more compression and stretching with each cycle.
Perhaps one of the greatest ways to build fitness and suspension in a horse is through transitions. Getting the mass of a horse or pony moving, then slowing that mass requires far more energy than simply allowing it move at a constant speed. In upward and downward transitions, the horse engages his hind quarters, from the hamstrings, over the rump and into the back. He also flexes the abdominals and quadriceps as he reaches his hind legs further under the body drive, or slow the weight. The engagement learned in transitions will later be used to develop balance and suspension.
As you become competent at the walk exercises I've already given you above, you can begin to ask for the changes more rapidly. In time these changes in tempo with in the walk can represent transitions. This will not only build fitness, but will more clearly define the different stages and types of walking you are getting from your horse.
Next, start doing walk to halt transitions at regular intervals. Pay attention to the rhythm and tempo you developed in the walk. Give your horse a light, but clear half halt, followed by a clear release, the request the halt (don't just pull your horse to a halt). If your horse begins to anticipate the halt when you start your half halt, you are on the right track. Reward your horse!
This is also a great opportunity to test the adjustment of your breeching and traces. If you have a bunch of movement in the carriage after your horse has halted, you have too much slop in your hitching. This makes it difficult for you to be articulate with your rein aides, and punishes your horse for halting with a big shove after he's done what you asked.
There shouldn't be more than 4-8 inches of play between the horse being in the traces, or on the breeching. When the horse stands, the breeching and traces should both appear moderately snug, but not taught. Push the carriage back, as if the horse is in draft, and the breeching should slacken slightly, but not fall away from the hind quarters. Push the carriage forward, and the breeching should be tight, but the traces should slacken slightly. Make sure your shaft tugs are not being pushed way ahead of the saddle as you halt, or are being dragged way behind the saddle as you walk off. If they are, you need to snug things up!
When your walk-halt-walk transitions have become smooth and predictable move on to walk-trot-walk transitions. Do four or five transitions in row, sustaining neither a walk or trot for more time than it takes to establish a good rhythm in either gait. 20 or 30 seconds should be long enough at each gait. Let the horse walk for a minute, then do one or two walk-halt transitions. Provided things are going smoothly, you can begin to string the transitions together. Trot-walk-halt-walk-trot. As your horse's fitness improves he may become strong and balanced enough to do trot to halt transitions, with only a stride or two of walk in between. Intermediate and advanced level horses should progress on to trot-halt-trot transitions with no walking steps in between, then move on to trot-canter transitions.
In the beginning days and weeks of these exercises you'll see that this is a lot of work for your horse. Progress through at a rate that is appropriate for your horse. You are looking for quiet, smooth transitions at each level, before progressing to the next. As you horse develops the physical and mental stamina to perform each type of transition they will become easier and more balanced. But be patient. I've had horses that take months to progress through the more demanding transitions.
If you do these correctly, and you are careful with your half halts, you'll develop a horse that is fit, and supple. Continue these exercises throughout the year, using them as warm ups for other activities. Remember to spend the last 20% of your working time walking your horse. The more days you get home with a cooled out horse, the better you are doing getting him fit.