How to avoid injury

WHO CARES, HAS IT! A horse weighs over 500 kg live weight and it is worth remembering this before you start demanding pirouettes and jumps from your steeds worthy of the European Championships.

To avoid injuries, it is worth following a few basic rules when using your mounts. Of course, horses that go out into the paddock and pasture are much less exposed to injuries, as well as horses that have the opportunity to walk on uneven terrain and are therefore taught to take prudent steps and choose their route carefully. I don't want to mention horses that stand in stalls and go out only for training, because treating animals in this way, which by their nature are created to try on the steppes, is not only a way to constant injuries, but above all it is psychological mutilation living beings.

It is worth remembering that a well-prepared horse for training is a horse that will enjoy it as much as we do.

Below you will find some practical rules that, if used regularly, can prevent injuries:

• We always move the horse one step forward and only then sideways

  
  

• If you know how to stretch horses, it is worth spending a few minutes on such exercises in the stable. However, let's remember about our physical capabilities and our spine, especially since we often come to the stable after a whole day at work and in the car.

  
  

• If the horse has a chance to stand under the solarium before training, this is an ideal situation, but it should not be an excuse to shorten the walk time.

  
  

• If we have a shod horse, we wear boots protectors or wraps for training (necessarily with pads to ensure even pressure on the limbs). Elastic wraps are not intended for training, and their incorrect use may lead to tearing or rupture of tendons!!

  
  

• When it comes to putting on paddock boots protectors, this is a very individual issue and remember that such a practice may lead to overheating of the tendons, so it is worth consulting with your trainer and vet.

  
  

• We start training with at least 10 minutes of walking, and in winter it is at least 15 minutes.

  
  

• During the initial phase of training, we pay great attention to stretching all muscles, especially the back and occiput, and making them more flexible in all gaits.

• We require as much from young horses as their muscle mass is developed and, therefore, they are able to withstand greater effort

• We end the training with an active walk to reduce the risk of soreness and, if possible, after a bath with a session in the solarium spa.

It is worth remembering that every minute invested in warm-up can save you several or even tens of thousands spent on its treatment.