33 Strength Fitness Workouts for Horses

When it comes to improving fitness, whether for humans or animals, the success of an exercise relies on dosage. How an exercise is applied, the duration and frequency of execution, and the weekly schedule within which it is incorporated determine its impact on fitness.

The 33 workouts in these pages help accomplish the performance goals that many riders strive for but fall short of reaching—stronger, more agile, and more balanced horses. They do this by circumventing the tension, both physical and mental, that often spoils conditioning attempts made within a discipline-specific or skill-based training session. By providing the right amount of stimulus while avoiding boredom, fatigue, and habituated neuromuscular patterns, Ballou’s workouts lead to positive physiological gains. Her plans include:

• Ways to measure a horse’s current fitness.
• Guidelines for active and passive rest.
• Basics for stretching, warming up, and improving mobility.
• Unique groundwork that keeps both you and your horse engaged.
• Hill hikes and terrain tests with multiple benefits.
• Suggested schedules for basic fitness goals, as well as special considerations for young horses and trail riders.
• Author Notes: Jec Aristotle Ballou has spent her life with horses, studying dressage around the globe alongside a tireless passion for equine exercise physiology. She has written and presented extensively on the subject of equine fitness and conditioning. Ballou is a tireless advocate for the horse, committed to promoting the understanding that quality athletic movement can never happen as a result of shortcuts, force, or hurried training methods. Through her clinics, articles, and bestselling books—including 101 Dressage Exercises for the Horse and Rider; Equine Fitness; and 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses—Ballou aims to meet what she sees as an enormous need within the equine industry for simple, clear, and practical information (www.jecballou.com).