Acera Insurance’s Mike King, Director, Equine Insurance, shares six ways to avoid overtraining your horse that include:
1. Creating a training calendar
2. Ensuring you have professional help
3. Planning for the long term
4. Reducing everyday stress
5. Focusing on progressive training
6. Supporting your horse’s recovery
You’ve worked hard preparing for the show season – but even the most well-meaning training plans can backfire if your horse doesn’t get enough rest. Overtraining can lead to serious health setbacks like lameness and ulcers, putting your horse’s well-being and your goals at risk.
The good news? With the right strategy, you can help your horse thrive while staying show-ready. Acera Insurance’s equine practice leader Mike King shares six proven ways to help prevent overtraining and protect your investment.
1. Create a training calendar (and stick to it)
Prioritize your horse’s long-term health and welfare with an annual training and competitive calendar where show season objectives are balanced with training and rest days.
“We rely on owners and trainers to be aware of their horse’s abilities and limitations and avoid overtraining,” says Mike King, Director, Equine Insurance, at Acera Insurance.
Your training calendar helps ensure that both horses and riders avoid injuries by having the time to physically and emotionally recover while consistently building their fitness. You want to hit the sweet spot between a horse that’s ready to compete but isn’t on the verge of injury because of overtraining.
2. Ensure you have professional help
Having the right team of professionals is important when it comes to keeping your horse healthy. Equine physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths and farriers play a key part in ensuring horses are in correct alignment and condition to help reduce potential injuries.
“Veterinarians also play a vital role in identifying small issues before they become big issues,” says King.
While medications can also be necessary, riders and owners should consult their veterinarian before use to ensure that the medications aren’t masking underlying issues.
3. Plan for the long term
If you have a young, energetic and enthusiastic horse paired with an ambitious rider, it can be easy to overtrain without realizing it. As the show season progresses, you may begin to notice your horse’s fatigue. A rider’s productive mindset can get in the way, too. Slow, methodical training often leads to more consistent results than being in a hurry to move up the levels. By emphasizing proper development, you are helping to prevent overtraining and can transform a raw talent into a standout horse.
4. Reduce everyday stress
It’s not just amateur riders who struggle to find balance in their training approach. One of the benefits that came from the COVID-19 shutdowns is top riders having more relaxed training and show schedules which yielded better results for their horses.
Travelling to shows, events and clinics can heighten your horse’s anxiety and stress levels and amplify the effects of high-intensity training, increasing the fatigue from physically demanding training.
“Every show season there is a proliferation of insurance claims for ulcers and lameness due to stress and overuse,” says King.
5. Focus on progressive training
Horses build fitness for specific competitive tasks through progressive training starting with duration, then moving to intensity, with skills developed in short sessions. Tailor your training schedule to the work expected and alternate intensive training days with light work or turnout. A horse’s tissues need time to respond and recover so avoid repeating strenuous efforts on consecutive days.
6. Support your horse’s recovery
Active recovery is key since the faster the horse recovers, the quicker training can progress. To help the horse excrete toxins and rebuild cells, consider cold hosing, poulticing, bandaging, hand walking, wraps and using massage and therapy blankets to help with recovery. Leading up to a big event, begin to taper training intensity prior to the competition so the horse arrives physically and mentally rested.
Conclusion
Through correct training and careful planning, you can ensure that horses develop adequate mental and physical fitness without placing excessive demands on their bodies. This in turn produces top-performing equine athletes.
A final step in protecting the well-being of your horses and riders is securing the right insurance coverage. Our equine insurance offerings are tailored to the unique needs of horse owners, providing peace of mind so that you can focus on enjoying the training process with your horse.
Protect your horse’s health and your investment—contact Acera Insurance’s equine experts today: 1-800-670-1877 | agri@acera.ca.
Horse Training FAQ’s
What are the signs that my horse might be overtrained?
Early signs of overtraining can include lethargy, stiffness, reduced appetite, behavioural changes, or an increase in stress-related issues like ulcers. You can catch overtraining early by monitoring your horse’s mood, movement and performance.
How much rest does my horse need between training sessions?
Most horses benefit from one or two rest or light-recovery days each week depending on their age, condition and training intensity. Just like your horse’s workouts, rest days should be built in your training calendar.
Can overtraining lead to long-term health problems for horses?
Yes. Without proper recovery, overtraining can contribute to chronic lameness, tendon injuries and digestive issues like ulcers. This can have a significant impact and shorten a horse’s competitive career.
Does equine insurance cover injuries caused by overtraining?
Coverage can vary between insurance providers. It’s important to work with a broker who understands your horse’s training and competition schedule. Acera Insurance offers equine insurance designed for Canadian horse owners, including protection for injuries, illness and more.
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