Evaluate Your Athlete
Evaluating Your Athlete
It’s only fair that I start this off with a teeny disclosure: you know how before you make a major lifestyle change it’s recommended to consult with your doctor first? This is kind of the same thing.
Several years ago I went to a gym to lift weights for the first time, and I vividly remember the feeling similar to that of being mauled by a bear (I can imagine) the next day. I remember I couldn’t raise my arms over shoulder-height or walk down stairs... in addition, I kind of wanted to die.
Your horse might go through this process as well, except he/she can’t ask for aspirin and ice packs (or curse at you), so I want to stress the importance of being kind to your horse AND touching base with your veterinarian if your horse is showing signs of discomfort or lameness.
* Now back to the program *
Now, before we grab your horse, let’s evaluate your overall goals or what you want to gain from the program. Do you want to more topline? Encourage your partner to become more balanced and elastic under saddle? Ride a dressage test or jump a course with ease? Have the strength to perfect a fluid and balanced canter/walk transition?
Whatever your goal, write it down!
Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University in California, found that individuals who write their goals down are 42% more likely to achieve them! Take a few minutes to visualize what you want to accomplish, and then put it to paper... and as an added bonus you will feel like an absolute badass when you cross off these achievements throughout the year. The more detailed you can visualize and describe this goal- the better.
Before we begin with structuring a work schedule and playing with exercises, we need to evaluate your horse.
How would you describe their current fitness level? I broke it down in to three easy categories:
Now, it’s totally normal to have a horse that falls in-between categories or has most of the traits within one category, but not all: Example, my horse has all of the qualities of a FIT horse, however, they are fatigued after a 45 minute workout.
Next, let’s take note of your horse’s body condition:
I have linked below a fantastic video (thanks, SmartPak!) breaking down the popular Henneke Body Condition Scoring System. This is a fantastic tool to monitor your horse’s physical condition, and repeating this on a regular basis will give you a good idea of how your fitness plan is progressing. I HIGHLY recommend you take photos of your horse now, and follow up every 4-6 weeks. It is very easy for physical changes to go by unnoticed, simply because these changes happen gradually and you are likely seeing your horse on a regular basis. Side by side photo comparison will give you a clearer view of your horse’s overall fitness over time, and will confirm that their body is changing for the better.
At this point you should have the following information: a fitness evaluation and a body score. These things will change over time, and it is up to you to monitor both of these- as it is helpful not only to your training program (that we are going to create soon!) it will also provide helpful guidelines for monitoring of your horse’s health, and any sudden changes to the fitness evaluation or body score is a good reason to contact your vet!
Finally, there is one final evaluation of your horse’s condition- we are looking for any asymmetrical changes in musculature.
To start: stand your horse nice and square on a flat surface (preferably one cross ties so you can observe their body a full 360*)
Observe any changes in their body- particularly looking to the left and right of the spine. Are the left and right sides of the body perfectly equal in musculature? It’s unlikely!
Below I’ve included some slightly-exaggerated illustrations of an asymmetrical horse, where it’s clear to see the both over and underdeveloped sides.
Start by observing your horse directly from the front, particularly the pectorals. As you move around the horse, noting any changes, pay close attention, again, to their hindquarters- it is common to observe asymmetry in the hips and haunches. If your horse is well behaved and willing, I encourage you to find a step stool so you can safely view the musculature to the left and right of the spine from above.
Write down your findings and photograph what you see. I encourage you to save these photos in the same place as your body conformation photos, it’ll be exciting to see your horse’s transformation!
*Note- you may think that the larger side of the above illustration is always the healthier side, however these bulky muscles can be tight and hard to the touch- which isn’t a sign of healthy musculature. (No worries, we’re going to cover how to decipher healthy and non-healthy muscles soon!)
Let’s talk about asymmetry!
all horses are asymmetrical to some degree, just like people
asymmetry is natural, but is generally enhanced by unbalanced riders (pulling false bend, not sitting balanced in the saddle, etc)
how we handle the horses can influence asymmetry (constant leading from the left side, mounting from the left side, etc)
it’s common belief that asymmetry is originally established by how foals lay in the womb
As a rider, it is important to fix this asymmetry because the horse’s dominant musculature can actually cause the skeletal system to be pulled out of alignment over time- making your horse more prone to stiffness and injury. Training a horse to be balanced is an ever evolving journey, and over time you will notice your horse’s “good” side will change back and forth- which is all totally normal. Noting where your horse is weak, stiff, and unbalanced is absolutely crucial to how we will structure our training, and how you will structure the training of any horse you sit on.
To recap: today we have evaluated our athletes!
You have noted your horses physical composition, and you have a little homework to do before we continue with the rest of the program.
Coming up, we are looking at:
what do healthy muscles NEED to thrive? (It’s not what you think!)
sweat patterns- what they mean and how they’re misinterpreted
how to structure our horse’s work routine
