33 Strength and Fitness Workouts for Horses

The go-to reference for riders and trainers aiming to improve equine conditioning in ways that are strategic, engaging, and fair to the horse. For just about everything we do with horses—from trail riding to top level competition—a healthy state of fitness is key to both performance and longevity. Every horse will go better for longer if his mind and body are well prepared for the “ask.” 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. Equine training and conditioning expert Jec Aristotle Ballou has now provided a book that takes the guesswork out of fitness gains. It clarifies how long and frequently to do a particular exercise and provides guidance in how to combine it with others for best results. The result is maximized health and athleticism in the horse. 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. With easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and clear illustration, this book is a fundamental piece of any conscientious rider's training plan and a key component to keeping horses performing happily for more years of their lives.

Jec Aristotle Ballou has spent her life studying classical dressage, including 10 intensive training residencies in Portugal, two in Holland, and one in Germany with the late Egon von Neindorff. Most recently, she spent time in Melbourne, Australia, with Manolo Mendez, original head rider of the Royal School of Equestrian Arts in Spain. She has trained and competed through the FEI levels in dressage but has also competed in long distance trail riding, Ride & Tie, breed shows, and almost everything in between. Ballou won three consecutive East Coast championships in distance riding, becoming the youngest rider in history to win the prestigious Vermont 100–Mile Competition. A proponent of interdisciplinary study, she serves as an advisor to the Western Dressage Association of America (WDAA). Ballou is a tireless advocate for the horse, committed to promoting understanding that proper biomechanical movement and athleticism 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 and Equine Fitness—Ballou aims to meet what she sees as an enormous need within the equine industry for simple, clear, and practical information. She lives in Soquel, California (www.jecballou.com).