{"id":398,"date":"2020-10-31T15:28:53","date_gmt":"2020-10-31T15:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horseycounsel.com\/?p=398"},"modified":"2021-01-02T11:41:33","modified_gmt":"2021-01-02T11:41:33","slug":"do-horses-forget-their-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horseycounsel.com\/do-horses-forget-their-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Horses Forget Their Training After a Period of Inactivity?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
There might come a time in your life when you might not be able to ride your horse or spend time with it for weeks or even months. In that case, will your horse forget its training, and will you have to retrain it again once you come back?<\/p>\n
The good news is that horses have some of the best memories in the animal kingdom, second maybe to elephants in that regard. Therefore, your horse will not forget its riding training, and it will still know how to behave even after a period of inactivity. However, that’s not to say that it will be perfect at it. <\/strong><\/p>\n The horse will need to go through a period of adjustment. You’ll have to revisit the basics, particularly groundwork, in order to make sure that your horse is ready for the saddle once more.<\/p>\n Why would we need to go through all of this if the horse can still remember its training? Because we have to do everything we can to prevent injury. There is such a thing as muscle memory and reflex training.<\/p>\n When a horse gets ridden every day, it becomes more accustomed to the road and to the weight of the rider. The horse knows how to tackle obstacles without thinking about it. Practice makes perfect, and the lack of practice makes the opposite of that.<\/p>\n With groundwork, we can prepare the horse’s joints and muscles for the riding sessions that are to come. Moreover, we remind the horse to respect us, and we tighten our bond with it in the process. Some of the most basic exercises involve flexing the neck, yielding the hindquarters and forequarters, and backing up<\/a>. A well-trained horse will respond to these commands immediately.<\/p>\n After being inactive for a while, your horse might not be so quick to respond. Practice these exercises daily until you are satisfied with your horse’s behavior.<\/p>\n Another thing you can do is to exercise your horse on the lunge line. At first, the horse might be a bit too eager, which could increase the chances of injury. Make sure to release some of the equine’s physical and mental energy beforehand. The groundwork exercises that I mentioned above can be of great help.<\/p>\n Start off with those for a few days before moving over to the lunge line. Once the horse is ready, you only need to use the lunge line for about five minutes on the first day. The next day, you can add another three to five minutes of walking and trotting to the routine. The end goal should be to walk and trot for 20 minutes each.<\/p>\n By this point, your horse should be ready for some actual riding sessions. You can take it out for a 40-minute trail ride, or for about 20 minutes of walking and trotting. After each session, take note of your horse’s fatigue levels. After it stops displaying clear signs of fatigue at the end of the rides, you can add some minutes of cantering into the mix.<\/p>\n You can train your horse in this way for about a month. Afterward, add some variety to the routine by going on slow and long rides complemented by short, intense conditioning sessions.<\/p>\n You see, while the horse will not forget its riding training, it will definitely lose some of its fitness as it sits on idly. Strengthening the horse’s back, hindquarters, and abdomen muscles should be your top priority as you prepare your horse for future rides.<\/p>\nHow can we retrain a horse to ride after a period of inactivity?<\/h3>\n
Groundwork is very important at first.<\/h4>\n
Exercising on the lunge line.<\/h4>\n
The riding sessions themselves.<\/h4>\n
Strength exercises.<\/h4>\n