Different Surfaces for Limb Conditioning

Why is a variety of surfaces important for soundness? 

Your horse’s ability to perform at his best, and avoid injury, is strongly influenced the surface he trains upon. 

When choosing your surface, it should be the one that best prepares him for his job. So, an eventer may train on a different surface to a dressage horse. But there are benefits of training on a variety of surfaces for horses of all disciplines. 

Varying surfaces offer different types of tissue conditioning to the horse’s skeleton, ligaments, tendons and muscles. The body adapts to the ‘stress’ by increasing density, strength and joint mobility. The horse’s proprioception – an involuntary awareness of his body in space, and his footing relative to the ground – is also improved. 

Below are some of the different surfaces you may wish to include in your horse’s training: 

· Firmer surfaces, such as road work. 

Firmer surfaces that provide more concussion through the horse’s hoof add value by stimulating bone density, thickening the cortical bone (outer layer of the bone), adding strength and durability to the limb bones, as well as stimulating hoof tissue growth. 

· Softer surfaces, such as sand arenas or soft grass. 

Surfaces that are more forgiving enable a greater range of motion through the limb joints and demand greater muscular exertion from the horse. These surfaces help prepare the ligaments, tendons and joints for greater flexibility and repetitive loading and strain. 

· Uneven ground 

Uneven or undulating surfaces are great for training proprioception. These automatic adjustments help him to be more balanced and ‘surefooted’ when travelling over rougher terrain. Eventers and Hunters benefit from training on uneven surfaces, but care should be taken to avoid tripping. Introduce slowly at the slower gaits and avoid muddy or slippery terrain. 

· Deep surfaces. 

Excessively deep surfaces should be avoided, as the repetitive strain on joints and ligaments over time can increase the risk of tendon / ligament injury. Depending on the discipline, a general rule of thumb is the horse’s hoof should never sink hoof-deep into the sand, and should ideally leave only inch-deep footprints. Cutters and Reiners may need slightly deeper footing than dressage horses and jumpers/eventers. 

Avoiding injury: 

Conditioning your horse to cope with the demands of performance should be taken gradually. It takes around six weeks for your horse to adapt to the stressors of new activities or surfaces. Physical adaption occurs from progressive overload, so increase the frequency or intensity slowly and ensure you include easy periods within that training block to allow the horse to recover. It’s during these 

recovery periods that the horse will make his gains. Over-training can lead to injury or a sour horse. Training should still be fun, even when it’s hard! 

Finally, make sure you include a scientifically-proven joint health supplement in your horse’s care, such as 4CYTE EPIITALIS Forte . 4CYTE helps to reduce any inflammation in the joints and ensure healthy cartilage production. Available from our clinic in 250ml and 1L pouches