Thoroughbred Training & Conditioning

Question
Hello, I have reviewed over this site and I think ive found the person I need to ask this question to. I know no trainer will come out and say this is how I train my horse. My question is to you, im bringing a thoroughbred back into training, what should my training consist of? And for how long. What type of percentage of feed should I move him up to? Im very new at this and need as much information as you can give me. Thank you so much in advance. Hope to hear back from you soon.

Answer
Leah,


Why was the horse out of training to begin with?  Was he off due to injury, or just a resting up?  If he was off due to injury, especially if he was on stall rest, then consult your vet about how to start him back in training.  Horses coming back off injuries require more careful handling when returning to training.  Especially when they were on stall rest, since studies have shown that horses begin to lose bone mass after only 30 days on stall rest, which can lead to catastrophic fracture if not brought back properly.

If the horse was just resting up, then he can start back by jogging at first, slowly progressing to an easy gallop of a mile or so.  How fast he progresses depends on how unfit he got while laid off, and how easy a horse he is to get fit.  Just like people, some horses seem to get far more out of their workouts then others, so they get fit much faster.  Gradually pick up the distance to around 1-1/2 to 2 miles, then slowly up the speed.  When he is galloping that distance at a good clip without tiring, you can start him on some easy works.  How long easch step takes will just depend on your horse.  Generally a horse coming back off a rest can be ready to run again in 60 to 90 days, depending on how long he was off, and how fit he stayed during his layoff.

Feeding also depends on the individual horse.  Most racehorses do quite well on a good 14% feed, along with the appropriate vitamins and minerals.  I am a big believer in the product Source as well, which contains various micronutrients that usually aren't found in commercial feed mixes.  Always feed good quality hay along with the horse's feed.  The type of hay isn't nearly as important as the quality.  Orchard grass, timothy, alfalfa, even peanut hay will work, as long as the quality is high.  The Horse magazine and website is a good place to look for information regarding feeding the high performance horse, and it has some really good articles about training methods and tips about avoiding various types of injury as well.

I hope that this helps,

Stephanie Frost
www.alchemybloodstock.com