Getting Your Horse Fit for Summer – 6-Week Fitness Plan

Summer will be here before we know it. And with summer just around the corner, people like me are looking forward to hitting the trails or the show ring with their equine partners. However, if your horse has been on a break during the winter months, it’s essential to give them the time and training they need to regain their fitness and conditioning. Whether you’re preparing for a competition or just looking to enjoy some leisurely rides in the sunshine, a well-planned training program is essential for the health and well-being of your horse. So let me share with you my six-week plan for getting my horse fit for riding in the summer, with a focus on building endurance, strength, and suppleness to help my horse (and your horse) perform at their best.

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Are you excited about summer? I know I am! I have visions of trail rides with Plezant, Or even just staring at his beautiful slick summer coat. But now is the time to plan for those lazy days of summer riding or even showing. So I want to share with you how you can get your horse fit for whatever your plans are this summer with a 6-week fitness plan that is easy to do!

6 Week Fitness Plan for Horses

I am sharing this plan with you in case you are looking for a way to get your horse in shape for the summer. But keep in mind your horse’s nutrition, as well as his health. And just like for people, you shouldn’t start any training program before making sure it is safe for you and your horse.

Also, safety first! Make sure you have your riding helmet, boots, and gloves for yourself. And any protective gear you may need for your horse before beginning this fitness plan.

Week 1: Building Endurance

Start by focusing on building your horse’s endurance with long, slow rides or even walks. Begin with 20-30 minutes of walking and gradually increase the time up to 60 minutes. You can mix in some trotting and cantering as appropriate for your horse. And be sure to include plenty of rest breaks throughout your ride, as well as a cool-down period.

6 Week Fitness Plan for Horses

For Plezant and I, this means 4 days a week, we are out walking the trails or in the arena. I like to switch up the training by letting him experience different places. I think this helps keep his brain engaged and focused on the work. And right now it may not look like much, and he is looking pretty shaggy. But through the weeks he will get better and better, as well as more beautiful!

Week 2: Working on Flexibility

Incorporate lateral work into your rides, such as shoulder-in, leg-yields, and haunches-in. These exercises will help your horse become more supple and balanced. Not quite sure how to do these exercises? I wasn’t either at first! Which is why I found some helpful videos.

Shoulder In Exercise

Leg Yeilding Exercise

This is a really helpful video, but the intro is a little bit long. The exercise starts at about 1:43 seconds of the video.

Haunches In Exercise

This is a short video that explains what Haunches in (Travers) is.

And here is an excellent video to explain how to do it.

Not only do these exercises help your horse, but they will also help you too! If you incorporate each of these exercises into your regular riding routine your horse will be super supple!

For Plezant and I, in the upcoming week we will be focusing on these exercises. And I will share our progress with you. Over the next few weeks!

Week 3: Adding Intensity

Incorporate interval training into your rides, such as trot or canter sets where you increase the pace for short bursts of time, then bring your horse back down to a slower pace to recover. This will help your horse develop more power and speed because you are allowing periods of rest in between the faster speeds. Fitness training for horses doesn’t have to be difficult or complex. If you can comfortably walk, trot, canter, and gallop your horse and you have a space you can canter comfortably, you can improve your horse’s fitness by doing interval training.

6-Week Fitness Plan for Horses

How would this look? Let me give you an example.

• 10 Minute Warm Up
• 1 Minute in Canter (or trot)
• 30 Seconds in Walk
• Repeat Twice on Both Reins (both directions)
• 10 Minute Cool Down

So this means you will be doing the canter or trot 4 times and then walking 4 times. If you are a visual learner, here is a good video that explains the process.

Week 4: Building Strength

To help your horse build strength, you can start by incorporating hill work into your rides. Riding up and down hills can help develop your horse’s hindquarters, which is essential for jumping or any other athletic activity. You can also include some pole work, which can help your horse engage their hindquarters and develop more power. Additionally, you can practice transitions, such as walk-trot and trot-canter transitions, which can help your horse become more balanced and responsive to your aids. Be sure to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of the workouts to avoid overworking your horse.

Here is a helpful video I found that really helps to explain the process, as well as giving examples.

If you can, the easiest way to start is to incorporate hill work into your rides to help build your horse’s strength. Riding up and down hills can help develop your horse’s hindquarters. And in time you will be able to see more defined muscles and hopefully a better topline too!

Week 5: Polishing Up Your Horse’s Performance

At this point, now we can begin to specialize a bit. Start practicing specific elements of your riding discipline such as transitions, circles, and lateral movements. Spend extra time focusing on getting your horse to maintain a consistent, rhythmic gait and respond promptly to your aids.

For myself, I am able to commit to 4 rides a week with Plezant, possibly more if the weather is cooperative and I have the time to make it happen.

Week 6: Fine Tuning and Maintenance

In the final week of my six-week plan, focus on maintaining your horse’s fitness and keeping them relaxed and happy. After all, we are working with our horses because we love it right? So for the sixth week, I am going to revisit all of the prior weeks in different places such as my arena and out on the trail.

I would love to be able to take Plezant to a show this summer. Or, if that isn’t feasible, maybe competing in an online horse show. I haven’t done a ‘video’ class with him yet. But I think this is a good goal for us to work toward. Who knows. But what I do know is by putting this six-week training plan into practice, I and my horse will be ready.

Remember that every horse is different, and this plan should be adjusted according to your horse’s individual needs and abilities. Be sure to listen to your horse and adjust the plan as needed to ensure they stay healthy and happy throughout the training process.

6 Week Fitness Plan for Horses

And if you’re looking for ways to create habits to improve your riding, you should check out this blog post!

Happy Riding!