16/12/2021
Workout Wednesday: As we all get busy for the holidays, this is a Public Service Reminder for your horse's sake. DO NOT show up at the barn in a hurry, decide he needs a frenzied 15-minutes of being chased/longed/round-penned and then put away. This is actually LESS productive than just letting him be. Instead, take him for a brisk walk for those 15 minutes, wander around some obstacles, walk over ground poles. But do NOT send him careening around at speed without a proper warm-up. Why? Until the joint fluids are warmed and lubricating the joints, all the concussive forces end up in the cartilage which does not repair itself well. Further, joint proprioceptors are de-activated, gymnastic muscles stiffen, and postural muscles remain grossly under-utilized. This sets the horse's nervous system up to be in a cranky state, flooded with stress hormones. Okay, rant over.
