Conditioning a trail horse?

Question

I use to be a hunter jumper rider, up until last fall when I changed barns, and took some of the winter off riding (due to my riding horse catching strangles, and my older horse needing to be retired) anyways I started back up riding, and was working towards jumping again, but I had a fall with my horse while flatting and screwed up my back and hip. (and previously I have screwed up my knee to a fall with a different horse) The chiropractor said my back was litterly the worst he had ever seen of a 14 year old. Anyways I obviously have decided to give up jumping as I don't want to s***w up my back/knee/hip any worse than it is, but I am going to continue riding, mostly doing trail riding and a bit of flat/dressage for competing. Anyways my question is what is your advice for conditioning a horse for trail riding? (I've conditioned horses for the ring before, but never really for real trail riding) any tips?

thanks!

oh and my horse is gaited, so thats not an issue for my back :D

Answer 1

I have ridden the trails for over 50 years and never had to "condition" my horses with any special exercises.  being outside 24/7 They more or less conditioned themselves.  Having said that, one must use common sense too.  If you stable your horse with only a few hours turnout then you may want to condition him.  Find some gentle hills to start with and start out slowly...but really and truly if you are just riding around home and your horse is out most of day and runs and plays with other  horses, he will be fine

Answer 2

Before you make any decisions about your back, please see a doctor. A chiropractor is NOT an MD. While your back might be bad, before you make any life changing decisions I recommend seeing an orthopedic doctor or neuro doctor. They are MDs and can more effectively and accurately tell you exactly what is wrong with your back and what you should limit yourself to. I work in radiology and see conflicts between doctors and chiropractors all the time. Chiropractors are not trained enough to read xrays properly. A radiologist should read the films and then treatment should be determined by an MD. I would want a doctor diagnosing me, not a chiropractor. That is just my personal opinion. Sorry if I offend anyone

Answer 3

u dont need to do anything. its not a show ring its trail riding u take water and some lunch if needed thats all!

Answer 4

Do what you did for your show horses but do it on the trail instead of in the Arena. Get your horse use to spooky objects stuff like that.

Answer 5

You don't really need much conditioning for just trail riding. As long as your horse is fit / healthy and you're okay with it, then it's fine.

Answer 6

I hate to tell you this and its coming from a TWH owner who's horse has a beautifully smooth gait. On a trail unless its flat a gait on a horse will not matter. You will still be rocking and bouncing around unless you find a smooth wide trail.