| TRAINING |
BUILDING A
STRONGE
RACEHORS WITH
D Y N A M I C M O B I L I S AT I O N E X E R C I S E S
Y
oga, Pilates, cross training, pre-habilitation—whatever you prefer to call it—are strength-training exercises also known as dynamic mobilisation exercises, which can greatly benefit your racehorses. You can perform these exercises on your horses to help with correcting posture, gaining strength, flexibility and core stability. All of these positive gains will help a racehorse be more balanced in his movements. Incorporating these exercises daily will of course help alleviate tensions in the body that could potentially turn into problems or pathologies down the road, while reducing the risk of repetitive use injuries. The concept is the same as cross training in human athletic training. A horse also needs several types of exercises to help keep the body balanced and able to handle the intensity of competition, reduce performance issues and aid in the body’s recovery after competition. As human athletes have known this, one size—one exercise—does not fit all. The body’s systems all need to be challenged to produce an all-around balanced athlete. This logic needs to be addressed with training racehorses as well. Regular sessions of these types of exercises will result in the improvement of the horse’s posture and ability to carry a rider in a balanced way. A horse with good posture will allow for optimal performance for a longer period with less exhaustion and muscle fatigue.
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