Saddle Up Season

“Getting ready for show, trail, and riding season after a long winter.”

We are fortunate to have an indoor arena during our cold and snowy Ontario winters to keep our horses exercising year-round, but not everybody has that luxury, and it’s easy to get lazy and hard to get motivated in the winter. Bringing a horse back into work after a winter off requires patience, structure, and attention to the horse’s physical and mental readiness. Time off—especially in colder months—often means reduced fitness, muscle tone, and flexibility, even if the horse has remained generally active. After time off, some horses may be fresh or distracted, while others may feel sluggish. Calm, consistent handling and clear cues will help re-establish focus and trust. 

The first step that I like to do is to assess their overall condition. Check weight (BCS), hoof health, and any signs of stiffness or soreness.

Body Conditioning Score?

Before getting back into a routine schedule with your horse it’s important to check their BCS (Body Conditioning Score). Horses are scored on a scale from 1 (thin) to 9 (extremely fat) - The recommendation is for horses to maintain a 4 to 6 BCS. Checking your horses weight is important because it’s a good indicator of where to start coming back into an exercise and feed program.

Ease into work tips:

Don’t have access to an arena? That’s ok!

-       Our favourite – a trail ride!

-       Hill work

-       Backing

-       Hand walking

 In the arena

-       Long warm-ups

-       Lunging

-       Interval training

-       Transition and pattern work

-       Pole work

All of these are great for anyone who doesn’t have access to a bunch of equipment and can help to start getting your horse back into shape after a slower winter or winter off! They target important parts of your horses body like their hindquarters, abdominals, back, shoulders, stifle/hocks, and help with overall coordination, top line, collection, and balance.

Be patient with yourself, and your horse when coming back into full time work and remember to listen to your horse and their needs. If you notice a big change in your horse then check for:

-       Behaviour changes

-       Posture changes

-       If they generally love to work and become reluctant

-       Rushing

-       Tripping

-       Bucking/Kicking out

And access what steps or body work might be needed to give yourself (and your horse) the best start to this riding season! Happy trails.