LIKE humans, many horses have enjoyed a quiet time on the fitness front over the festive season. Perhaps you had a jam-packed autumn, you enjoyed some downtime from riding over the festivities, or the dark nights and unfavourable weather simply meant less opportunity to ride. But now that the buzz of Christmas is well and truly over, thoughts will soon be turning to preparation for the upcoming season - and bringing horses back into work.
Of course every horse is an individual, and one of the biggest considerations should be how long a horse had off, and what exactly this entailed. A sport horse who had a fortnight’s holiday will hold fitness more than a heavier type who has had four weeks off - and a horse turned out 24 hours a day will naturally be more active than a horse who has been stabled overnight or who has had restricted turnout over winter.
Olympic eventer Gemma Stevens, who has produced showjumpers to three-star level and provides coaching in both disciplines, likes to give her horses six to eight weeks
