EQUIMO BLOG

Intensity… we hear the word all the time, but what does it really mean? It is the amount of effort a horse puts into training. As you can guess, there are many reasons why knowing your intensity proves to be beneficial. You can ensure your horse's training is neither less nor more intense than you intend. It gives you a general knowledge of your horse's health condition, and it also provides an excellent guidepost to help structure your training.

Every horse has their needs according to their age, fitness, and workload. For youngsters or green horses, it is crucial to develop their fitness. Here, you can apply longer sessions in low or moderate activity – long walks or longer trotting training, for example, where your pace does not vary much within one gait. However, reasonable pieces of higher-intensity training (such as galloping outside) increase bone density. The bones in younger horses are forced to adapt to added stress during high-intensity work, which helps increase bone density and, therefore, supports bone strength development. Even though high-intensity work should be served in little portions for these horses, it shall not be forgotten.

Low or moderate activity in experienced horses, unlike in youngsters, no longer improves fitness. A high-intensity interval training applies if you wish to work on fitness with a horse that works regularly. Interval training means doing a high-intensity activity for a limited amount of time, followed by a rest period. Two-minute extended canter followed by a two-minute walk part, for example.

The knowledge of intensity can also be helpful with horses experiencing weight issues. In overweight horses, you have two options training-wise. As it is best to start in small steps and increase activity by approximately 5%, you may add one training session per week, for example. The other option is to increase the intensity of sessions by longer passages of trot or slow canter. These passages should not be too long in the beginning, though. Remember that slow but steady wins the race, especially when dealing with an undesired weight.

If you have the exact opposite of an overweight horse and your four-legged friend seems unable to gain some pounds, too much of a workload might be the answer here, as overworked horses tend to lose muscle tissue. By keeping an eye on the intensity (and burnt energy as well), you make sure your sessions are not just too much. Your intensity chart shows a comparison to your average rides (for example: 10% above average), so if you often get high „above-average“ outcomes sparing into red colors, you might just be onto something.

Keeping track of the training intensity helps you look after your horse's overall well-being, as well. If your horse suffers from a health issue, you can use the knowledge of intensity to your advantage. Tereza Vysoudilová has experience with training two cardiacs for showjumping competitions, and she has learned to work with intensity pretty well. "Two of my horses have a cardiac murmur, and I control the intensity for them. I try to keep it as stable as possible without major divergences, "she says.

So what is the EQUIMO intensity graphics here for? To help you evaluate and better adjust the workload for your horse. When you have planned a session, these graphics give you feedback on how hard it has been for your horse and whether it did or did not accomplish the desired goal. With these graphics, you can be sure your horse's workload is not too easy or, on the other hand, too demanding. As the saying states, 'Victory loves preparation.' These graphics help you control everything in your training and aim for your goal in a mindful way!