A well-structured yearly training plan is crucial for inducing physiological adaptation in horses, enabling them to perform at their peak for significant competitions. Simultaneously, the judicious scheduling of rest and therapeutic interventions is vital for minimizing the risk of injuries. This article provides helpful tips for creating an effective yearly training program to maximize your horse’s potential. At the end, you’ll find a template to help you build your own.
The primary motivations for developing a yearly training program are twofold. Firstly, in the daily operations of a busy stable, it’s easy to become engrossed in immediate concerns and lose sight of overarching goals. A concrete plan allows trainers to monitor a horse’s progress and ensure they remain on track. Secondly, at the year’s end, the program facilitates reflection on what strategies were successful and which were not. By comparing periods of strong performance with the training plan, trainers can identify effective exercise combinations. Conversely, poor performances can be partially attributed to the training during those times, allowing for the removal of detrimental practices from future plans.
Disclaimer: This plan serves as a roadmap, not a rigid set of rules. Roadblocks like minor injuries or canceled competitions are inevitable. The most skilled trainers identify these issues early and select appropriate detours to keep the horse progressing toward its ultimate goal.
Step 1: Goal Setting
The foundational step in creating your yearly plan is to define the goals for both the horse and rider. In show jumping, goals can vary and often overlap, but broadly include:
- Improvement: The main focus here is exposing the horse to appropriate training stimuli and competitions to foster mental, physiological, and biomechanical development for future major events.
- Fun: Rider preferences dictate the plan, prioritizing enjoyable competition locations and levels that minimize stress.
- Money: Balancing competition choices to maximize winning potential while minimizing operational costs is key.
- Points: Many national and international ranking systems reward frequent competition. If accumulating points is the goal, the plan will likely include more events.
- Major Championships: These plans are meticulously designed to ensure the horse peaks for a few select competitions, with all other events serving as stepping stones.
Step 2: Competition Scheduling
With clear goals established, the next step is to select competitions that align with those objectives. For instance, a plan focused on peaking for a major championship will involve careful monitoring of the horse’s workload and may include observation events to gauge its form. Eric Lamaze’s 2016 competition schedule for Fine Lady 5, the 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist, serves as a reference for this approach.
An example of a competition schedule for a horse aiming for strong results at three key events—Wellington, USA (March), Calgary, CAN (June/July), and Toronto, CAN (November)—can be structured to support these targets.
Step 3: Incorporating Other Important Dates
It’s crucial to note any personal commitments that might impact competition availability, such as holidays or significant events. Shaded blocks on a calendar can indicate weeks with scheduled personal events.
Once these factors are considered, the horse’s location for the year can be planned. Scheduling regular veterinary visits is also advisable, serving as checkpoints to monitor the horse’s health throughout the year.
Step 4: Choosing the Training Focus
Determining the exercises to be performed in conjunction with competitions is a challenging yet rewarding aspect of the yearly training plan. Based on experience and training science, trainers select methods to enable the horse to reach its potential at desired times.
The year can be divided into “periods” reflecting training stages. For a horse aiming to peak at three competitions, the schedule might include a preparation phase (e.g., P1) to ready the horse physically and mentally, followed by a competition phase (e.g., C1) to condition it for performance demands. The preparation phase builds the athletic foundation, allowing for development and peaking during the competition phase. A subsequent transition phase (e.g., T1) allows for recovery before the cycle repeats for subsequent goals.
The types of exercises, such as jumping, flatwork, longeing, and supplementary work, should be detailed. It’s important to note that a week designated for a specific type of exercise, like gymnastics jumping, doesn’t mean every day involves it; rather, at least one day is dedicated to it. The variations and intensity of these exercises will adapt throughout the year based on the horse’s needs. For example, early flatwork might focus on trotting hills, progressing to cantering as the competition phase approaches.
Exercises are categorized to align with training phases:
Four Types of Exercises (adapted from Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk)
- General Preparatory Exercises: These are nonspecific and do not mimic competitive movements. They develop general physical qualities and coordination and are useful for warm-ups, cool-downs, and building fitness in lower-level athletes. Examples include using a walker, treadmill, or relaxed under-saddle walk/trot.
- Specialized Preparatory Exercises: While not following competitive patterns, these exercises engage similar muscle groups and stimulate body systems that enhance competitive performance. Examples include longeing at a canter, transitions, and leg-yielding.
- Specialized Development Exercises: These exercises replicate specific components of competitive movements, engaging the same muscle groups and activating similar body systems, often exceeding competitive demands in certain conditions. Examples include bounce work, cavalettis, and small jump work.
- Competitive Exercises: These precisely replicate competition movements and goals and are performed both in training and actual competitions. Examples include jumping full courses, gymnastics, and competitions themselves.
While certain exercises may predominate during specific periods, all exercise types play a role in a horse’s overall athletic development throughout the year.
Step 5: Prioritizing Rest
Integrating easier weeks into the program is essential for allowing the horse’s body adequate time to recover from demanding periods. The ideal work-to-rest ratio in horses is not definitively established, making this decision reliant on the trainer, rider, and support staff. Prompt identification and management of chronic fatigue issues by reducing the workload are critical.
Final Comments
This blueprint provides a starting point for constructing a yearly training program. Each plan must be individualized based on the horse’s age, gender, experience, goals, and available facilities. This framework is intended to facilitate discussions on more complex topics such as the transfer of training to performance results, optimal peaking strategies, and the construction of weekly and monthly training cycles.
Download a free Training Schedule template to begin planning.
References
- Bompa TO, Haff GG (2009) Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. Champagn IL: Human Kinetics
- Bondarchuk AP, Yessis M (2007) Transfer of Training in Sports. MI: Ultimate Athletic Concepts
About the Author
Dr. Tim Worden, a sport scientist with extensive experience working with FEI-level show jumping riders, holds a PhD in biomechanics. He specializes in applying human high-performance training techniques to equine athletes.
