Conditioning retired horse to bring back into light competition?

Question

I'm going to start conditioning my retired mare for a few specific competitions this summer. We're taking her to the vet in the next 2 weeks for an evaluation and approval. She looks fantastic and her muscle tone is looking great, except for her top line. I know to long trot her for that, but are their any other exercises I should begin with? I would especially like exercises designed for minimal strain on a navicular horse.
I could also use these for my 9yo gelding that just received sacroiliac and coffin injections.

Bliss · Accepted Answer

Vanessa's answer sounds good. 

I will add that the best thing for a navicular horse is to deshoe it and get a good, correct therapeutic trim which will allow the heels to expand, lateral cartilages and digital cushion to develop as they should, and start to resume their intended function of shock absorption.

Anonymous · Answer

I would suggest evaluating your feed and making sure she isn't missing anything in her diet. If she does not appear thin but along her upper back you can feel ribs i would also suggest de-worming her. 
The trot is good but if she is still getting her muscle back i would encourage work on straight lines instead of circles that she might struggle to support. Also while working walk trot or canter i would stay off her back and sit closer to the front of the saddle until her top line improves, it will just take some of the pressure of while her muscles are still being conditioned. Riding a few times a week would be good also so you don't over work your horse. If your vet disagrees with something I've said no worries i haven't seen the horse and they are the expert. This is what i did to condition my event horse when he was 15 after a winter off. Hope the conditioning goes well and good luck in competition!

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Conditioning retired horse to bring back into light competition?

2 Answers