Running with horses – things to be mindful of

training
Written By Katja Porenta

If you decide to try running with your horse, you need to keep some things in mind in order to avoid making (potentially dangerous) mistakes.

Before you try running out on the trail, make sure the horse responds to your body language in walk and trot in the arena.

Last week we talked about the benefits of running with horses. It can be a great way to train the horse in a straight line without the extra weight of the rider and it can be a wonderful confidence booster for the horse. However, running is not an activity that's appropriate for everyone. Here are some things to be mindful of when trying it out.

I'm pretty lucky that my horse is a (relatively) short draft mix with minimal natural impulsion and a slow natural trot tempo. This makes it easy for us to run at the same speed for longer periods of time. If you have a big Warmblood on your hands, one of those that seems to float, rather than run, it might be trickier. If your horse's natural trot tempo is much faster than what you can comfortably run at, running might not be the best idea in the beginning. The problem is that if you deliberately slow the horse down, it might lead to the deterioration of his natural gait. However, if your horse is at a level high enough that he can slow the trot tempo down without sacrificing the quality (if your horse knows how to perform a more collected trot), then short bouts of running could work just fine.

Another thing to be mindful of is how excited your horse tends to get. Some horses will get very excited when running in hand and might want to keep going faster and faster. This will lead you to pull on his lead rope, turning his head towards you. And no one wants a horse trotting with the neck consistently bent to one side. This can create a lot of tension in the poll, the front legs and the back, so avoid that at all costs. The horse should have a consistent tempo and should respond to your body language when it comes to speeding up or slowing down.

Running with horses can be dangerous, so having a good relationship with the horse is imperative. We need good communication based on consistent body language cues and mutual trust. Before you start running out on the trail, try it in an arena and see how it goes. If you are struggling to run and communicate with the horse at the same time, stay in the arena until both you and the horse have mastered it. If you want to try running with your horse, please stay on the safe side until you're absolutely sure both of you are ok with running outside. And don't forget – every step taken in good posture is a step towards soundness, while every step taken in bad posture is a step towards dysfunction.


Katja Porenta

I am an equine bodyworker and a biomechanics enthusiast from Slovenia. I finished my original certification at Equinology in 2012 after which I travelled around Europe to learn as much as possible from different equine professionals. I was lucky enough to learn from many different physiotherapists, osteopaths, veterinarians and trainers. Through my travels I gained a broader knowledge of not only manual therapy, but the concepts of healthy biomechanics as well. It is my belief that many problems faced by today’s riding horses stem from a general misunderstanding of what kind of animal the horse is and what happens to his body when we put a rider on top. It is every equine professional’s job to educate the equestrian public and broaden the understanding of what the horse needs in order to stay sound. I believe that teamwork is the key to success when it comes to keeping horses happy and sound, which is why I work closely with a variety of different equine professionals.

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