Why running with horses can be awesome
Going for a run with your horse can be very beneficial, but we do need to go about it in a cautious way, as it can be dangerous.
Ideally, we want the horse to move in a better posture. Turns out, it's difficult to get good photos while out on a run.
In the last year or so, I've started to really get into running with my horse. People run with dogs all the time, so why not run with a horse? What started off as a fun experiment has turned into a very valuable training tool. Here is why running with horses is awesome.
When training horses, we have a few options. If we want to work with them in walk, we do groundwork, but as soon as we want to work in the faster gaits, groundwork becomes harder (unless your horse is really well trained). So as soon as we train them in trot, we either lunge them in a circle or we ride them. In either of those cases, we are adding a challenge – either moving on a circle or moving with added weight. Taking the horse for a run enables you to work him in trot in a straight line. Which can be great!
Because you're running next to him, you are able to make slight suggestions to him to adjust his posture. And since he doesn't have to worry about how to bend his body on a circle, positive changes in posture (like engaging the thoracic sling) become easier. It's also easy to take advantage of the terrain to ask the horse to engage the right set of muscles. For example, when running up a slight incline, most horses will naturally extend the head and neck a bit more downwards, lift the base of the neck and engage the muscles of the thoracic sling and core.
In addition to working in trot, you can also play around with walk-trot-walk-halt transitions, backing up and standing still. If you bring a pouch of treats, you can also add a carrot stretch or two – and you have a complete workout! Not to mention how beneficial working on different terrain can be. And of course, it's beneficial for the rider too (as long as you wear appropriate footwear).
Now, I'm not suggesting everyone should go out and start jogging with their horse straight away. Far from it. Some horses are great at it, some less so. Some take a while to get used to it, some never do. Running with a horse can be very dangerous, so it's important to be very, very careful when starting out. Next week, we'll talk a bit about the not-so-awesome parts of running with horses that we should keep in mind before we attempt it.