Healthiest sport for the horse?

[OveroHunter]

Broodmare! LOL!

We have a stallion whose all job is to get his ladies pregnant. He lives in a grassy paddock and pasture breeds. I'm pretty sure that's as good as it gets for a horse

[wendy]

I think doing MULTIPLE sports might be best, then the horse doesn't get physically or mentally overused in any one area. And the cross-training feeds into success in each area. Eventing comes closest to this, or at least, the old format with the endurance phase used to.
But a horse who can work cows during the week and do an endurance ride on the weekends, or who can pull a cart during the week and show in hunters on the weekends, or foxhunt during hunting season and show in jumpers or eventing the rest of the year is much less likely to burn out/ break down than a horse who does the same thing day after day, month after month.

Endurance people are also the only crowd who seem to really work at and study how to properly get horses fit for their jobs. Some advanced eventers work at this too. But I have yet to meet a hunter or dressage person who works at getting their horse fit- all they seem to do is practice sports-specific skills, which generally tends to encourage breakdowns. So any sport might be fine if the persons in the sport changed their approach to training.


stallions? broodmares? they don't get any exercise. They just hang out. It might be nice for them, but healthy? not so sure.

[tangledweb]

Different sports have different cultures of horse care too. While I'd not dispute that good dressage training would be good for a horse, I don't think that any life that involves being in a stall 23 hours a day is the healthiest option for a horse. That style of horse keeping is more common in some sports (and some locations) than others.

[WalkInTheWoods]

I like your response Wendy. Variety. When i worked with harness horses, I always encouraged my pacers to trot on their slow work days if they wanted to. Some harness folks thought - if they are a pacer, they should be made to pace - and they would smooch to them to get them to speed up and shift over to the pace. I was among many folks who felt it was good to let them both pace and trot to use different muscles.

I always wanted the slow work days to be relaxed and the horse had so many miles to go and i didnt care how long it took them to finish their miles.
I think the slow relaxed movement was good for them. Other people were in a hurry to get the miles in and always stepped it up.

Just as i was leaving the harness world, cross training was starting to come in so i dont know much about it. It included slow workouts with short bursts of speed. Wonder how many harness folks had luck with that. It sounded interesting.

[Kwill]

I agree with those that say dressage is probably not the most healthy -- the upper levels are quite hard on the hocks and joints.

Racing actually might be the most healthy if it's done right and the horse has adequate conditioning and rest (and they aren't started too early). It's natural for horses to run and compete with one another. The way it's done makes all the difference. However, a horse can't race much past 9 years old, so it's not a lifetime of healthy activity, and most racehorses are pushed beyond their physical limits at some point.

Maybe broodmare or stallion but again, if done excessively they aren't any more healthy than any other horse, and having babies is dangerous for the mare.

Probably the most healthy is the family hack that is ridden a few days a week at lower level sport, turned out, and petted a lot.

I agree it's the horse's personality and conformation that might make one type of sport more healthy than another. We can probably agree that any sport that's hard on the joints and results in a lot of concussion on the legs is probably not the most healthy, regardless.

[Janet]

Different sports have different cultures of horse care too. While I'd not dispute that good dressage training would be good for a horse, I don't think that any life that involves being in a stall 23 hours a day is the healthiest option for a horse. That style of horse keeping is more common in some sports (and some locations) than others.

I understand that Carl Hester's horses, including his top competitors, are out at pasture every day. He is not the only one.

So it doesn't seem like a valid generalization.

[Jumpin_Horses]

Dr VanWessum at MSU did some research on training young horses. and I went to his seminar about it.

in his research he found that Dressage horses had a longer and healthier career..... Reiners and Racers were at the bottom of the list (if I remember right)

i will have to do some research to find the link to his seminar.... BRB

ETA - Found the slide show that he used for his seminar
http://old.cvm.msu.edu/documents/equ...oung_horse.pdf

[SwampYankee]

I think the answer heavily depends on the horse in question. For centuries, specialized breeding has produced horses best fitted for particular uses; so, with that in mind:

For Arabs and many TBs and related: Endurance
QH & other stock breeds: Western, low-level Eventing
TB & many WB's: low-level Eventing or show hunters
Many more WB's and most Draft: Driving.

Notice I qualified most of these by saying "Low Level." One of the best lameness vets around here once told me that a horse is not making a big enough jumping effort to stress his structures until you're talking about over 3'. Below that, done in moderation, is not a terribly taxing thing for most, provided they are put together well.

Conformation and temperament are determinants.

I feel the key to longevity in ANY discipline is:

Not taking it to extremes of overuse/overfacing;
Choosing a horse who is built and mentally suited for the job;
Taking your time training; consider it a livelong process
Turnout, turnout, and more turnout!

[zakkandtoto]

One of my vets - arguably the best of my vets - told me that he sees more blown hocks in dressage horses than in any other disciplines'. He said that if I wanted to keep my gelding's hind end in good shape (his front end is a mess), not to ask him to carry more weight behind than God intended.

I would think endurance would be the healthiest: Low impact, aerobic, mentally stimulating... I've never partaken, but it seems like it would be fun for the rider, too.

[Ambitious Kate]

I don't think pulling is healthful for the horse for this reason: all that use of the front end pulling is more damaging to their front feet/tendons than using their hind end and carrying themselves blanced and light in the front. I know my horse ran on his front end early in life and had some soft tissue injuries which were starting towards navicular type damage, had he not been stopped at that time. Today, if he is heavy on the forehand, I am very concerned he could get injured. Keeping him fit so that he can carry himself well through his back and hind end will keep him sound alot longer than if I let him ride heavy on the forehand. In otherwords, if he is 'pulling' himself along, as many TBs tend to do, when racing for example, he is more inclined towards injury in the ring than if he was 'pushing' from behind. Just my take.

[LilyandBaron]

Very cool to see all the responses! For people, fitness comprises three areas: cardio ,strength, and flexibility. And if you lift weights, you tear muscles and need to rest 24-48 hours. I try to apply what I've learned in my own fitness journey to horses. I think of jumping and collected dressage as weight lifting, so I make sure I do cardio &/ or stretching after. Also, like people, but more so, being out is best. I'm sure like people who work a desk job then hit the gym for an hour, it's not as healthy as being up and working all day! Agree with different aptitudes for different types. Again, like people, running is great, but too much without strength and flexibility means breaking down. And like kids who do sports hard when young (gymnasts, cross country runners), they'll suffer later since they started too young. I'd love to see vets or trainers in all sports develop a better understanding of fitness in horses. Maybe add it to the curriculum in equine studies...

[hundredacres]

Racing actually might be the most healthy if it's done right and the horse has adequate conditioning and rest (and they aren't started too early). It's natural for horses to run and compete with one another. The way it's done makes all the difference. However, a horse can't race much past 9 years old, so it's not a lifetime of healthy activity, and most racehorses are pushed beyond their physical limits at some point.

Having known a lot of racehorses, and very few that are sound, I adamantly disagree. And seeing how many are dumped at auctions because they don't make the cut, it's a stretch to call it a "healthy" sport. This is a lifestyle where the horses best interest is only taken into account if it's a money earner, and luck has everything to do with that.
There is a TINY pocket of clean racing, but that isn't the culture. I'm a huge fan TB's, but I don't see anything healthy about the sport of racing as a general rule.

[MunchingonHay]

I agree with War Admiral that driving horses are the most healthiest, and I am going to say CDE (Upper level) horses are very healthy. There are TONS of horses competing in the EU in their twenties. Heck Jamaica, Chester Weber's horse was in his late teens early twenties when he competed in his last world championships. Jag, who is now owned by Josh Rector, and was once owned and competed by, Chester, Misdee W., Mark S. and Jim Richards, is in his early twenties.

Cross training, hacking out, hill work, sprints, ridden dressage are things that upper level CDE horses have to do, and let's not forget all the massage, chiro, electric blankets that gets done to them too.

Its a close call with endurance horses and CDE horses, but I put my money on CDE horses.

[magnolia73]

I think in terms of dressage- there is a range of dressage. I would think a poorly managed Grand Prix Horse with poor conformation and a bad trainer plus no turnout would have a short career. However, there are an awful lot of "dressage" horses that toodle around the lower levels- I'd expect even a horse with some conformation issues to be able to training level dressage for a long time... and one that is very correct and well trained and managed... forever.

I'd think well managed ranch and trail horses would have long life spans as well that would exceed say, a well managed grand prix jumper.

I think by far, racing has the shortest span (maybe tied with the halter QH bred to look like cattle). They are retiring when other disciplines are just getting started performing.

[JeanM]

I'll chip in, in favor of the competitive trail ride horses. CTRs are judged on the horse's condition during and after the ride. Which means the rider has to have paid attention to the horse's condition during each and every conditioning ride, as well as during each competition. This is a real test of horsemanship!

Endurance horses come second, perhaps a close second. However, endurance rides are a race, at least for the top competitors, and the judging is less particular than CTRs.

Dressage third, but ONLY if the rider/trainer recognizes each horse's limitations and works within those limitations.

I don't know much about driving, but I'd be quite willing to place an intelligent, perceptive owner/trainer's results in line with those of an intelligent, perceptive dressage owner/trainer.

[sophie]

I think it depends on the horse's conformation, ability, and the level in the sport.
Any top-level sport, in competition, will be hard on the horse's body and mind (impact on joints but also staying in stall, traveling, etc. etc. )
Any ONE sport might be detrimental to some muscles /joints and not in favor of a well-rounded athlete.

I think riding the horse in multiple 'disciplines', as long as the rider doesn't over-tax the horse, is much better for his body and mind - so long as the horse is also allowed to "be a horse", i.e, gets LOTS of turnout time (preferably on good grass, in a big field) with his buddies.

[lifesabreeze]

Having known a lot of racehorses, and very few that are sound, I adamantly disagree. And seeing how many are dumped at auctions because they don't make the cut, it's a stretch to call it a "healthy" sport. This is a lifestyle where the horses best interest is only taken into account if it's a money earner, and luck has everything to do with that.
There is a TINY pocket of clean racing, but that isn't the culture. I'm a huge fan TB's, but I don't see anything healthy about the sport of racing as a general rule.

Having known a lot of racetrack owners,trainers and thousands of racehorses, I adamantly disagree with the above misinformed opinion.

There is a HUGE pocket of clean racing and that is the culture. You just don't hear about the good people in racing.



quack quack

[Foxtrot's]

I'd say it is as much to do with their care and lifestyle as the actual sport.
Show horses that never get turnout, or only into paddocks, or who only get drilled in their one discipline would be low on my list. Any of the more extreme sports like racing, UL eventing where the working life is not very long...would say not so healthy. Some horses can do their sport into a grand old age.

Interesting debate.

[Bluey]

Having known a lot of racehorses, and very few that are sound, I adamantly disagree. And seeing how many are dumped at auctions because they don't make the cut, it's a stretch to call it a "healthy" sport. This is a lifestyle where the horses best interest is only taken into account if it's a money earner, and luck has everything to do with that.
There is a TINY pocket of clean racing, but that isn't the culture. I'm a huge fan TB's, but I don't see anything healthy about the sport of racing as a general rule.

What is "a lot of racehorses you have known" and what is "many that are dumped"?

Practically every horse we ran and claimed and kept to the end of their racing came back sound and we retrained for other.
So did many from other trainers.

Saying that about racing is like asking someone you don't know if they quit beating their wife, implying they did.

The really fast horses tend to be a bit more apt to get injured, because they are running at a physical limit.
Good training makes them stay sound, but accidents happen, in a race, training our just turned out in a pasture, that we all know.

There are some type of injuries that are more common in some disciplines that are not in others, depending on what the discipline demands, just as being a feral horse will have it's own set of physical and mental problems.
Just sitting around is not that healthy either.
All in life does has some consequences, just by existing.

Each one has to decide what is an acceptable consequence of being alive and their task in life, for the animal in their care.

[Duramax]

Does anyone else remember reading an Equus article about this a few years ago?

IIRC stress levels in several discplines of horses were monitored and it showed that dressage horses had the highest stress levels (ulcers, colic, stable vices, and other criteria, etc.) and school horses had the lowest. Go figure!