10 Minutes to a Healier Horse

A few years ago, I heard Jec Ballou state that she believes in a “Loosen-up phase” when working with a horse. During this phase, the horse is doing 10 minutes of continuous walking. From there, you move into a warm-up phase of about 15 minutes  ( combination of walk, trot, lope) before moving into working on specific maneuvers. This sounded interesting to me and I began to implement it in my workout sessions with my horses.

The goal of the first 10 minutes of walking is to increase the synovial fluid in the joints. The increase in synovial fluid helps the joint move smoother and bathe the cartilage by lubricating it. The bathing concept is called weeping. It provides moisture and lubrication to the cartilage but also contains phagocytic cells that rid the joint cavity of cellular debris and bacteria.

Have you heard the term motion is lotion? Well, it is true!
After implementing the 10 minute Loosen-Up walks, I began to see a huge improvement in the rehabilitation of my horses. I feel it was a valuable piece of their rehab program.

So, I challenge you to try it. Put on a watch (preferably a regular old dumb watch), and time yourself walking your horse for 10 minutes at the start of your workout. This is for groundwork OR riding.

Even if your horse is on 24/7 turnout, this is important! Most horses are standing around, so they still need these 10 minutes of continuous walking to prepare the joints for work.

Adopting this practice will pay big rewards for your horse. It is also a great time to breath, focus on your goals for the session, and pray.

Blessings,
​Amy