Today, top athletes usually work on a rigorous cross-training schedule. Not only do they devote themselves to their own specific sport, but they also try out others to improve their coordination, endurance, muscle strength, and overall athleticism. Not only does this method work for humans, but it also offers profound benefits to horses in terms of the training they receive.
Any cross horse training program has two primary goals: improve the horse’s fitness, including their bone strength, muscle, strength and stamina, and provide the horse with some excellent mental stimulation. Since your horse’s bones are made up of dynamic tissues, they change and remodel themselves as they get older. Even with these changes, repeated stress can damage and weaken your horse’s bones. By cross horse training, you can shift the stresses placed on your horse’s bones and keep them strong and healthy.
During any cross horse training regimen, your horse will still participate in a significant amount of homogenous training, so they repeatedly push the same physical aspects of their body. For example, your horse may practice jumps on a daily basis, but also do some dressage work to improve their coordination and flexibility.
Keep in mind that the more you can vary your horse’s training by providing a variety of physical and mental stimulation, the healthier and happier they will be.
