Getting Horses To The Games is a Team Sport

Rest. Grooms. Footing. Individualized care...

These were key points in IGNITE’s recent discussion of the preparation and care of Olympic horses.

The speakers were seasoned sport horse veterinarians Phillipe Benoit, Marc Koene, Tim Ober and Jan-Hein Swagemakers, all of whom have extensive experience caring for Olympic horses throughout their preparation and at the Games themselves.

Tim Worden, who has a PhD in biomechanics, contributed his expertise from the human high-performance world.

The recording of this 90-minute talk is available to IGNITE members now. Thirty minutes of the discussion will be available complimentary to all throughout August, as IGNITE’s Video of the Month.

Longevity

“A lot of the care around these horses has improved so much, they are competing longer than they used to,” noted Marc Keone, the German dressage team veterinarian and a 10-year vet for the German driving team. Advancing knowledge of riders, trainers and grooms is a key part of that, he said.

Koene was joined by fellow panelists in emphasizing the role better footing plays in reducing injuries and extending sport horse careers.

“The improvements in consistency and reliability of the footing have resulted in less injuries related to footing,” said Tim Ober, who served as the U.S. jumping team’s veterinarian for 22 years. “That’s a huge improvement.”

Injuries resulting from footing issues at the 2004 Athens Olympics were referenced as a catalyst for influential riding surface advancements. Adopted widely at the highest levels of the sport, these play a key factor in keeping high performance horses sound through longer careers.

A Long Game

A long game approach to horse management is equally critical. “The whole team around the horse is focused on a longer career,” noted Swagemakers. “The Olympics are important, but people look beyond them. If the Olympics would be a risk for the health of the horse, people will refrain of doing them because of the years put into a horse getting to that level. That weighs more than one medal, if there is a risk of the career being over after that.”

For show jumping, the evolution of course design has contributed to longer careers, too. “The way courses were built 30-40 years ago was much heavier on the horse,” Swagemakers observed. Competition circuits with generous prize money – notably in show jumping – incentivize the careful management of equine athletes.

The horse’s home program has the biggest impact on longevity, emphasized Ober. “That’s #1. The routine management and daily decision making regarding things like turn-out, treadmill, water treadmill, etc., and how all of that is incorporated.”

This includes the quality and nature of the riding. “It involves using the riding to develop not just the muscular strength, but also the core strength and physical fitness,” Ober said. “It’s about preparation that practices the technical skills and mitigates the risk of injury.”

Rest

Worden said “there is a lot of crossover” from the world of human athletes to equine athletes.

Balancing the intensity of work-outs and rest is one example. “Twenty or 30 years ago, the human athletes’ body tended to get beat up,” Worden said. “Now, a lot of trainers are incorporating more rest. Some only advise two true work-outs a week, and the rest is recovery. That has had a good impact on some of the musculoskeletal structures, ligaments and joints.”

Benoit said appreciation of rest for horses began many years ago. In 1992, the French team determined that horses should not compete more than nine months of shows in a row. That evolved to a preference for three weeks of shows in a row, then two weeks off. “Now we tend to have two shows in a row, then two weeks off.”

Other countries’ teams adopted similar mixes of rest and work, doing just enough to maintain the horses’ fitness in non-competing weeks. Venues do their part by offering turn-out paddocks, bigger lunging areas and other spaces to address the physical and mental well-being of horses during their off-weeks.

Adequate sleep is crucial for every aspect of horse health and performance. Benoit thanked Koene’s Lüsche Equine Veterinary Clinic in Germany for the research done on the importance of sleep, and the impact of sleep deprivation on horses. It’s a field with little research thus far.

The research determined that sleep is the most important part of an equine athlete’s preparation, Benoit said. “Nutrition is 2nd, and training is 3rd,” he noted. “Most people think training would be first.”

The International Equestrian Federation has embraced this concept by mandating bigger stalls and implementing quiet time in the stables. “There are less people visiting the stables in the middle of the night – unless there’s an emergency,” Benoit shared.

Swagemakers applauded these changes. “Horses need their sleep and time to eat in peace and be themselves.”

Grooms Are Golden

Grooms were described as the most important person in the horse’s management. “The grooms and horses know each other very well and the grooms see everything,” noted Benoit.

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Swagemakers of the groom’s key role. “Many underestimate the sensitivity of these horses. The grooms are the #1 contact for the horse, and if they come in friendly and happy, the horse notices this. We know from therapeutic riding how important the interaction between humans and horses is.

“Adapting programs to each horse’s individual nature has improved enormously,” he continued. “And much of that is due to recognizing the groom’s input more than before. That is correct because they’re the ones who sense how the horse feels at these events.”

Which is why grooms must resist the temptation to go overboard in their care during the Games, Ober noted. “It’s tempting to be overzealous about keeping the horse occupied during the day.”

“The horse knows it’s a really important event,” Swagemakers added. “The groom is there with just one horse and that horse is getting all their attention. The groom can’t be petting the horse all day and walking it 25 minutes of every hour.”

The same goes for the veterinary and physical therapy routines. “It’s a big week and there can be a lot of tension,” Ober said. “It’s important to keep the vet and physical therapy involvement as close as possible to what is normal. It’s tempting to get a little carried away.”

It’s a Team Sport

Asked what key horse management points amateur equestrians can borrow from top sport participants, the IGNITE panelists had these answers…

Phlippe Benoit – “Trust your home vets and try to be more involved and not just when there is a ‘fire’ going on with your horse. Every month, get the team of people caring for your horse together to go through the nutrition, shoeing, etc. Jog your horse and have a physical exam done. If you create a team around your horse, you will inject less, treat less, train better and get better results.”

Marc Koene – “Horse and rider are a team and the rider needs to be very interested and informed about what is going on with their horse. Regarding shoeing, veterinary medicine, physio work, etc. Take an interest in it.”

Tim Ober – “Build a team around your horses that is invested in your success.”

Jan-Hein Swagemakers – “Have patience and take your time to get to know the horse and develop mutual trust. Learn to listen to your horse and grow together as a team.”

Tim Worden – “Be more comfortable building up a network of experts. Prioritize who you surround yourselves with – who you train with, your medical team and therapists. Be willing to network a little to find out who would be valuable in your community to bounce ideas off of.”

IGNITE members can access the full, 90-minute Preparation and Management of Olympic Horses now. Throughout August, 30 minutes of this recorded discussion will be available at no charge as IGNITE’s Video of the Month.