30/01/2026
So if we’re not long troting… what should we be doing?
As a bodyworker, I’ve learned to appreciate the long-term negative effects repetitive long trotting can have on the body, I began shifting how I condition my horses. Instead of defaulting to miles of trot work, I now focus on intentional movement, strategic conditioning, and supporting the body with proper recovery tools—including bodywork and PEMF.
Conditioning alone doesn’t build durable athletes.
Conditioning + recovery does.
Weekly structure:
I break my weeks into an
Easy – Medium – Hard – Repeat (or Day Off) format, with the intention of working at least five days per week. The time, intensity, and recovery support depend entirely on the horse’s current fitness level, workload, and history.
Bodywork and PEMF are intentionally placed into this schedule—not as an afterthought, but as a tool to support adaptation, reduce compensation, and maintain tissue health as demands increase.
A foundation piece: cavalettis
Most of my personal horses work over cavalettis 3–5 days a week, whether I ride or not. These sessions pair beautifully with both manual bodywork and PEMF, as cavalettis create neuromuscular demand that benefits from proper recovery and tissue reset.
If I plan to ride:
Cavalettis become part of the warm-up or cool-down.
I still always begin with 10+ minutes of walking under saddle and finish with 10+ minutes of walking to allow the nervous system to regulate.
On riding days, I’ll often incorporate light PEMF either before work (to support circulation, muscle readiness, and joint mobility) or after (to aid recovery and reduce inflammation), depending on the horse and intensity of the ride.
If I don’t plan to ride:
This is where groundwork, conditioning, and body awareness take center stage.
A lot can be accomplished from the ground—especially when paired with bodywork or PEMF. These days allow me to address restrictions, asymmetries, or soreness before they become performance-limiting issues.
Exercises I rotate through include:
●Serpentines
●Cavalettis (poles)
●Backing
●Inclines
👉Serpentines:
A favorite starting point to wake up the mind, body, and nervous system.
• Increase proprioception
• Improve spinal and pelvic mobility
• Encourage ribcage suppleness
• Strengthen front and hind end
Serpentines pair exceptionally well with PEMF sessions, as both support nervous system regulation and help reinforce correct movement patterns.
The goal is body awareness and symmetrical movement. For performance horses, especially barrel horses, this often highlights the same imbalances we feel under saddle.
This is also where bodywork becomes invaluable. When restrictions show up in the circle, they often correlate directly with fascial tension, joint restriction, or compensatory patterns that hands-on work and PEMF can help address.
👉Cavalettis:
A major pillar in my conditioning program.
• Improve core stability and joint flexion
• Increase intervertebral spacing
• Improve proprioception
• Strengthen spinal stabilizers
• Tone the thoracic sling
• Engage the hind end
• Improve posture and movement quality
As intensity increases, recovery becomes non-negotiable. PEMF helps support circulation, reduce inflammation, and allow tissues to adapt instead of breaking down. Trotting cavalettis should only be introduced once the horse is physically strong enough—and adequately supported.
👉Backing:
Backing must be slow, intentional, and correct. Straight lines, relaxed posture, neutral head position, and purposeful steps matter.
• Engages the hind end
• Builds core and topline
• Retrains the nervous system and fascia
• Reveals asymmetry and weakness
Backing exercises often expose areas that benefit directly from targeted bodywork or PEMF, especially through the SI, lumbar spine, and hindquarters. Backing up or down hills should only be introduced once mastered on flat ground and is not recommended for horses with SI injuries.
👉Inclines:
Walking hills are an incredibly valuable conditioning tool when done correctly.
• Improve balance and coordination
• Strengthen front and hind end
• Build topline
Hill work places significant demand on the body, making post-work recovery strategies—like PEMF—especially beneficial in supporting muscle recovery and reducing delayed soreness.
Progression matters
As your horse becomes stronger—and only then—increase either difficulty or duration, never both at the same time. Pushing too fast overwhelms the system and leads straight back to inflammation, compensation, pain, and injury.
This is where bodywork and PEMF help keep the body from falling behind the workload.
But what about endurance?
Cardio matters. Strength matters.
Balance matters most.
Long trotting has become the go-to for
building endurance, but endless, uninterrupted trotting often leads to mental burnout and physical compensation.
Instead, keep the mind engaged and the body strong through transitions and incline work—supported by proper recovery.
👉Transitions:
Transitions build endurance and strength while sharpening focus.
• Walk ↔ Trot
• Trot ↔ Lope
• Walk ↔ Lope
• Lead changes
My horses still trot and lope for 10–15 minutes, but those minutes include constant transitions. This creates cardiovascular demand without repetitive strain—and pairs well with PEMF to help the body recover efficiently.
Walk breaks still matter:
At least 10+ minutes walking to warm up
At least 10+ minutes walking to cool down
Breaks are always okay. Once fatigue sets in, compensation follows. Horses will keep going past their limit—it’s our responsibility to listen first.
👉Inclines + Transitions:
Take horses out of the arena when possible. Open spaces allow for straighter movement and reduced spinal compression.
Use hills during walk breaks. As fitness improves, loping hills can be incredibly effective—but only when the body is ready and supported through proper recovery.
Don’t forget to breeze(for speed events):
Short sprints should be part of a balanced program—not daily, but intentionally. These sessions place high demand on tissues, making recovery tools like PEMF essential in maintaining soundness.
Conditioning should never be about checking boxes.
Speed alone doesn’t create durable athletes. Our horses must be strong through the entire run—entering, turning, exiting—without compensating for weakness, pain, or fatigue.
Intentional conditioning, combined with bodywork and PEMF, supports the endurance system, promotes tissue health, and helps reduce the severity of exercise-related stress and bleeding.
If soundness and longevity are the goal, we must train bodies that can perform their job confidently, efficiently, and sustainably.
Train with intention.
Support recovery.
Listen closely.
Let quality be the standard.
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