Starting up the clever way

- the OsteoDressage training schedule helps you get back in the saddle soon.

Training horses the healthy way is a science for a reason: There is a lot to consider, and you can go wrong in many ways. Doing too much is as bad as doing too little, and even if you get the intensity right, there is still the question of which combination of elements to use, and at which intervals.

Therefore we have developed a training schedule covering eight weeks that allows you to START UP your horse, containing the quintessence of healthy horse training, that provides you with a hands-on practical approach. You can download the schedule, print a copy and take it with you to the stable.

The training elements of this plan build upon each other, taking into consideration training stimuli, pauses, the general pace of learning, and offering variety - without excessive theory. It provides you with hands-on schedules, giving the exact number of repetitions and duration, for practical training, and explanatory videos for each and every element of the training schedule are included.

Of course, horse training needs an individual approach. And yet, our training schedule works for many horses without alterations: We have been using these exact combinations of the individual elements (coordination, stamina, power endurance, and of course regeneration) for rehabilitating horses, for starting up healthy horses after a training pause, or for horses that haven't been trained with the help of a schedule at all, for many years and with great success.

This plan is right for you if:

• you've never trained your horse with the help of a schedule, or at least not for a long time

• your horse hasn't been ridden for a while (for example during the winter, or because you gave him a time-out in the field), or has been ridden only infrequently

• you want your horse to develop correct "riding muscles" so he can carry you healthily for a long time soon

• you want a fresh start for you and your horse

• you need a push and a plan to do the right thing, without overtaxing or boring your horse

• you work as a horse therapist, and are in search of a sensible training schedule for starting up horses that you can recommend to your customers

This training schedule helps you improve:

• basic endurance

• horse (and human) coordination

• power endurance

• the main rump carrier muscle

• the abdominal muscles

• stability and mobility at well-balanced proportions

• the communication between horse and human

• combining the aids, at first mainly on the ground

• rhythm and suppleness

In only eight weeks, your horse will achieve a new level of fitness for basic work under saddle, as he develops muscle groups and abilities he needs to carry his rider without problems, as weaknesses are eliminated and suppleness is improved.

Preconditions for efficient application of this training schedule:

• your horse is at least 4 years old and has already been lunged and ridden

• there are no health concerns that make starting him up problematic (please talk to your vet if your horse needed to pause due to an injury)

• and it already has been able to gain basic endurance (for example through regular turnout, walks, or lungework)

• you need a rectangular outdoor or indoor arena to train, with a minimum of 15 x 30 m, or 20 x 20 m

This training schedule is not suited for:

• horses lame in the walk or trot

• horses directly after stable rest, without building stamina through walks

• horses with known physical problems that make lungeing impossible

Back in the saddle - step by step

The training schedule STARTING UP accompanies you with well-structured training sessions, starting on the ground, and after 6 weeks also in the saddle.

In weeks 7 and 8, in addition to groundwork, exercises under the saddle are scheduled.

Training is based on didactic methods building on each other, accompanied by teaching videos, and enables the rider as well as the horse to establish the basics, for long-term success.

"The best way to be good is do good!"

Book your training schedule now, and start working your horse in a well-structured, healthy way.

Let's get practical!