Conditioning on packed-dirt roads

[wannabedvm]

I ride dressage, but I thought you eventers might know more about this question!

I ride my unshod cob (4 y/o) on hard dirt roads regularly. We don’t have an indoor, so when the fields are a wreck in the winter, we do a couple miles WTCing on the country roads, about 2-3 times per week.

Like I said, we really have no alternative in the winter to keep him at his fitness level, but I am curious as to what the effects of this could be. I’ve seen a lot of personal anecdotes, but I’m wondering if there’s any actual research on this or vet’s opinions.

A lot of what I’ve seen say that it probably wouldn’t be bad for soft tissue, but it’s bad for hard tissues (could harm foot bones, lead to arthritis, etc.).

[Auburn]

I believe in doing work on harder surfaces. In the UK and a lot of folks here, call it “road work.” I usually do a lot of walking, but will begin some slow trot, for short distances, after about a month. As long as you are not cantering, I feel it is fine (though I did ride with a group in Ireland that cantered on the road.)

[wannabedvm]

@Auburn

I believe in doing work on harder surfaces. In the UK and a lot of folks here, call it “road work.” I usually do a lot of walking, but will begin some slow trot, for short distances, after about a month. As long as you are not cantering, I feel it is fine (though I did ride with a group in Ireland that cantered on the road.)

We do W/T/C

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I was generally taught to avoid any speed work (cantering+). There have been studies how it is beneficial but always build up slowly both in speed and distance. I used to walk the roads a lot this time of year then build to trotting. I’d also do some lateral work. It was always better for some of our blue stone roads when they were wet. On some horses, we would build up to quite a bit of trot work.

[Highflyer]

Are they dirt or gravel? I wouldn’t canter much on gravel but would do more on packed dirt. Generally speaking excess concussion is tough on joints and can cause founder but neither dirt or gravel is as likely to be an issue as blacktop.

I do very occasionally gallop on the long straight bit of our hardpacked jogging trail (only if I time it right and there aren’t any pedestrians to trample) and haven’t had any issues.

[wannabedvm]

@Highflyer

Are they dirt or gravel? I wouldn’t canter much on gravel but would do more on packed dirt. Generally speaking excess concussion is tough on joints and can cause founder but neither dirt or gravel is as likely to be an issue as blacktop.

I do very occasionally gallop on the long straight bit of our hardpacked jogging trail (only if I time it right and there aren’t any pedestrians to trample) and haven’t had any issues.

Mostly dirt. There’s some gravel, but it’s concetrated in certain areas. Maybe I should just stick to trotting a few miles and really limit canterwork for his future’s sake.

[Sue_B]

I ride dressage too and have no indoor, and so when winter fills my arena with drifts, I work my unshod TB on the dirt roads routinely in all 3 gaits. Actually, even in the summer, we’ll go for a nice jaunt on the farm roads, leaving the hard-pack dirt roads mainly for walking and a little trotting. Granted, I’ve only been doing this for 30 years and through about 6 horses, but I’ve never had a soundness issue related to this activity. Anyways, imho, the mental and cardiovascular benefits of road work far out weigh any potential risks to soundness.

[Hilary]

As long as you are only going fast on flat or uphill surfaces the amount you are doing is going to be beneficial for him. Cantering and trotting downhills on hard surfaces is very hard on the joints/bones but if you have properly legged him up, road work is going to be very good for his fitness which will, in the long run, keep him sounder.

[Janet]

It is all a question of moderation and building slowly.

Slow (walk and trot) work on hard dirt roads will STRENGTHEN bones (by causing microfractures which then “heal stronger”). But too much (e.g., when the horse is tired), or too fast, work, on hard dirt roads will damage bones.

Similarly (or conversely, if you prefer) moderate work in soft ground will strengthen soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments). But too much (e.g., when the horse is tired), or too fast, work, on soft ground will damage soft tissue.

[yellowbritches]

I am a big believer in riding on hard surfaces if you can safely do it (including asphalt do a degree, despite my absolute TERROR of riding on asphalt). When my horse was at his fittest, and big part of his regime was just lots and lots of long, slow miles on the gravel roads around the farm. I didn’t trot much, partly due to him getting his blood up and also because I don’t like them stepping hard rocks on gravel, but I have certainly done more work at trot and canter if I was on dirt roads, instead. His legs were always stone cold and hard, and it really didn’t effect his feet. It was also a great way to get out of the indoor (when I had one) if we’d been stuck for ages in the indoor, because even if hacking was too muddy or icy, the roads usually were ok. And when I didn’t have an indoor, they were great for keeping him occupied when we weren’t able to do much else.

[Jackie_Cochran]

In South America over 50 years ago there were mostly dirt roads, including major travel routes.

All the huasos (Chile) and gauchos (Uruguay) did not seem to have any second thoughts of traveling on these hard packed dirt roads and the pretty hard packed trails. I remember many gallops on them. But then these horses were ridden on them a lot from breaking (and it was breaking the horse, bucking and all) on forward during the horses’ lives.

[wannabedvm]

Thanks for all your replies, everyone! I might try to limit my canters more.

[kcmel]

I also am limited to a similar road in winter when footing is bad. Fortunately the road I work on is very hilly, so I get good conditioning just walking or jogging. My guy is barefoot too, but he has feet of iron.
[ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“medium”,“data-attachmentid”:10045921}[/ATTACH]

[Scribbler]

When I was a teen we went trail riding for hours, all over the suburbs and mountains. We only walked on asphalt but we trotted cantered and did full out gallop on hard packed dirt roads, rocky trails, sand hills. Our horses had shoes and they never went lame. We did very little ring work.

Now as an adult I see so many horses get tendon injuries who never leave the indoor arena. I really do think the combination of tight circles and soft footing long term is deadly.

[Saskatoonian]

So much depends on the type of dirt roads you have. The roads near my barn are clay so hard it might as well be concrete, and you couldn’t pay me to canter on it except on the rarest of spring / borderline mud season days, but I know places nearby that have lovely sandy soils and the dirt roads are perfect for everything.

[tinah]

@Scribbler

When I was a teen we went trail riding for hours, all over the suburbs and mountains. We only walked on asphalt but we trotted cantered and did full out gallop on hard packed dirt roads, rocky trails, sand hills. Our horses had shoes and they never went lame. We did very little ring work.

Now as an adult I see so many horses get tendon injuries who never leave the indoor arena. I really do think the combination of tight circles and soft footing long term is deadly.

Hubby and I had that conversation when I started riding the horses on the roads around here. He was concerned that the hard pack dirt and asphalt would somehow hurt them. I told him a 4 mile walk on the roads was fine, and not anything to be concerned about. Endless circles in plowed ground was what needed to be a concern.

[Synthesis]

I can’t remember where I read it but the forces in the legs at a slow canter are comparable to a working trot. I think it was something William Micklem wrote but I can’t find it

[wannabedvm]

@Synthesis

I can’t remember where I read it but the forces in the legs at a slow canter are comparable to a working trot. I think it was something William Micklem wrote but I can’t find it

Hmm, that’s interesting.

[tbchick84]

The fact that your horse is unshod is good for packed surfaces. They are free to expand and absorb the concussion as needed. I would think you’d be fine up to a medium canter.

[Willesdon]

This week’s Horse & Hound ‘vet clinic’ section p12 has a question about road work to ‘harden the tendons’. Liz Barr (equine vet) says “Road work may increase cardivacular fitness and stamina, but it has no direct effect on inherent tendon strength. Tendons and ligaments may have the capacity to adapt to the effects of loading and exercise early in life, increasing in strength or properties in relation to stresses placed across them. After skeletal maturity, however, which occurs around the age of two, they appear to lose the ability to adapt. While bone may have more capacity to adapt to training, this usually takes the form of increased thickness in places where it is under increased stress, such as around the carpal (knee) bones of race horses. Excessive concussion from roadwork will not help a horse’s legs adapt to working on hard ground and may add to wear and tear, which will ultimately reduce the horse’s athletic lifespan.”

Fitness can be defined as capacity for exercise. The aim is to increase fitness without incurring skeletal injury by progressively increasing the workload. So like everything in life, it is all about balance. WTC if your horse is used to the road should be ok but if the surface you work on changes e.g. road to deep arena, be a bit more careful.