A day in the life of an Olympian - training for dressage

With so many riders competing for a few places in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the daily training of the horses takes on a whole  new perspective, and the care the horses receive in the run up to the Games becomes even more important.
 

A typical day on a dressage yard will start early, with the staff arriving to muck out the horses. Most dressage yards will keep all horses in overnight. The staff will give the horses their breakfast and they will be checked over for any injuries that may have occurred overnight, and for any soreness or stiffness from the previous day’s exercise. Some horses may go out in the field first thing for an hour or be led out in hand for a pick of grass.
 

Rugs will be changed and the horses mucked out, and then some horses will be prepared to go on the horse walker, which is an essential piece of equipment on most top competition yards. They will have boots put on to protect their legs and may have rugs on if it is a cold day.
 

Horses being exercised in the afternoon will have more hay, their water topped up and their rugs adjusted according to the weather. Those horses that are to be ridden will be prepared by the grooms, and may be warmed up for the main riders. Most dressage horses are not jumped, so the ridden exercise will probably take place on the flat in an indoor or an outdoor school.
 

When the morning activities are complete the horses will probably be skipped out and have some lunch and their hay and water will be topped up.
 

In the afternoon the horses that were ridden in the morning will probably go on the horse walker as this is very good for their fitness and helps them stretch out after their morning schooling.
 

Those horses that went on the walker in the morning will be prepared for schooling in the afternoon and  the remaining  horses will go out in the field for an hour or for a pick of grass in hand. Most horses are given one complete day of rest a week. Once the afternoon is over the horses will be checked over again for any injuries that have occurred during the day or any stiffness from the day’s exercise.
 

The horses will then be settled in their stables for the night, rugged up appropriately and probably with stable bandages on. They will be given more hay and water and their dinner, and then left until a late check is carried out in the evening.

 

Then the process begins all over again the next day!

Picture: Falling Dominos