Cooling Off after cross country

[majlas]

I was taught to dismount asap after finishing cross country, loosen girth and walk horse until breathing settled, but the Pony Club now seems to be teaching that you should stay mounted, and even trot initially then walk. Is there any research into this ? What is the benefit of not dismounting ?

 

[Lolo]

I think immediately post-XC round, the thinking is that the horse slows down a bit more gradually. So they go through the finish, pull up to a slower canter, pop down to trot for a few circles and then to walk where they leap off and keep walking them whilst devoted parents/ helpers start stripping horse off.

I think it's meant to allow their muscles to cool down slowly. So if they were human, it's the equivalent of the cool-down exercises and stretches to prevent a build up of lactic acid and to help keep the muscles 'loose' so the horse isn't stiff or sore.

ETA: I suppose if your horse is really knackered that staying on for the extra 5 minutes this takes you could do it in hand, which Al has done (but because she wanted to chat with Reg a bit more- he's never finished an XC looking remotely tired, lol). But unless you're enormous/ unbalanced or your horse is very unfit/ tired then staying on to do it surely isn't an issue?

After this, you do the normal washing off and walking round routine.

 

[majlas]

Thanks Lolo, I just wondered if anyone had any proof/research. I was listening to the H&C film of PC Champs and that was 1 of the questions in the H&P care.

 

[kerilli]

Shouldn't really do circles... strictly straight lines, just in case, if you can.
I think if you've had a strenuous/long run then the thinking is that the lactic acid is removed from the muscles better in trot than in walk, cooling down slowly as Lolo says, that's what I read somewhere.
I tend to canter more slowly, then trot, then walk, keep horse walking as I jump off, loosen girths as we go if I can.

 

[amy_b]

I do the same as kerilli, just slow down gradually, then jump off and loosen everything

 

[Lolo]

Thanks Lolo, I just wondered if anyone had any proof/research. I was listening to the H&C film of PC Champs and that was 1 of the questions in the H&P care.

I used to do that It was one of the q's back in the day (ie 2009, lol).

Not sure regarding proof/ research specifically relating to horses, but if you look on somewhere like google scholar there should be lots relating to humans, and possibly horses?

 

[TarrSteps]

There has been masses of research done on cooling horses, much of it spurred by a series of Olympics in warmer climates
Also, mammal muscles all work similarly so human research is reasonably pertinent.

Hilary Clayton has done some work in the field but Google should turn up some info, no?

 

[TarrSteps]

Btw, most of the studies have involved elite athletes, so ones working near the limit and required to preform optimally soon after, even the next day. For your average horse doing an average job you can likely get away with a lot more, so traditional methods have not necessarily been 'wrong' per se.

That said, some of the effects of less than ideal recovery are probably not immediate/ cumulative so it makes sense to do what you can!

 

[Thistle]

This weekend just gone my daughter nearly had a bad crash caused by someone doing the whole pull up on the finish and dismount thing.

Previous competitor was rather slow, nearly caught up over the last 5 jumps but didn't move over (kid prob not aware that fast horse was behind) fence judge didn't pull horse in front over despite it looking rather tired and jumping very slowly, B jumped the last fence just a stride or two behind, having taken a pull a couple of times to get some distance (prob cost her a high place, but not worried about that, ended up 5th and a confident clear which was what mattered)
Previous rider pulled up on finish and immediately turned sideways, partially blocking the roped off track. B and I both shouted to move as Floss was about to crash.

No apology, just a load of abuse that B was going too fast, she should have pulled up and why couldn't she steer round! B was 18 secs too slow so hardly riding dangerously too fast. Start team were also shouting at her to slow down before the finish.
B then cantered then trotted and walked whilst the others mutered comments about out of control horses that couldn't stop on the finish line. She also finds it safer to stay mounted back to the lorry, having loosened the girth and undone the noseband. Obviously if the horse was distressed in any way she would dismount.

 

[wench]

FJ cannot pull horses up unless directed so by control.

 

[Thistle]

FJ is allowed to warn the rider that they may be overtaken though, and to ask the rider to step aside to allow a horse to pass on safety grounds.

Anyway, back to the initial post. A point missed in discussions about cooling off is that the finish line is not a place to pull up dismount and have a chat as there may be another horse finishing close behind.