Why strategic rest may be your sporthorse’s secret weapon

For competitive horses, the show calendar can feel relentless. Between conditioning cycles, travel days, new venues, and the mental pressure of performing, the sporthorse works harder, both physically and psychologically, than we often appreciate. As we wrap up a demanding season, it’s worth looking at the off-season a little differently: not just as a pause, but as an essential phase of training.

In elite human sport, rest is an integral part of performance science. Olympic athletes don’t finish their season and immediately begin the next training block at full intensity. They are taught that adaptation happens during recovery, not during exertion. Yet in equestrian circles, many horses dive straight from the show arena into boot camp for the next year. The result? Accumulative stress, burnout, behavioural changes, and injuries that are harder and more expensive to fix later.

True longevity is built in the quiet weeks. This is your guide to making those weeks count.

Why horses need a reset

Rest doesn’t mean inactivity. It means lower mechanical load, psychological decompression, and maintaining movement without stress. Think of the off-season as controlled freedom: we continue to support the horse’s body, but we remove the pressure. The goal isn’t to lose fitness, but to rebuild soundness, calmness, and motivation.

The science behind this approach is compelling. Connective tissues like tendons and ligaments experience microtrauma during training and competition. While these tissues are remarkably strong, they have a limited blood supply compared to muscle, which means they heal more slowly. During intense training periods, damage can accumulate faster than repair occurs. The off-season gives these structures time to fully regenerate, emerging stronger and more resilient.

But the benefits extend far beyond the physical. Many horses competing at high levels exist in a state of controlled stress. Their nervous systems are constantly activated, their cortisol levels elevated, their gut flora disrupted by travel and performance anxiety. Research in equine stress responses shows that chronic elevation of stress hormones suppresses immune function, interferes with digestion, and can lead to gastric ulceration. A proper off-season allows the entire system to recalibrate.

We see improved tendon and ligament resilience, better topline development if muscle was lost during the season, reduced gastric stress and cortisol levels, strengthened immune function, and happier horses who are eager to return to work. Horses who receive adequate mental and physical recovery between seasons show better focus, increased willingness, and fewer resistance behaviours when training resumes.

How long should the off-season be?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, and this is where understanding your individual horse becomes critical. Younger horses benefit from a longer mental break. Their brains are still developing, their attention spans are shorter, and they haven’t yet built the mental resilience of a seasoned competitor. A four-month break for a five-year-old isn’t excessive; it’s developmentally appropriate.

Horses competing at higher intensity levels need more time to recover. A horse competing at advanced eventing or grand prix jumping is operating at the edge of their physical capacity. Their joints bear tremendous force, their cardiovascular system is pushed to maximum output, and their mental focus is razor-sharp for extended periods. These athletes need substantial recovery time, not a brief holiday before ramping back up.

Those with injury history require extra weeks for bone and soft tissue adaptation. If your horse has had even minor suspensory issues, kissing spine, or recurring soreness, consider extending the off-season. Veterinary research consistently shows that tissues continue to remodel and strengthen for months after clinical healing appears complete.

As a general guide, full competition horses need one to two months off. Youngsters or horses stepping up a level next year often benefit from two to four months. But for all horses going into 2026, consider also incorporating shorter micro-breaks within the season. A long weekend or a week of hacking every few months can prevent stress from stacking up. These mini-recovery periods can be remarkably effective at maintaining freshness throughout a demanding year.

Letting down

Going from Grand Prix to grazing overnight might sound idyllic, but it can be physiologically jarring. Joints accustomed to daily work suddenly experience no load-bearing exercise. Lungs adapted to aerobic demands are suddenly less utilised. Gut flora balanced for a high-concentrate diet face an abrupt shift to pure forage. This all means that the transition matters, perhaps as much as the rest itself.

During the first two weeks, reduce schooling intensity and increase hacking. Your horse is still relatively fit, so longer hacks at a relaxed pace allow them to maintain cardiovascular conditioning without the mental or physical pressure of arena work. This is also an ideal time to explore new trails, let them stretch their legs in different terrain, and begin the psychological transition away from performance mode.

In weeks three and four, transition to mostly hacking and ground work. By now, their fitness is beginning to decline, but that’s exactly what we want. Ground work, particularly exercises that encourage core engagement and proprioception, helps maintain body awareness without the load of a rider. Poles scattered randomly in a field, rather than set in patterns, encourage them to think about their feet without the precision demands of schooling.

From week five onwards, increase turnout hours while minimising ridden work. At this stage, most of their movement should be self-directed. They choose when to trot, when to roll, and when to stand quietly with a companion. This autonomy is psychologically valuable for animals who spend much of their working life being directed by humans.

Slow changes protect against soft-tissue injuries when training resumes. Veterinarians see a predictable pattern: horses brought back into work too quickly after a period of complete rest often develop tendon strains, ligament injuries, or muscle tears within the first few weeks. The tissues simply weren’t given time to adapt to the changing demands.

“The cardiovascular system adapts quickly, but connective tissues don’t.”

The mental holiday

Unfortunately, many show horses are trained to hold tension. They learn to collect their bodies, focus their minds, and maintain alertness even in chaotic environments. The break should teach them to let that tension go, to rediscover the simple pleasure of being a horse rather than being a performance machine.

Hacking in new environments works beautifully for this. Novel landscapes, different footing, the absence of mirrors and arena markers, all signal to the horse that performance isn’t required. Hill walking is particularly valuable because it builds strength through natural terrain variation while keeping the brain engaged with navigation rather than collection or precision.

Liberty sessions allow horses to move without constraint, to choose their own gaits and directions. For horses who’ve spent months being micromanaged in their movement, this freedom is profoundly restorative. Clicker training introduces a new type of mental engagement, one based on curiosity and problem-solving rather than obedience and precision. And riding with friends provides social wellness. Horses are herd animals; the opportunity to move alongside companions, to match strides naturally rather than on command, fulfils a deep biological need.

What doesn’t work? Over-schooling weaknesses while they’re tired. It’s tempting to use the off-season to fix technical problems, but a fatigued horse learns slowly and often develops compensation patterns. Busy arenas with high pressure defeat the purpose of mental recovery and demanding new skills when they need recovery space creates frustration rather than progress. A mentally fresh horse learns faster next season and resists less. The improvements you’re hoping to drill in during their time off will come more easily when they return rested and willing.

Changing management for the holiday

Some horses thrive with a temporary management shift: more turnout, a barefoot break to improve hoof health, or lower-energy feeding with forage-focused routines.

Going barefoot

A barefoot break is one of the most underutilised tools in equine management, yet it can yield remarkable benefits. Shoes, while necessary for many performance horses, provide rigid support that interferes with the natural hoof mechanism. Over time, this can lead to contracted heels, compressed digital cushions, and weakened hoof walls. A barefoot period allows these structures to return to their natural function.

When the shoe is removed, heels can expand and contract with each step, promoting blood flow and tissue development in the back of the foot. The digital cushion, a fibrocartilaginous structure that absorbs shock, has the opportunity to thicken and strengthen. Nail holes, which can sometimes become infection pathways, are allowed to grow out completely. And the hoof wall, no longer bearing the repetitive stress of nails, often grows in with better quality and structure.

That said, not all horses can or should go barefoot. Footing matters enormously; a horse on rocky ground will be uncomfortable without protection. Workload during the break is also relevant. If you plan to continue riding regularly, shoes may still be necessary. Conformational factors play a role too. Horses with very flat soles, significant underrun heels, or poor hoof quality may not be good candidates. And if there’s any existing pathology, such as navicular changes, pedal bone rotation, or collateral ligament damage, a farrier and vet should jointly advise on the appropriateness of going barefoot.

For horses who aren’t quite ready for full barefoot turnout, hoof boots offer a middle ground. They provide protection for occasional ridden work while allowing natural hoof function the rest of the time. Short turnout-only barefoot breaks, where shoes are pulled for a month or six weeks of pure pasture time, can also bridge the gap if soles are sensitive or terrain is challenging.

Pasture reset

When workload drops, energy intake must follow suit, but fibre intake must not. This is a crucial distinction that many people get wrong. The temptation is to reduce feed across the board, but a horse’s digestive system needs constant fibre to function properly. Aim for forage first, roughly one-and-a-half to two percent of bodyweight daily, while reducing starch and balancing minerals for hoof and ligament health. The goal is to maintain body condition without allowing weight to creep up.

Concentrate feeds should be reduced significantly, but don’t neglect micronutrition. Performance horses on high-grain diets often receive their vitamins and minerals through fortified feeds. When you reduce or eliminate concentrates, you may inadvertently create deficiencies. A quality vitamin and mineral supplement or a low-calorie balancer pellet ensures they’re still receiving what they need for tissue repair and maintenance.

Specific supplements worth discussing with your veterinarian include vitamin E, joint supplements and gut health stabilisers. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that supports muscle recovery and immune function, but it degrades quickly in stored hay. Horses on primarily hay diets often become deficient unless supplemented. Joint support supplements containing glucosamine, chondroitin, or hyaluronic acid remain valuable during rest because cartilage continues to develop and repair during this period. Some research suggests that supplementation during rest may actually enhance the quality of tissue repair. And gut health stabilisers, such as probiotics or prebiotics, can ease the transition if management is changing. Travel, new environments, and dietary shifts all disrupt the delicate microbial balance in the hindgut.

Vet check or decompression first?

This is a question many owners grapple with, and the answer is ideally both. Some veterinarians recommend a post-season assessment before the horse goes on break, while others prefer to see them after a few weeks of rest when acute inflammation has subsided and chronic issues become more apparent.

A post-season veterinary assessment can identify tiny tendon changes before they escalate into career-threatening injuries. Ultrasound imaging can detect fibre disruption that isn’t yet causing clinical lameness. Catching these changes early allows for targeted rehabilitation rather than emergency treatment later.

Dental needs often emerge during competition season but get overlooked until the horse is struggling with bit contact or showing resistance. A dental examination and treatment at the start of the off-season means your horse can eat comfortably and gain condition more easily.

The examination should also check for soreness that didn’t show in competition. Horses are remarkably stoic, and the adrenaline of competition can mask discomfort. Once home and relaxed, subtle lameness or stiffness may become apparent.

Saddle fit drift is another common finding. Horses change shape during the season, losing topline or developing different musculature, and the saddle that fit perfectly in spring may now be creating pressure points.

And gastric ulcers, present in up to ninety percent of performance horses according to some studies, need diagnosis and management. The off-season is an ideal time to treat ulcers because stress levels are lower and management is more consistent.

Early intervention means longer careers. The most successful sport horses aren’t necessarily the most talented; they’re the ones who stay sound year after year. That longevity is built on catching small problems before they become large ones.

When to return to work

The decision to bring a horse back into work should be based on readiness, not on the calendar. Watch for these green flags: relaxed posture in movement, not just at rest but during play and interaction with other horses. A horse who is tight, resistant to stretching, or moving stiffly isn’t ready. Hooves should be stable and comfortable, with good sole depth, healthy frog tissue, and walls that show quality growth. If you pulled shoes for a barefoot break, the feet should be tough enough to handle the work you’re asking without sensitivity.

Body condition should be ideal, which means you can’t see the spine or ribs, but there’s no crest fat or deposits behind the shoulder. Too thin, and you haven’t adequately supported recovery. Too heavy, and you’ll be managing weight while trying to rebuild fitness, which is both inefficient and hard on joints.

And watch for bright, curious behaviour. A horse who’s mentally ready to work shows interest in their surroundings, engages with you during handling, and has a sparkle in their eye. A dull, disinterested horse needs more time.

Avoid rushing back for early-season qualifiers. The competitive calendar is relentless, and there’s always pressure to get started, to qualify, to not miss opportunities. But long-term soundness wins seasons, not rushed fitness. A horse brought back too quickly may get you through that first qualifier, but at what cost to the rest of the year? Planning a realistic timeline that allows for gradual conditioning protects your horse’s body and, ultimately, your competitive goals.

“Just as rest days make athletes stronger, the off-season creates the horse your 2026 season needs you to have.”

The takeaway: performance is built in the pause

A well-planned off-season protects your horse’s longevity, strengthens your partnership, makes training more effective, prevents injury cycles, and brings comfort and free movement back into the horse’s body. These aren’t separate benefits; they build on each other. A horse who feels physically good is mentally available. A partnership built on respect for the horse’s need for recovery is stronger than one built purely on performance demands.

The off-season is not wasted time. It’s not something to be rushed through or minimised. It’s a strategic investment in your horse’s future, a recognition that sustainable performance requires cyclical rest, and an acknowledgement that horses are living athletes whose well-being must come before our competitive ambitions.