Tapering is a pretty well researched art in humans, taking into account the physiological and mental aspect of preparing and peaking for certain events is standard practice. In the equine world it’s certainly not as standardised or well researched and although equine physiology is vastly different to human, human is what I know, so I work with what I’ve got and base my training blocks, tapering and peaking on my human athlete experience with a sprinkle of equine research.
If it was as simple as pure physiology then it would be pretty straight forward, but peaking for an event is an art, as you have to take in the psychological aspects too. I’d say it’s the same for horses, some you could not ride for a week and they’d be on their best form from the rest, some need riding everyday and kept in a consistent routine. It doesn’t really matter to me how we do it, it’s just about reducing load and maximising recovery, whilst being as confident as possible that the preparation is as good as you can do.
I haven’t really learnt what works best for Estrid yet but she seems to really benefit from the physical and mental rest of being left to mooch in a field and do a few chilled 5km hacks in the run up to an event. On the flip side if I don’t trailer her out at least once a week she quickly loses her ability to regulate her emotions and stay calm in new or busy environments.
Beth Endurance 