The Weekend Warrior’s Guide to Avoiding a Sore, Stiff Horse.

The Weekend Warrior’s Guide to Avoiding a Sore, Stiff Horse.

Let’s be honest—most of us aren’t riding our horses five days a week. Life gets in the way, and before you know it, you’re cramming all your riding into Friday through Sunday. And then, by Monday, your horse is stiff, slow, or even reluctant to move.

This is classic Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). When a horse isn’t working consistently and then suddenly goes through a high-exertion weekend, their muscles aren’t conditioned for it. When muscles are exerted beyond their usual capacity, the lymphatic system struggles to drain the lymphatic fluid that accumulates as part of the healing process. This build-up of fluid results in pressure and soreness within the muscle, aka, DOMS. 

🛠 How prevent DOMS in your horse if you can only ride on weekends:
✔️ Midweek movement: Even if you can’t ride, have someone hand-walk, lunge (correctly!), or do groundwork with your horse. Anything to keep them moving.
✔️ Longer warm-ups and cool-downs: Give them at least 15 minutes of walking before AND after rides to keep circulation flowing.
✔️ Post-ride care: Consider a light massage or stretching session after a hard ride to manually move out that excess lymphatic fluid.

Your horse doesn’t have to be a weekend warrior casualty. Small changes = huge improvements in how they feel.