Riding a Good Cooldown & Why it's Important for Your Horse

In a previous article we discussed the importance of a good warm-up – you can read the article in full here. In this article, let’s look at what happens at the end of your training – the cooldown. A proper cooldown helps your horse recover and is important for the health of the musculoskeletal system and is just as important as your warm-up.

Skipping or rushing the cooldown can lead to stiff muscles, poor recovery, and potential health problems.

Why a Cooldown is Important

When a horse works, its body temperature rises. Muscles heat up and produce waste products like lactic acid. The heart rate and breathing rate increase, and the blood flows quickly through the body.

A proper cooldown helps the horse’s body return to its resting state gradually. If you stop too quickly, the sudden drop in movement can trap heat and waste in the muscles. This can lead to stiffness or soreness later on.

From a biomechanics point of view, the cooldown helps:

• Flush out waste products from the muscles

• Lower the heart and breathing rates slowly and safely

• Reduce body temperature to avoid overheating or dehydration

• Prevent muscle tightness or stiffness the next day

• Support the ligaments and joints as they come back to a resting state

• Calms and relaxes both horse and rider

How Long Should the Cooldown Be?

The length of the cooldown depends on how hard the horse worked. For light to moderate work, 10–15 minutes is usually enough. After more intense sessions or during hot weather, you may need 20 minutes or more.

Pay attention to your horse’s breathing, sweating, and energy levels. You want the breathing to return to normal and the body to feel cool to the touch before stopping completely.

Cooldown Exercises

Here’s a simple guide to cooling down your horse after a training session

Stretching down long and low

A few minutes of trot in a long and low outline helps to relax and elongate the muscles. It also gives the circulatory system the opportunity to remove toxins and draw lactic acid from the soft tissues. This reduces the likelihood of inflammation and allows the heart and respiration rates to return to normal.

Relaxed Walk

Follow with 5–10 minutes of walking on a loose or long rein. Use large circles, loops, and straight lines. Encourage your horse to stretch and swing through the body.

If you’ve worked hard or it's a hot day, walk even longer. An alternative is to take your horse for a short walk hack.

The cooldown isn’t just a wind-down—it’s a vital and final step in your horse’s health and training session routine. It can prevent soreness, support recovery, and helps your horse feel fresh for the next ride.

Take your time, pay attention to how your horse feels at the end of each training session. It's also important to always finish on a calm and positive note - a well ridden cooldown will help you achieve this.

"As soon as I dismount I continue the warm down with a couple of sets of raised walk poles, then, after untacking, a back lift scratch for 10-15 seconds, my carrot (or lick) exercise routine and I finish with a whole spine extension stretch for 30seconds - 1 minute. This little routine is not only good for their body but their mind too."

 What routines have you developed for your warm up? Do you have any favourite cool-down exercises?