When you are working with a horse that is coming back from an injury, you can use dressage exercises to help him recover. Of course, this is more challenging than regular dressage because there is always a risk of re-injury. There are a few things to consider that can help you in the rehabilitation process. The following list can be applied to sound, healthy horses as well, of course, but it’s even more important with horses that are recovering from an injury.

1. Check the horse’s legs carefully before and after each workout for heat and swelling, if he is recovering from a leg injury.
   
   
If a leg is swollen or warm before the workout, it could mean that you overdid the training on the previous day. Sometimes it doesn’t show up until the next day if you worked the horse too intensively or too long.
   

2. Work closely with a vet, chiropractor, physiotherapist, body worker, farrier, etc., depending on the nature of the injury.

   
   These professionals can help you determine if the horse is still experiencing pain, or if he is fully recovered and should be able to work. Sometimes horses in rehab show certain resistances to engaging a hind leg or supporting the weight with a certain hind leg, and it can be difficult to determine whether the horse is still hurting, or if he expects that it will hurt because it used to hurt during the acute phase of the injury. Another possibility is that the old injury site has developed scar tissue or adhesions that limit the range of motion of the limb and cause discomfort or pain. Depending on the cause of the horse’s reaction, you may have to proceed very differently with the training.
   

3. Work very diligently on straightening and balancing the horse, i.e. align the horse precisely on the chosen line of travel and use turns, transitions, and movements to shift the weight towards the hind legs. 

   
   Balance and straightness allow the horse to relax. 

   
   Flexible hips and stifle joints protect the hocks and the front legs. 

   
   A swinging back acts as a shock absorber together with the hip joints, which is why back movers stay sounder longer. Their movements are round and smooth, and their feet touch down gently and noiselessly, whereas leg movers touch the ground loudly, with a hard, jarring impact that damages the joints and tendons.

   
   Straightness keeps the horse laterally balanced, whereas a crooked horse always overloads one front leg.

   

4. Find and eliminate muscle blockages. Stiff muscles create resistances, imbalances, and asymmetries. Muscle blockages limit the range of motion of certain joints. Horses often compensate for this by overusing other muscles and joints. Stiff joints create wear and tear because they can’t cushion the impact of the legs on the ground, and compensatory overuse of a certain leg or legs will also lead to damage.
   

5. Try to balance and supple the horse without the rider’s weight, e.g. through work in hand or careful longeing, before getting on.
   

6. Be very mindful of the tempo and speed you ride in relation to the line of travel. If the speed (mph, km/h) is too fast for the turn radius, the centrifugal forces will damage the horse’s tendons. If the tempo (strides per minute) is too fast, the horse will fall onto the forehand and overuse his front legs.
   

7. Be mindful of how long you work the horse, and how long you stay on one rein, in each gait, and in each exercise. Rather than staying in one gait, arena pattern, and movement for a long time, it may be better to work in short reprises, so that you work specific muscle groups for a short period of time, and then switch to a different muscle group, while the first one can recover again.
   

8. To supple the horse you may have to ride lateral movements in the walk for a while, and only ride larger arena patterns on a single track in the trot, until the horse has developed enough strength and stamina to do lateral work in the trot as well.
   

9. Keep a close eye on any signs of fatigue, discomfort, or pain so that you take breaks early enough, and you reduce the demands when the horse shows you that you have reached a certain limit. Be aware of the right time to end the training session for the day.

   
   When muscles fatigue, they stop supporting and stabilising the body, and the tendons have to take over this task, which puts them at high risk of injury.
   

10. Don’t ride the horse every day. Sometimes, just work him in hand, at the longe line, the double longe line, or long reins. The more time he can spend doing gymnastic work without the weight of the rider, the safer it is.
    

11. Be mindful of your choice of training exercises. Never ride around mindless. Avoid empty miles on a stiff, crooked, unbalanced horse, as they damage the legs.