"When it comes to improving fitness, exercises rely on dosage. How an exercise is applied, the duration and frequency of execution, and the weekly schedule within which workouts exist determines its impact on fitness. For just about everything we do with horses-from trail riding to top level competition-a healthy state of fitness is key to both performance and longevity. Every horse will go better for longer if his mind and body are well prepared for the ask. Equine training and conditioning expert Jec Aristotle Ballou now provides a book that takes the guesswork out of fitness gains. It clarifies how long and frequently to do given exercises and in which combinations with each other. It helps maximize a horse's athleticism. The 33 workouts in these pages help accomplish the performance goals that many riders strive for within their disciplines but often fall short of reaching-stronger, more agile, and balanced horses. They do this by circumventing the tension, both physical and mental, that often spoils conditioning attempts made within a discipline-specific or skill-based session. By providing the right amount of stimulus while avoiding the boredom, fatigue, and habituated neuromuscular patterns, they lead to physiological gains"