Heading out on a 20-mile trail ride or working a horse hard in a cutting pen or over jumps at this point could cause serious damage. This is also the time for some serious hands-on monitoring of tendons when we have finished riding. Take time to palpate each limb slowly, feeling for any sign of swelling or inflammation that is an indication you are pushing too hard. There should be nothing abrupt about this spring tune-up period. It should be a slow and gradual process that allows the horse to round into working condition without being stressed physically or mentally.
Common sense is the key ingredient.
Based near Riverton, Wyo., Sellnow also is the author of fiction and non-fiction books.