Advice on bringing an older horse back into work.

applestroodle

applestroodle

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Ok my old novice eventer age 16 now , coloured in my sig, was diagnosed with arthritis last year. He never stopped or broke down but he came very stiff and just wasn’t his usual self so after x rays he was diagnosed with arthritis in most of his joints front and back so I took the decision to retire him. He doesn’t owe me much has jumped up to newcomers and novice evented, I also took on a youngster as a project so I have something to ride. This was all last august. So he has been off nearly a year now and I have been watching him galloping around the field, jumping out and chasing my youngster. So I am thinking I might bring him back into work, not holding out to much hope and obviously if he gets sore again I will stop. What I was wondering what are you guys opinion on the best way to bring him back into work obviously slowly building him up. All his muscles have sagged since he has been off work so should I start lunging or hacking? Any opinions and thoughts would be gratefully appreciated, thanks
 
my 17 year old has been comin ack in2 work after bout 8 months off so im just startin 2 hack him out, im not lungin as thats alot of stress on the joints. im just tryin 2 supple him up, loys of hill work, in walk buildin up his muscles again. i also do some light work on a surface just 2 get his balance + suppleness back, shoulder in + leg yeild but nothin 2 stressful or concussive.
 
i'm bringing my 17yr old back into work after 1yr and 3months off, my best bit of advice is to spend a long time warming up and cooling off.

for the first week i did 10mins of walk both in the school and on the road.

second week and did at least 15mins of walk to warm up then a couple of circuits if trot in the school (don't trot on roads with my horses)

and in the 3rd week 15mins walk then circuit of trot on each rein then more walk then another circuit.

each horse is different my horse now looks like he has been worked afterwards and i think he is probably of working harder but i don't wanna push things. just take it slow and he will tell you if he is unhappy
 
Hacking definately.Perhaps it's the way I've been taught but I think of lunging as quite intense. And actually I think (to start with) just end of the buckle no pressure gentle walks building up from there. We had a 20 yr old horse brought back into work after a 6yr break and she started this way. A year on and she can happily work in the school etc. Obviously, there's a degree of sensibleness but she is older and has come from a more out of work place than yours!!
 
If he's reasonably sane hacking is far better than lunging, I never understand why anyone lunges after a long lay off because the strain on the joints and muscles is far greater than walking in straight lines!
I would make sure his girth area is well protected and just start walking him.
If he's likely to be a prat lead from another horse.
One of my retired owners decided because her horse had not shown any lameness when here living out for years she would get it back in work. They took it back to the livery yard where they had an arena and limited turnout.
They started lunging it and over several weeks increased the time.
Sure enough it broke down and they had to put it to sleep.
I am positive had they just walked it for several weeks then slowly trotted in straight lines it may have stayed sound.. it galloped hell for leather here whnever the hunt came near and never went lame afterwards...
 
QR - Hacking. Lunging is too much for an unfit horse with stiff joints. Walk, walk and more walk
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Then once he's fit, and if ground permits you should be able to do more, but see how he does
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My mums first horse was retired at 8 due to arthrtis and went on to breed two foals. When my horsey was still a foal and I was outgrowning my pony my mum said to take her horse out and see how she would cope. I think was after about 7 years without being ridden.

We took her and another horse out for hacks to start with working up, expected her to go lame after the first day but nothing. I just hacked her, no jumping (she was never a jumper!), and rode her daily for a few years and it never bothered her. She was never on box rest and was turned out 24/7 so she had a level of fitness of carrying on in the field. Started off walk and trot and then following week cantered to see how she would be and she was still sound. Thats when we knew it was time to put shoes back on her. She never went lame again.
 
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