Am i pushing him too fast?

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Rock had 6weeks off work due to lameness from a foot infection. Hes been back in work for 3weeks now, first week was lungeing in pessoa every other day, second week every other day lungeing and every other day hacking for 30minutes. Last week i schooled him on the flat twice, hacked him out twice, and schooled him over poles and a small crosspole once. This week planning longer hacks, 1bigger jumping session and 2flatwork as well as lungeing. Atm hes still quite unfit, sweating a lot but this is also due to a really thick coat which im clipping on tuesday. Next monday (23rd) i have a 90cms jumping clinic and on wednesday 25th i have my first bsja on a day ticket. My question is, is this too soon? Am i pushing him too fast? Please ANY suggestions welcome

 

[Fiona]

I am not an expert by any means on bring horses back to fitness, my welshie doesn't like holidays so never has more than a fortnight off at once.
Hpwever I am sure that I have read somewhere, that it should take roughly the time the horse has been off for to bring it back to the same level of fitness. Ie if your horse has been rested for six weeks, it should take six weeks to get him back to the same level. Most of the fitness guides published in mags etc seem to indicate walk and trot only for the first three weeks, introducing canter after this, and jumping after about 5-6 weeks. Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear.

Fiona

 

[siennamum]

Don't know whether yo're working to a fitness regime prescribed by the vet - in which case ignore me. BUT I would be concerned mainly about the amount of lunging you are doing tbh.3 or 4 times a week is a lot, especially for a young horse. You are much better off going for long steady hacks, an hour walking will be far better for him than a lunging session.
So long as you are competing at a level which you were comfortable at prior to his injury can't see there being a problem with your competition.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Siennas mum do you think i should replace the lunging with schooling sessions then? I hack him out a lot as it is but am lunging him in the pessoa to build up his topline again as hes lost all his muscle

 

[Skhosu]

I think your doing way to much lunging TBH. Your going to knacker his legs joints etc. You need to build up the legs with walking first, and 3 weeks isn't very long after 6weeks off. I would be inclined to think yes, you are going too fast. I wouldn't be going anywhere more than a small class yet!

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

How does lunging knacker his leg joints anymore than hacking or schooling?

 

[Skhosu]

the stress of cicrling constantly I believe. Hacking and schooling you are doing straight lines too and not always in a circle.
The walking on a hack is what strengthens the legs, or so I've always been told.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Ah i seem to remember the hacking discussion in the new lounge before, i alwayhs hack as much as possible (but at a new yard atm and keep geting lost!) but i always always start the horse of with a week of walk and trot lunging before i get on him just so he has enough strength for me to actually get on! lol just me though! Would b e interesting to see what everyone else thought on the topic of lunging thouhg, dont wana do any damage to my boy! (though havnt done a lot the last week or so as tbh its rely boring!)

 

[Bossanova]

I agree about the lunging thing- I wouldnt want to lunge more than once a week, esp when theyve had an injury.
I'd be inclined to build him up gradually for another 2 weeks before doing anything more strenuous, 6 weeks is a fair amount of time off

 

[Skhosu]

I only lunge once a week really. I fail to see why you can't just build up his muscle riding. There are no short cuts, and too much lungeing will do more damage in the long run, as will not doing the early fittening work, than working the horse steadily and properly to develop muscle gradually.
You did also say he's still quite unfit, which isn't really surpising. In 2-3weeks he would be more likely to <b>happily</b> cope with the 2 sessions, I would be concerned about taking one of mine to both after 3 weeks in work.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Well, because 15minutes in the pessoa is the equivalent of 50minutes ridden work. Have also posted this in new lounge and the responses there have been encouraging and have come to the conclusion to carry on as i am and see what hes like after the clinic and decide after that about the bsja (because im on a day ticket i just turn up on the day you see) though i would have liked to have done some more unaff events before is bsja, but you never know he might cope really well, who knows!

 

[Skhosu]

Ummm...so you did the equivalent of near an hours work in his first week back?...
yeah.....
hope all goes well next week...

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

I didnt do 15minutes straight out did i!!! honestly and you dont have to be so bludy rude and up yourself here! I did 5minutes just walking actually for the first week and am only NOW doing 15minutes. If you cant say anything helpful dont say anything at all alright! Just because i lunge and you dont, alright, your decision, but i know many many top riders who lunge for fitness and told me to do the same thing and i've always done it and never had a problem with it. So dont be so rude.

 

[Skhosu]

sorry, but you did ask the question and got my honest response. If it were mine I would be concerned about overstretching him/her and there are several large jumps in your programme.
(who said I don't lunge? I clearly said I do..)
It seems to me your mind was already made up.
Not sure how I could have put it that didn't seem 'rude' but my aplogies if that's how it came across as I was merely having a discussion.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

I appreciate your honest answer but i dont tolerate sarcasm when im trying to have a professional conversation here, and if you read your previous reply you will see the sarcasm there. And i too am very concerned about overstretching him, hence the post, but replies in the other post in new lounge have put thingsin perspective and so i will judge how he copes at the clinic, surely thats a fair enough thing to do. If he doesnt cope well then i know hes not ready and needs to do some unaffiliated (i will probs miss the bsja anyway unless he copes particularly well) but im reserving my judgement until then.

 

[Ignition]

my horse was out of work for about 5 weeks, and for the first two weeks i just walked him out and started a few trots in the second week. We are only just up to lunging a couple of days a week, and the rest still trotting out. However, different things work for different horses. If i were you, i would keep hacking him out - lots of trotting - and keep lunging him a couple of times a week, with some schooling sessions thrown in. However, i would leave jumping competitions for a couple of weeks. I say this, because horses are more likely to get excited when they are at a competition, and you may be surprised by how quickly he'll grow tired.

 

[jess_asterix]

when my pony was off for 6 weeks i only walked and trotted him on the roads for the first 10 days to buid his legs back up and srengthen them, then i took him in the school and did 3 schooling sessions a week for three weeks increasing the amount of canter gradually, and on the other days i was hacking out.
Then i just worked on fittening him for the next 3 weeks and introducing small jumps back in no bigger than 85cms.
Then during the next month i started increasing the height of the jumps.
So, personally if it was one of mine i would deffinately not take him to both, i wouldn't even contemplate doing one of them that soon after injury.

But i suppose all horses and owners are different!

if you do do it though, GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Hi and thanks for all your replies, much appreciated!!
Having assessed him today i think that hes going to be able to cope with it, and i had a fellow showjumper assess him and she said the bsja im thinkin of doing will be ideal for him as its small,not spooky and has a clear round before the class. I'm going to jump him at home again on thursday and see how he goes, if he does that well i'll go on to do the clinic and at the clinic me and the trainer will assess his fitness and depending on how he copes will aim to do the bsja. Thats the plan anyway but we all know horses! Even mum said she thinks he'll be read ythough and shes a self confessed bunny hugger lol so yeh will inform you all of what happens xx

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Will post piccies too!