Assessing level of work

[First Frost]

I always find it difficult to assess a horses level of work, mainly I think because there are so many different opinions. Here are descriptions of two horses work levels, i would be really grateful of peoples thoughts on their levels of work.

HORSE 1 - schools at elementary/medium 40 mins twice a week. Hacks for 1 to 1.5 hours mainly walking but with some trots and the odd canter (unfortunately we have mainly road work) 3 times a week. show jumping or Xc session once a week, mainly jumping 90cm to 1m.

HORSE 2 - Hacks between 1 and 2 hours 4 times a week, mainly walking some trots and the odd canter. Occasional easy schooling or low level jumping. This horse is 20 years old now.

I know what I think but look forward to hearing the views of others.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Horse 2 light work.
Horse 1 upper end of light/ lower end of medium!!

 

[splashgirl45]

Both in light work although older horse is on lighter work

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Horse 1 works hard 3 times a week with 3 recovery hacks. Assuming the 40 minutes is pretty intense. I'd say that was medium level of work, not light. But interested to read other's views.

 

[teapot]

I'd interested to know their respective fitness levels before commenting on workloads

 

[ihatework]

40 mins of schooling can be interpreted very differently. I see some people bimbling around for 40 mins sometimes doing a 10m circle, a few steps of cc or a bit of sideways and class that as elem/med

Or 2 sets of 15 min solid work sessions, almost predominantly trot and canter. Working the transitions. Lots of sideways. A bit of collection. Horse sweaty. Also could be described elem/med.

Horse 2 is light work, but that is appropriate to age.
Horse 1, light-medium depending on the intensity of the 3 non hacking sessions

 

[Horseysheepy]

Also need to factor in horse's current body condition.

 

[Jenko109]

Also need to factor in horse's current body condition.

Why?

 

[Horseysheepy]

Why?

I'm under the assumption that this is to formulate a feeding ration.

 

[First Frost]

OK extra information for horse 1. Schooling sessions are quite intense, lots of canter work and lateral work in trot and canter. In a jumping session he probably jumps about 30 fences, sometimes grids, sometimes courses, sometimes xc.

Fitness levels - horse 1 can easily complete a BE100 xc within the time and recover quickly.
horse 2 can hack all day in walk/trot but doesn't do to much cantering etc in the summer to save his legs. He is my, retired from competition sound, event horse and I want to keep him enjoying his work for as long as possible but no pressure.

 

[SEL]

2 is light work but I'd probably say 1 is medium.

Vet laughed when I said my retiree does a couple of miles about 5 days a week in hand and I call that "no work". Apparently some of her clients call that being in full work

 

[ycbm]

1980 both horses are in light work.

2020 both horses are in medium work.

.

 

[SEL]

1980 both horses are in light work.

2020 both horses are in medium work.

.

One of the vets said they used to have guidance that 45 mins of trot / canter 5 days a week was light work - but now it's hard to find many recreational riders coming close to that.

 

[splashgirl45]

1980 both horses are in light work.

2020 both horses are in medium work.

.

I am of an age to remember the level of work in 1980 and before , which is why I classed both as light work, one being the higher end and one the lower end

 

[Horseysheepy]

I remember being told by a Nutrition lecturer at equine college early 2000s how some feed companies definitions on the back of their feed bags of medium work are most appropriate for a horse in light work.
So owners are feeding more than needed, adding another string to the bow of equine obesity!

 

[Bobthecob15]

I remember being told by a Nutrition lecturer at equine college early 2000s how some feed companies definitions on the back of their feed bags of medium work are most appropriate for a horse in light work.
So owners are feeding more than needed, adding another string to the bow of equine obesity!

This doesn't surprise me! More feed = more profit!

 

[silv]

1980 both horses are in light work.

2020 both horses are in medium work.

.

You are so correct, I remember doing my riding club exams in the 80's
Light work, hacking, schooling, show at the weekend, possibly a ODE
Medium work was Hunting and high level showjumping.
Heavy work was 3 day eventing, racing and endurance.
How times have changed, if people fed accordingly to the above I am sure there would be a lot less problems with spooky difficult horses.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Good question how about this horse

Hacks 2-3 times a week. 8-11km, lots of trot and canter work, hill work, odd gallop.

Schools 2-3 times a week Elem / medium 40 minutes schooling (25 minute hack to arenas so 50 minute round trip)

Regular Pole clinic / groundwork / ground polework

Competes or does outings most weekends - gallops / beach / 15-25km hacks / trec / dressage / low level endurance.

He’s a big horse and low level eventing fit (but doesn’t jump).

 

[expanding_horizon]

Good question how about this horse :-

Hacks 2-3 times a week. 8-11km, lots of trot and canter work, hill work, odd gallop.

Schools 2-3 times a week Elem / medium 40 minutes schooling (25 minute hack to arenas so 50 minute round trip)

Regular Pole clinic / groundwork / ground polework

Competes or does outings most weekends - gallops / beach / 15-25km hacks / trec / dressage / low level endurance.

He’s a big horse and low level eventing fit (but doesn’t jump).

 

[Sossigpoker]

As long as the horse isn't too fat I don't see the need for a leisure rider like myself to work their horse that hard. Being a cob , I do need to work mine a certain amount to keep some control of the weight but I don't really get this almost obsession over how hard horses used to work vs today.
Horses used to go down mines and get blown up in wars , I'm sure those horses used to work bloody hard too.

Not forgetting that horses don't choose to be ridden, they allow us to do so out of conditioning/obedience.

I do get that most leisure horses are over weight though. (As well as a lot of dressage horses )

 

[MuddyMonster]

I don't think it's an obsession over what people did in the olden days or assumption that a pleasure rider should be doing more but more what seems like an increased lack of understanding that a horse that hacks for 45 minutes in mainly walk with some trot three times a week in good weather on a flat surface can barely be described as being in light work.

There's nothing wrong with lightly hacking or pootling in the school a few times a week providing the owner doesn't decide to take that horse to a three day full on RC camp for example or look at the back of a feed bag and start feeding big scoops of this and that because 'he's in work', reach for a supplement because he 'lacks energy' without realising that the horse is probably just unfit and then wondering why the vet has told them they have a fat horse.

My horse was described as being in hard work by another livery. He's absolutely not - he's roughly novice endurance fit but I wouldn't class him in anything but the high end of light to poss. lower end of medium work. I wouldn't want to take him around an 80km endurance ride with his current fitness but he doesn't need to, so it's not an issue! But it could be an issue if I thought because he's ridden 6 days a week he must be in hard work so could do it easily or think he needs to be fed like an eventer.

It's like there's nothing wrong that I'm 'just' a pleasure club runner and I have no desire to run more than 10km but I also can't eat the calories that a professional athlete can because I run 5k a few times a week. I'd be kidding myself to say I run so can enter a half marathon next month but I see a fair few people assume their horse is fitter than they are and wonder why they have issues when they want to do more every now and then without proper conditioning or fitness plan.