Back to work fitness plan

[JGC]

So my two have now been off work for 5 weeks due to an injury to my hand. They were in medium to full work and since then have been turned out daily 8 to 5 in the winter paddocks, so not huge fields but long enough to gallop up and down at a fair lick.

I am trying to work out how and when to bring them back into work - trying to judge when YO could start them back to work, without it costing me a kidney, against having then ready to ride but not too stupid when I can get back on ...

So have any of you followed any fittening plans post-six-week holiday? They are stabled at 750m altitude so anything they do has a decent amount of hill work, we really don't have anywhere particularly flat.

 

[Carrottom]

I would not expect a horse to lose much fitness in 5 weeks if they have been out every day.

 

[Quigleyandme]

What are you planning to do with them? One would need a different plan for hacking and occasionally jumping a 2’6” course or completing a prelim dressage test to eventing at grassroots level. Walking up and down those hills for 5k a day would be a good start on any fitness regime though.

 

[JGC]

What are you planning to do with them? One would need a different plan for hacking and occasionally jumping a 2’6” course or completing a prelim dressage test to eventing at grassroots level. Walking up and down those hills for 5k a day would be a good start on any fitness regime though.

One would be aimed at Novice dressage, the other at Medium. Both jump too, but that can wait a bit longer.

I should have said, they're both 16, so their muscles are still there to some extent.

 

[Quigleyandme]

As Carrottom said, as your horses have been in the field for a good length of time every day whilst you have been incapacitated I don’t think it would take much to bring them back to the fitness required for their jobs. I would be walking hacking for 5 km or so every day I could manage it on the hills with some short trot intervals gradually becoming longer. I know lots of people don’t like to trot on the roads so do you have some tracks you could use? If they’re a bit fresh or silly to start with do you have somebody to ride out with until they settle? This is a good time of year to be getting back in the saddle with a whole summer of fun to look forward to. Good luck

 

[JGC]

OK, I think I was perhaps worrying more than necessary. YO will do the first couple of weeks in walk, so they should be a little bit sensible but not too fit by the time I should be ready to get out, but also ready for a couple of short trots to settle them if they look like getting up to mischief! Hopefully I can take them on some tracks, we have great off-road hacking so long as there's no snow or ice.

Thanks, I have a plan now. Like with anything with horses, wait and see how it works