Bringing a 19 year old back into work....

[Hippona]

OH' s mare has done very little for the past three years due to his dodgy knee, not anything to do with her health.
She's sound, bit fat and lacking in muscle.
Last night I tracked her up and walked her in the paddock for about ten minutes.
She's sound, unbalanced but very responsive and seemed to enjoy it.
I'm thinking initially short sessions of walk and hacks out in walk and trot and just build it up?
She used to be a XC machine....would it be possible to get her fit for some show-cross in spring and would that be fair to her at her age after having so much time off??

 

[Alphamare]

Six weeks walking only increasing the distance slowly. Then add short periods of trot. I would never begin with walk and trot! Especially as she has been out for so long and is unbalanced.

 

[cornbrodolly]

I would treat her like alet down hunter - walk on the roads for an hr per day for a month [ or lead off another horse] ,. another month walk and trot , then a third month upper pace, then she ll be fit and hardened off. I knopw I m old fashioned , but when I see hunters still working in their twenties I know slow and steady is the only way to prevent injuries and wear and tear. By spring if she has had consistant and correct work she ll be fit for anything!
BTW- like the look of your old girl! need something similar for my very novice son in law !

 

[paulineh]

If she was fit and healthy before stopping riding her and has remained so, then three years off will not have been a problem. Her age is not a problem either. As said 6 weeks walking then start to trot , a couple of minutes to start with and the number of trots per hours hack can be several. Do this for a month . You can increase the length of trot every third day so that by the end of the month you are doing 10 minutes trotting. You can then add on some canter work. Try and have her on the bit so that she works her quarters underneath her. You can do some jumping by then.

She will be fit enough to do anything next spring.

 

[Hippona]

Ok then.....walking it is.
Got plenty of tracks and lanes and a 30 minute loop I can do to get her going again.
Bless her...'she nearly sucked the bit in when I offered it up
Cornbrodolly....she is lovely. I'm not a mare person but she's grown on me over the years. She was bought from a friend for my totally novice hubby and she really looked after him.
She used to have a cracking jump on her too.

 

[Woody2013]

http://greyhorsematters.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/guidelines-for-bringing-horse-back-to.html

This helped us when we were bringing an obese horse back to work. I am not a horsey person, but the mother of one and this made sense to me ... the translation bits.

Same age horse as yours. Your horse is very pretty

 

[hessy12]

Six weeks walking only increasing the distance slowly. Then add short periods of trot. I would never begin with walk and trot! Especially as she has been out for so long and is unbalanced.

I agree with this, 6 weeks walking will help

 

[Megibo]

Not quite the same as she's 14 but mine has been ridden on and off due to injury and is now on 6 weeks walk work and will only introduce trot super slowly would recommend same for your girl

 

[Hippona]

Thankyou for all your advice......I'm off for a blast on my boy shortly and then a nice steady half an hour walk on the mare to get her started.
Aim is local show cross next year