Bringing a horse back in to work

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showjump2003

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Ok, need a bit of advice!

If you had a horse that had been out of work for 2 years, was over weight and unfit how would you go about bringing it back in to work if hacking wasn't an option, you just had a field?!

What sort of programme would you use?
 
I would maybe do a little bit of lunging at first and then slowly get him into the ridden work
smile.gif
 
Would we want to lunge an overweight horse that's been out of work for two years though?? Possibly not.........

Start with 15 mins walking a day gradually building it up over the next few weeks.

Why no hacking?
 
you are meant to do a weeks work of walking for every month off. Id start with 10mins of walking in hand for the first week and build it up gradually from there. I wouldnt introduce trot work until the 3rd month. when he can comfortably walk for over an hour up and down hills without getting worn out.

**Edited because i cant spell!
 
Wallking, walking and more walking. Start 15-20 mins a day and keep building it up. At least a month of walking before anything else. There must be some off road hacking you can do? What do you hope to do with the horse when it is fitter? Obviously not hacking out!
 
Unfortunatly in summer my town is a very busy holiday maker area and it's too dangerous to hack and we can't get to any off road riding. I don't really want to do anything with this horse apart from bring her back in to work and keep her in work, no shows or lessons or anything and I won't be in a hurry to do it.

Not worried about how she will behave, I can jump on her in the field bareback anyday and she will just plod, she is VERY dosile/stupid lol.
 
Lots of walking, buiding up very gradually I reckon after 2 months start to introduce trotting. This horse will have no muscles for working etc and needs building up really slowly
 
The best way to get a horse going again after a length time off work is by gently hacking it out at a walk andthen gradually increasing the time that you hack it out for.

If the horse or rider is unsuitable/unable to hack out on the road then if you want to get the horse going again find somewhere else to keep it where there is off road out-riding.
 
If the horse is turned out 24/7 is there any need for the 2 months of walk? Id say a good month of walk and trot in the field and lots of bends and suppling exercises.
 
She is turned out 24/7 most of the time *in at night if my horses are* and they are for ever galloping about ect in the field.......

She wasn't very well schooled in the first place so will have to redo that
 
I personally wouldn't lunge a horse that had been out of work for that length of time. If its quiet then I would just hack around the fields in walk for weeks before considering trotting if going out on the roads isn't an option
 
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