Bringing a Horse back into work after 3 yrs?

[Laura6544]

This may sound a bit mad so I'm just checking out any advice any one may have. I have an old mare she's 20yrs, looks about 15yrs and acts 5! I have had her since she was a 5yr old and I lightly competed her till she was around 9. After that I lost my transport and she was lightly hacked and schooled. I stopped riding her 3 yrs ago as she bucked me off and I fractured my spine, luckily I made a full recovery but I lost my confidence. I miss riding and recently joined a novice friend for lessons at a local riding school, thing is I miss riding my horse. I thought I could start by long reining her lightly whilst continuing with my riding lessons then gradually build up to getting on her again. She is healthly but obviously not 'fit' as she hasn't been ridden, I am aprehensive as she isn't a novice horse and although she is 20 no one seems to have told her that. I know a horse at 20 can continue to be ridden and enjoy its work but what about one thats had 3yrs off! Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

3 yrs is nothing AA! As long as you bring her back into work carefully and build her fitness up gradually she will be fine. My concern is YOUR health! Are you totally healed? What do your specialists say about riding again? As you know, your ned will be pretty much the same now as she was before ie not an easy ride, to put it mildly. If you can't bring yourself to re-home her and find a safer ned, what about sending her away for some basic schooling and then booking a run of lessons for you AND her together? Re-homing may sound a drastic solution but remember that next time she has you off you might not be so lucky, and rest assured she WILL remember how to get you off.

 

[Laura6544]

Thanks for the reply, my injury was a compression fracture of the L1 vertebra so it was middle of my back but with no misalignment, doc said that once it had fully healed after around 9 months it would calcify and actually be stronger than my other vertebra, he saw no problems with me riding again. I couldn't re-home her, I've had her for 15yrs, I tell my partner quite often that my relationship with her is longer than I've been with him! I am worried about coming off again I'd be lying if I said I wasn't but in the 15yrs I've had her she's only ever dumped me this way twice, the first time was the first day I rode her after buying her, I think I lasted 30 seconds. She tried again after that but I used to sit it, just concerned that after 3 yrs not riding my seat has gone to pot, hence the riding lessons. I have thought about having her sent for schooling but have no idea how much this would cost, any ideas?

 

[Firewell]

If I was you I would get some lessons first at a riding school to get your confidence back and some practice. Then if you still feel good then you could bring your horse back into work.

Our old horse was still competing at 26, if I had retired him at 20 I would have missed 6 years of wonderful fun with him! As long as shes sound and well I dont see any reason why not to ride her. Too many people think 'oh my horse is old, I'll retire him' when in fact old horses are like old people, they last a lot longer if theyre kept active. Unless there is something wrong health wise of course.

You'll need to bring her back into work slowly though, slower than you would a younger horse. I would'nt lunge her first, she'll probably be stiff and she might find it hard, especially if she goes loopy! I would get someone to be with me and I would just gently wander round the school on her at walk for 10 mins instead. If she was good I would then hack her at walk for at least 6 weeks building up the time from 10/15 mins to a good hour before introducing some gentle trot work and build it up slowly from there untill shes as fit as you need her to be x

 

[ickelshadow]

hello,

i did the same thing myslef with my old girl. she had 2.5/3years off due to crippling lameness coming out of a riding school. by some miracle she came sound and i thought i would only realistically be able to wakl and occassional trot.

i had been long reining all spring and summer to keep her weight down, so she had some level of fitness, when i moved yards she really dropped weight when she was bullied a little bit in the field and was generally galloping around all day! this seemed to do the trick and came sound somehow! i then started taking her on 20 min strolls around the yard, starting schooling for 10-15 mins to ensure that she built up the correct muscle to be able to carry herself and me in the easiest fashion. her soundness astounded me and i started doing short bursts of canter after about 5/6weeks of ridden work and started building it up.

all throughout this she was perfect - spritly but behaved and loving having a purpose.

i then decided that we should go out and aout from the yard, starting off with just little trips round the village as a break from schooling and cantering in the field (alone!) and then went for her first 'big girl hack' in 3 years (basically with other horses and going for a canter!).

she went A P E!! IT WAS BRILLIANT

we had rearing, bucking, half pass, canter on the spot - you name it. i was very very glad that it was me on board and not some poor unsuspecting sole. she thoroughly enjoyed herself and was on a high for months

fortunately i had the forsight to add a pelham to our collection for this outing - very much required. it was in october and i'd given her a little bib and belly just incase she went lame at any point, i didnt want to take off too much fur - she came back dripping in sweat from excitment. she promptly got a blanket clip and we didn't look back once

when we started jumping agin we had pony club spins on the spot and chargnig off over fences!!

personally i loved it, she was 24/25 and found a new zest for life, she was my cheeky naughty pony of old and nothing she did phased me as i'd had it all bigger and badder from bigger and badder horses.

so i would probably suggest that if you feel nervous about taking the next step (whether that be cantering alone, cantering in company, jumping, etc) then it might be worthwhile getting a more confident or experienced person to sit out the wild times if you suspect she might have this sort of reaction. generally she was considerabley calmer on the second attempt at anything, and by the third or further she was relaxed and enjoying herself.

 

[the watcher]

I brought one out of retirement many years ago after she had spent a similar amount of time mooching around a field, I treated it like a spell of hunter fittening and she went ot to have another 7 years of shows and hunting before succumbing to illness. It can be done - good luck. (mine thought she was a 5 year old too)

 

[Laura6544]

Thanks everyone. Tried a spot of long reigning today and she went berserk, I'm thinking that getting someone else to sit on her first will be a good idea. I'm gonna take thinks steady, continue having lessons to build my confidence and see how it goes.