Bringing a horse back into work?

Kitei

Kitei

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Was looking through adverts today (I can't help it...!) and saw several that had been out of work for around 10 months. How would you go about bringing a horse back into work? What amount of exercise a day, for instance, and what type of exercise would be best for getting a horse back into shape?
 
Hacking out in walk for first 3 weeks increasing gradually from about 20 mins on first day to around 2 hrs by end of 3rd week. Introduce trot in the 4th week starting with about 1 min trot to 10 mins walk increase the trot gradually until by the end of week 6 you are at 50:50 walk and trot still doing about 2 hrs per day. The straight line work is best for reintroducing a horse to work and the roadwork helps harden off tendons. You can always start introducing some basic lateral work as well in week 5/6
Weeks 7-9 start to mix the hacking with schooling and also introduce canter work (circles,lateral work,transitions), also by the end of week 9 you could be introducing pole work, again doing about 2 hrs per day
Weeks 10-12 you should be in a position to start jumping and low level competitions etc, after this should be back at full fitness.

This is a guide only and each horse is different so it should be played by ear, coming back from a major injury it could be slower, a horse coming back from box rest is likely to be slower than one that has been turned out.
 
Out of interest would you say that a horse that had 24/7 turnout had a base level of fitness rather than one which had been in for part of the day/overnight?
 
Thank you for those replies. It's very helpful! :)
The horse I'm looking at in particular has just been turned out for 10 months, due to the current owner's ill health.
 
It does depend on the horse if it's got very fat you will have to be more carefull and take longer.
I would do six weeks walking hacking out a mixture of roads and off road .
Starting at ten minutes then ten mins twice a day working up to an hour and a half six days a week .
If the horse is very fat I would do longer up to double the six weeks .
If I was at all worried un fit or not I would lunge the horse before I got on it .
You can walk over poles in the school for variety and lead them from another horse to save time .
 
Broke_But_Happy said:
Out of interest would you say that a horse that had 24/7 turnout had a base level of fitness rather than one which had been in for part of the day/overnight?
Click to expand...

My big horse had from November to July off (while I was pregnant/ new baby) so 9 months. I've been really suprised at how much fitness he retained, I can only assume it is from being out 24/7 over that period.

I have stuck to walking for months then slowly introducing trot but I could have pushed it faster if I'd have wanted (and been fit enough myself !!)
 
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