Bringing a horse back into work

[CharlotteEC]

I have a just turned 7 ISH which I bought in Jan 2020, he hadn't long been broken and had done the basics and loose jumped in an arena. Since then he has come on leaps and bounds on the flat and is fit for the level of competition he is doing (competed this year BE90) I am having an operation early December and will coincide this with a 6 week holiday for him. I have never brought a horse back into work from a break as long as that so would like some advice I have read lots of articles online but virtually all of them are for horses who have had a break due to injury rather than a holiday so any advice would be appreciated so I can make a plan.

Thanks

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

If his going out in the field daily for a good amount of time they do keep a good degree of fitness, I wouldn't worry too much about taking it too easy like you would with a horse on complete box rest fir months.

I would take it easy for a week then just crack on with a horse of that age that is already fit it's not going to be a shock going back to work.

 

[TheMule]

Will he be out all the time or in? Is his turnout small and flat and big and hilly?
If out and in a good amount of space he won’t lose much fitness and I would just hack for a couple of weeis then reintroduce schooling, then canter and then jumping with the aim of being back to full workload after around 4-6 weeks

 

[CharlotteEC]

Thanks both. He is out from 8am and comes in at about 4pm, turn out is reasonable, not huge but not a little paddock, he can run around if he wants to with plenty of room but the field is on an incline. I have kind of planned for 2 weeks of walk and then start to introduce trot, just don't want to not do enough or do too much.

 

[sbloom]

Posture and straightness, not just fittening. I would start from the ground and build his ability to lift in front - too often we jump on them, ask them to walk carrying us where we're an unremitting weight on their backs with no lift, without having prepared their muscles to carry us. Horses in fields are crooked (it favours them in terms of survival, they have automated patterns triggered by just one side, rather than having to decide which side to move first) so it's up to us to reduce that crookedness and, in turn, enable them to build weight carrying muscle and carriage.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

After a 6 week break I would still take it slowly with him. I am always cautious though!! I would hack in walk first week. Introduce a bit of trot into hacking in second week. Build up trot and a bit of canter 3rd week. I would then start gentle school work and keep on building.

 

[nikkimariet]

I wouldn’t rush anything but equally he’s a fit and fully mature horse.

Rooni is a green 7yo competing Medium and training towards PSG and did up to 95cm jumping comps and is currently enjoying a month off - I’ll be doing lunge work (which I detest, for my eyes and their legs) but I imagine he will be like a mint in a Coke bottle for a few sessions… No gadgets and I just use a headcollar for a few sessions. Then tack up and lunge a few sessions. Then just get on and make the first couple of ridden sessions a stretching sort maybe with poles etc. After a week of actual ridden work he will start hacking (I’m limited by the daylight and also he isn’t good with traffic and we are on a countryside rat run).

It’s a bit like starting going to the gym after a holiday. You may ache a bit more and find yourself out of puff for a few days so I keep that in mind and do less rather than more.

 

[nikkimariet]

After a 6 week break I would still take it slowly with him. I am always cautious though!! I would hack in walk first week. Introduce a bit of trot into hacking in second week. Build up trot and a bit of canter 3rd week. I would then start gentle school work and keep on building.

If I can do anything in walk by choice for at least a week it will be a miracle lol!

 

[Britestar]

My big horse is having a 3/4 month break, due to my injury.
No one wants to ride him for me, so he'll just be hacking in walk for a while once I'm back on board.
He was fit before my accident.