Bringing a sharp horse back into work

F

Fanatical

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 March 2009
Messages
1,640
Visit site
To those of you who have sharp horses, how do you go about bringing them back into work..? My boy has had about 2 months off on his winter break which is much longer than usual. I know ideally he needs to do some road work and be built up slowly but the very idea of taking him out on the roads until he is back in some kind of work isn't a nice thought. I usually lunge him before I get on, even after just a few days off, but I am worried about leg injuries etc when he starts hooning. At the same time, I don't fancy getting straight on either!!

What to do? Do I just brave it and put on my air jacket?! Or would you 'risk' lunging first?
 
I booted up and lunged her on day on (gently only walk and trot) same day 2 but this time i lunge then get on for 5 mins and then build up like you normally would with hacking/lunging/schooling
 
If you think he is going to explode on the lunge I would get on and ride at a walk in the arena a bit before heading out around the roads as I think (and entierly IMHO) he could more easily injure himself on the lunge than out hacking.

I'd also 'pack' a handbrake of some sort - I use draw reins and it means we just piaffe/passage as opposed to explosive airs above the ground.

Also I find horse are most sluggish after breakfast - could you give him a slice of hay or something before you hop on? I know your not 'meant' to ride on a full tummy but I dont think just walking will hurt.

Apart from that super glue and an air jacket sound like a plan ;)
 
I would whizz him on the lunge for 10 minutes (with 2 reins if you need more control) and then get legged on and hack with another (sensible) horse.

I am lucky at my yard as we have a huge hill straight off the drive so if anything if feeling super fresh you can aim them up the hill and by the time they get to the top you can actually get your leg on.

Personally i would rather take a fresh horse out on tarmac than on a soft surface like grass or an arena as I think you get more airs above the ground with a soft surface underfoot, perhaps a little unorthodox but that's the way I prefer to do it :)

I prefer to leg them up slowly with plenty of walk work normally but on a super fresh horse you are just asking for trouble and imo better to have a few days of sharp trots up a big hill and then once they have settled back into work you can leg them up as normal.
 
i would do inhand walking, putting him out of your space, making him stand when you stop - getting him listening to you, lots of changes of direction and walk speed, halting, rein back, everything that gets the attention of you and doesn't need a huge amount of space. Do that for a few days. Have you got any hills you can go up?
Has he been turned out a lot or minimally? If not a lot then lunging could be strenuous. If there has been turnout he's probably fitter than you think and won't be as bad on the lunge - so i'd lunge in that case but trying to maintain walk with a couple of trots to keep the attention. Then consider getting on.
 
will tell you in a few hours. Fleur has partially unintentionally had about 2 months off due to weather, flu, my bad back and holidays! Going today to ride her for the first time since November :o To help she has been on the walker occasionally and had decent turnout so shouldn't be 'too bad' but is likely to be very fresh. I can't stick her on the lunge as without fail she always explodes after 5-10 mins for no reason with no warning and is likely to cause herself an injury so just going to get on attach a parachute and hope for the best ;)

We are going out with a reliable friend and intention is nice quiet 30min hack but we will see. Same time last year after all the snow (which resulted in 2+ months off as well!) she was very pingy so am expecting the same today!!
 
Thank you all for your replies. It's a difficult one isn't it. I know for a fact that on the lunge he will explode at some point - he is incredibly light on his feet! The trouble is that I'm not sure if he will be able to contain himself if I get on and try to 'just' walk either for the first few days. He has been turned out during the day and in at night.
I think I will try to do a little in hand with him and then send him out with the intention of just walk/ trotting before I get on.
 
Can you turn him out in the field for a few hours before you ride him? Another one here who prefers to ride them around the hard yard for a while to get their backs down. It would be a very bad horse who explodes on a hard surface.
 
He will definitely have been out in the field all day when I come to do anything with him. I'm wondering if walking in hand for a week will have any benefit or whether to just get on with it. After a few days he should settle and I should be able to keep it all more controlled, it's just those first few days.
 
i had this with my youngster last new year. she was 3 and was turned away after bieng broken for a break and due to snow. I lunged her right at the end of the day so she had been out all day and walked and trotted her on the lunge and let her buck jump about etc then she settled. lunged her qiute hard then next day same again but lunge for 10mins then hopped on and rode in field for 10 mins short reins and leg on then went for 10 mins hack in walk and she was fine from then on.
 
I would lunge first! Its not like he has been off from injury and needs a controlled exercise programme, he will have kept a decent level of fitness from the field, I think we tend to forget that sometimes. Whilst I appreciate the need to properly bring a horse back into work a mad 5 mins on the lunge is less likely to injure a horse thaan half the shapes they throw in the field every day!
 
Will he lead off another horse? One of mine is a touch on the sharp side and she's horribly cold backed(!) so after a 5 month break I lead her off my other horse for about a week out hacking then lunge her and hop on slowly and carefully. I keep her in a field with no concrete so we're either riding on mud or grass so no concrete to put her off.
I've been very lucky in that no matter how much time she's had off and however much she's threatened to the only time she's ever bucked with me is in the warmup before every game when she bunny hops across the pitch much to the amusement of onlokers :D
 
If he has been turned out then his body will not be so soft that he can't be lunged - if he was being broken he would start on the lunge so where's the difference? I would lunge then get on, trot a little then head out as soon as possible - going out gives them more to look at and occupies the mind. They are far more likely to play the fool teetering around an arena in walk so ride him forward in trot until more civilised, then the conditioning can start. That way both of you are less likely to get hurt. If you think he is really going to be silly, give a notch of sedalin for a day or two - it doesn't do any harm to hundreds of racehorses that are tricky to get going. Practicality has to come before idealism.
 
Many thanks for all of your replies. Lots of very good suggestions - all taken on board.

It's a good point about when you break them in they go on the lunge first and haven't done a load of road work so I probably shouldn't worry so much!

Thanks all.
 
Can you long rein? I always start them off in the sand school, lunging with two reins (if they're used to it). I find it helps minimise any silliness as you've got much better control over pace and direction than on a single rein.
 
well i survived with some added passage, canter half pass and such like ;)

Ideally i would lunge but knowing what she is like she really would cause herself (or me!) an injury not because unfit but through plain stupidity, thankfully she isn't cold backed though so although bouncy was able to just straight on and get on with it.
 
Santa_Claus said:
well i survived with some added passage, canter half pass and such like ;)

Ideally i would lunge but knowing what she is like she really would cause herself (or me!) an injury not because unfit but through plain stupidity, thankfully she isn't cold backed though so although bouncy was able to just straight on and get on with it.
Click to expand...


Glad to hear it, its just those first few times isn't it.
 
My horse had 3 1/2 months off due to a injury and I just tacked up and rode him . I can't lunge him cz he ******s off and I can't hold the chunky beast . Just expect some bucks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top