Bringing an older horse back in to work after having a year off

[Orchardbeck]

Hi, I wondered if any of you have any experience of this. My older mare (21)has been inside on box rest, after a lami episode which she has now been given the all clear, but then is back in as a companion to my younger mare who recovering from an abscess.

She has changed shape a lot over the last year and so I am probably going to have to buy a new saddle for her, so am going to have to work her from the ground for the mo, but do you recommend lunging older horses? I am used to long reining her in straight lines along the tracks etc but I don't use side reins or any other training aids - should I?

She is definitely weak behind, and has cow hocks and this has resulted in windgalls and bog spavins over the years - she has always had a big shoulder and I suppose pulled herself along rather than pushed from behind.

Would you recommend reschooling her - can this be changed at 21 years old?!! Or should I just retire her?

 

[joeanne]

The key is to take everything at a slower pace.
Older horses need far longer to warm up, and you need to take in to account older bones/joints/muscles etc are far more prone to injury if this is not paid close heed to.
That said, the more mobile she is, the better she will fare long term, so exercise (albeit a slightly gentler variety) will do her nothing but good.
Long reining will benefit her more than lunging (strain on older joints).
If you have a secure menage you can also freeschool.

 

[wyrdsister]

Walking in hand or riding and leading worked well for me when I was bringing my old lad (then 26) back into work after some time off - lots of hill work in walk to build up the back end. I'd tend to steer clear of gadgets or attempted reschooling, especially at first. As the above poster suggested, take it slow and gentle. Think about putting a rug on for 10/20 mins before and after you work to warm up and then cool down the old muscles slowly too.

 

[NOISYGIRL]

This is what my vet said after my horse was on box rest, if I missed a day I would just do the same minutes as the last day I rode

START 20 MINS INCREASING BY 10 % EACH DAY

Start day Total per day hours/mins
1 20.0
2 22.0
3 24.0
4 26.4
5 29.0
6 31.9
7 35.1
8 38.7
9 42.5
10 46.8
11 51.4
12 56.6
13 62.2 1 hr 2 mins
14 68.5 1 hr 8 mins
15 75.3 1 hr 15 mins
16 82.9 1 hr 23 mins
17 91.1 1 hr 31 mins

And so on ………………………….

Once you get to 46 mins include some trot but only 10% of the total time
so for example, warm up for 20 mins do the trot approx 4 1/2 mins then walk the rest

 

[Orchardbeck]

Wow, I think I need to get a stopwatch! Thanks for these guys, it's reassuring to know it is worth carrying on. I took her for a walk out yesterday and she had a broncing session so I decided the safest thing was to lead her home, she still had the odd buck when I was leading her so I'm going to try her with the long reins for 20 mins and see how we go.

She's still inside as we are waiting for our turnout to become free again - we are having to borrow a field from the farm which is currently occupied by a cow and calf; our own paddock has been reseeded and we are waiting for the woodchip for my all weather turnout/lunging/schooling area. Once she's out I'm hoping it will stop, I just hope it isn't a sign of something else, ie back trouble.

 

[debsflo]

i brought my 19 yr old back into work after 9 months on box rest and restricted turnout following a tendon injury. i would stick to walk on a straight line initially. as we live in a hilly village i was advised to start with 5 mins daily increasing by 5 mins a week ,introducing short periods of trot after i was up to 60 mins then building trot up to 10 mins in total. its been a long slow process but worth it. good luck

 

[Birker2020]

I'd say lots of road work, a minimum of 4 weeks in walk starting with a quiet amble for half an hour and building up to 1 1/2hr - 2 hours by the end of the 4th week with the aim of doing this for 6 days a week. By week four I would suggest you start incorporating some trot work in the school.

As for hacking out aA the horse gets fitter you need to be walking him out. When I hack my horse out (on his own) I let him walk out quite fast as this is better for his fitness level rather than slopping along. I wouldn't do any trotting on the roads, trotting has a detrimental effect on the joints through concussion on the road surface. If you feel you have to trot only do so for very short periods, and preferable uphill to lessen the impact on the tendons and joints.

They reckon that to get a horse XC fit, it can take 6-8 weeks at the bare minimum.

I'd get a qualified saddle fitter out to assess her condition now, and likely condition in the future and see what type of saddle she suggests. It might be worthwhile getting a synthetic saddle for her so you can change the gullet plates as she changes shape.

As for lunging, make sure your surface is not too deep, boot/bandage her up supportively, keep your circle as large as possible, and don't do anymore than 20 mins maximum, as that equates to an hours worth of school work. I wouldn't bother with training aids and other gadgets, I just get her to lunge freely at this point. If you start trying to force her into a shape it will only aggravate old and tired muscles. Maybe in a few weeks time it might be worthwhile borrowing or investing in a pessoa or something similiar or make your own out of lunge lines/lunging roller. I've done that before now and it works just as well for about a tenth of the price!