Bringing back into work after lameness

[JosieSmith]

Hi. My horse has been lame for a month and has just this morning been declared sound by the vet so I can start riding and getting her fit again.

She's 21 and has been out of work for a month. Before that she was ridden about three times in one week (very gentle exercise) but before that she had been in for the best part of 5-6 weeks due to the snow. Soin the past 2 months she has been ridden about 4 times.

So, I'm after suggestions of how much work to do. Vet says ten minutes of walking in straight lines, gradually increasing it, so I'm wondering how soon I should increase it? I have no experience of fittening horses so haven't really got a clue where to start!

Any ideas greatly welcomed

 

[Booboos]

Ten minutes of walking sounds very short for the start of fittening work, so I would think that your vet wants you on a specific recovery programme which may be related to the lameness. I would have a chat with him and clarify what he wants you to do.

If he says you should ride as normal, I would be tempted to start with 1/2 hour's walking 5-6 times a week and gradually increase it to an hour's walking. Keep her in walk for at least a month and then start introducing small bursts of trot. Another months of gradually increasing trot work and she should be there!

 

[Chunkie]

Agreed - 10 mins is not a lot.

When I brought my girl back into work after three months rest for an injury last year, I started off with 2 weeks walking (5 times a week), but the first hack alone was 30 minutes, then built up to 1hr 20 mins over the fortnight.

I started short trots in week 3 and built up gradually over the next 4 weeks and started cantering in week 6. All of this was done in straight lines - I had my first lesson in week 10.