Bringing broodmare back into work

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jelibean

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Does anyone have a broodmare who has been brought back into work after a significant period of time on breeding duties, if so was it worth it and did you have too much trouble doing it?
Ive been trying to bring my mare back into work over the past few weeks very lightly, but im finding it a real trauma and cant decide whether to leave it alone or keep on going.
 
What sort of problems are you having?

I started riding an 18 year old arab this Fall as she hadn't been put back in foal, the only problem I had was her lack of muscle and her total greeness, she was last ridden as a 4 year old in Western Pleasure classes. She seemed to really enjoy having some proper attention and not having a foal hanging about for once. I just treated her like 4 year old again, but once she got going she remembered an awful lot of things, offering lovely lateral work and going completely with weight and voice aids. (Horses are trained a lot more, a lot earlier here, and she had won in the ring before she went to stud)
 
What sort of work have you been doing with her & how long has she been off for? What problems are you having? It could be that her back muscles need strenghting. She is going to have to learn to rebalance herself as a youngster would when first backed. Do you know what she was like to ride before she became a broodmare?
 
Mare is 10yrs 1st put in foal in 05 and had 3 foals, always been a bit sharp to ride and slightly quirky but talented.
She does tend to tighten down the left side in her back but it doesnt especially cause too many problems we've learnt how to work our way through this, teeth done 3 weeks since everything else been checked.
Works perfectly on lunge, sat on her last week goes lovely in walk, a little gobby to start nothing too bad for 4 years off trot pretty horrendous at minute back to square 1 when I first bought and reschooled her, very typically her, half is lsack of muscle and finds it hard half is attitude, kevin and perry syndrome, she will come good in the end if I persivere I just need to hear that there is hope after breeding duties.
 
Lots of ground work to develop the back muscles. Use 2 lines and work in circles and straight lines, figures of 8, serpentines, transitions between paces and within them. Work in the school and in fields, on roads, tracks etc... Keep her brain thinking, but get those back muscles developed more. She will potentially be weaker in this area than a youngster, as carrying foals can take a lot out of them and make their backs weak - esp if slightly long in the back/loin, as a fair few mares are.

I know I'm a fine one to talk, as I have yet to get on (and stay on) my ex-broodie, however, I did all of the above for 3 months before I tried to get on her and both my saddler and back personage have been very impressed with how well muscled her back is. I'm not working her atm though, I'm waiting for spring and I also need to finish getting me sorted out too.

Is this the dam of your lovely 3yo?
 
Thanks stacy that might just work, I had been putting it off because she is very good at broncing but it may just work getting her to think about going forwards without the stress of workinhg her body too hard. Did you personally experience much evasion to being ridden again?
 
Yes the very same one! Totally agree on all points and have actually been working on all above she can do all the school movements beautifully in walk and collects which is something she could struggle to do before, but when I ask for trot her head goes straight up like a giraffe over the contact so have tried throwing hewr the reins to let her know she's got to sort those issues herself but she panics and tightens through her back then broncs, I'm taking a light seat to give her back some help. Its improving by the day but I've got to say I was a little dissapointed that the problems I once corrected have come back to haunt me. Ive done it before so I'm sure ill do it again.
 
I've bought older broodmares back into work after a few foals and not had too many problems but do tend to do plenty of hacking to start with just to try and build up a little strength, and also lunging in the chambon to work on some stomach and back muscles
 
Will give that a try Volatis, thankyou.
I think with the weather and ground being so bad at the minute, and kids finishing school for xmas im going to leave her now until the new year then get back to basics with some ground work and some hacking, then some hard graft in the spring.
On the bright side i suppose its not a total loss that after so long off work she actually had a reasonable attitiude to having me back on board even if it didnt go entirely to plan.
 
I'd suggest you take it as slowly as you can when you do start again in the NY. I think trying to trot only a week after sitting on her may have been too short a time for her to strengthen up, hence her getting annoyed. I'd do several weeks of walk (hacking) then start to school in walk to get bend and flexion re-established, then move on to trot.

bye!
 
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Thanks stacy that might just work, I had been putting it off because she is very good at broncing but it may just work getting her to think about going forwards without the stress of workinhg her body too hard. Did you personally experience much evasion to being ridden again?

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not really at all actually i just go down on to my hay field and push her forwards its more interesting in the school once her fitness is back up then ill start the schooling but its not really fair i dont think to expect them to go straight back in there and work
 
Sorry, I think i may have led people to think i sat on my mare last week and now expect her to do a dressage test, lol. Ive been working her from the ground for maybe 3-4 weeks, i sat on her mainly out of interest and also because she was responding so well to the work id been doing with her, she has been going great in walk doing lots of school movements so just as a change of transition / something different to do, pushed her on into a light trot, ive really not been expecting that much from her but when she started to change her attitude to the work i was doing, it got me thinking about if there was actually much hope for an ex broodie to resume a ridden career, i dont personally know anyone who has gone back to riding a broodie and i think to be honest it worried me a little i may never get to ride her properly again.
I think from the comments people have made that there is hope, and that "yes" i probably do need to go back a few steps and help strengthen her back and stomach a little bit more, which is what i will do. Im under no illusion that after all this time i can just get back on and expect this mare to go like it did before, but as with the youngsters when you feel like your making headway try something a little more complex thats all ive done and found that for now, she’s reached her limit of what she feels comfortable to do, ive no intention of pushing the matter with her.
Sorry if that sounds like a rant, its really not and its not aimed at any one persons comments, but i feel like ive probably not made myself thoroughly clear from the start and the replies have maybe misunderstood to be a little adventurous.
 
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