Bringing horse back into work after 1 month off :)

[YoungNag22]

My horse has had a month's holiday as I haven't been well and I am now ready to bring him back into work.

He is stabled over night at the moment but turned out for 10 hrs a day.

I don't have much access to safe road hacking but have lots of off-road hacking, ménage and jumping paddock - any advice for fitness plan would be great!

Am hoping to take him to a bit of an all rounder's boot camp at the beginning of September so he needs to be fit enough to cope with a bit more harder work by then.

Thanks!

 

[PaddyMonty]

If he was reasonably fit before the little holiday then he really shouldn't have lost much in the way of fitness. I'd just keep the first week reasonably easy and then crack on. It's not like he's had 3 months box rest.

 

[eggs]

A month off work with a lot of time spent in the field wouldn't worry me. As PM said, he shouldn't have lost too much fitness so I would just crack on after a few days back under saddle.

 

[YoungNag22]

Excellent I cant wait to get back on board! Am going to enjoy 1 or 2 weeks just enjoying some hacking together to start with and get going from then on!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[VioletStripe]

I was just in a similar position!

I started with a around a week of just walk - just to get him used to it. Started with around half an hour, and by the end of the week is built it up to at least an hour, with some bursts of trot. From there I just introduced trot and canter and the likes as I wished and as he felt. The walking work was always very forwards though - it was never slackening off and slopping around, unless it was the cool off walk up the lane.

I started with lots of road work, and started hills and a variety of surfaces towards the end. This helped strengthen up the tendons and everything, and got him accustomed to actually using himself properly again. To aid this, I also introduced a bit of lunging in the second week.

As long as the horse still had turnout, they won't have lost much fitness at all in that time - my horse came back with no problems at all, and to be honest I could have done things a bit quicker. But, I've heard before that for every month off, they should have a week of walk work?