Bringing horses back in to work after a break?

[jess_asterix]

Bit of advice please...

Herbie has had 5 weeks off after his last event of the season so he was fully fit when put on his holidays.

I got back on him yesterday and he has now done 2, 40 minute walk hacks.

Question is how much walking then trotting on the roads would you do before you get back in the school?

I have never had a horse have 5 weeks off before only shorter and longer periods and while I like to protect his legs I don't think I need to do quite as much as hacking as I would for a longer period of rest.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Jess x

 

[kerilli]

I'd do two weeks of walking, if he were mine, gradually building up duration. Then start introducing trotwork (uphill only, for mine, on the roads), then have sessions in the school after a week or two of that.

 

[SW3]

Bit of advice please...

Herbie has had 5 weeks off after his last event of the season so he was fully fit when put on his holidays.

I got back on him yesterday and he has now done 2, 40 minute walk hacks.

Question is how much walking then trotting on the roads would you do before you get back in the school?

I have never had a horse have 5 weeks off before only shorter and longer periods and while I like to protect his legs I don't think I need to do quite as much as hacking as I would for a longer period of rest.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Jess x

I would agree that surely you would not need to do as much hacking as you would have done had the horse had a longer period of rest - I would have thought a couple of weeks of hacking to be sufficient with perhaps a couple of short schooling sessions during the second week but I'm keen to hear other's views as I'm in a similar situation.

My boy tapered for 2 weeks after the end of the eventing season (did hacking and flatwork, no jumping), now has almost finished 3 complete weeks off. My plan was that next week he'll go on the walker for 30 mins on 4 days to start him back up again, the week after (week commencing 1 Dec) he can still go on walker but I'll clamber back on as well. I'll hack him at the weekend but work full time so in the week the only option is the school. I was planning to school for say 20 - 30 mins twice in the week as well as the walker. Is that a bad idea? I thought that having had only 3 weeks off completely and another week on the walker he should be ok to do a bit in the school but please let me know if that is foolish. If it is, would lunging in the school be better than schooling?

 

[kirstykate]

Old rule of thumb is one days walking for each week off. You should be able to feel what he can cope with re the trot. I am always surprised how they keep themselves fit.

 

[Polotash]

I'd start small trots now (like others say he'll have kept himself pretty fit if he's out part of the time), and then do at least two weeks hacking before starting schooling again.

 

[jess_asterix]

He did 1hr 15 waling today out hacking and he was a complete and utter tool, spooking and generally being a prat! I think I will walk him until the weekend and then start adding some trot into his hacking for the next couple of weeks.

He has been on the walker 2/3 times a week whilst he has been off so has been kept moving and he does keep himself quite fit.

Thank you, definitely going to give him 3 weeks hacking before we get back in the school

 

[kirstykate]

If he doesnt get too naughty

 

[barneyhunter]

Hi I was always taught that you walked a horse (unless coming back in from injury and then the vet should prescribe exercise plan)for 1/2 the amount of time off. ie 6 wks holiday = 3 weeks walking. My old event horse used to get 7 - 8 weeks off each autumn (any longer and he would jump out) and I would intend walking him for 4 weeks. I used to have to abandon walking usually at about day 24 (fo my own safety). the first week would be fairly explosive and then he would settle and then once into week 3 he would get "ants in pants" not helped by the fact that bringing back into work Dec/Jan the weather doesnt help. I used to work shifts in those days so could build up (extra 5mins per day) until we were out for 2.5hrs. If very cold I would sometimes sneek off and walk with him for a bit to get my feet moving again, but getting back on was "interesting"! Now I work "normal office hours" I have managed to get up to 1.5hrs walking in the morning before work but it isnt nice on mornings like today when cars are wizzing along in the semi dark.

I would then add 2 weeks of trots (adding on an additional 20m onto each trot each day), then introduce canter. Only then would I go back into the school - but then I did a lot of "schooling" out hacking as school wasnt on site so it was easier to hack. Only started jumping after a week of school work (at least 8 weeks in). We have fantastic hills so we can get them really using their bums without going near a school and as one of the hills is over 2miles that is enough to take the edge off them when walking/trotting.

This is the programme I learnt when working at a hunt yard and in 20 years they never had a horse "do a leg" and neither did I. Almost all the walk work was done on roads or cinder tracks.

On the flip side even if horse had more than 8 weeks off I never managed to walk for more than 4 as my life would have been shortened! When I asked about walk work to my vet she said unless injured, do as much as you can bare and at least 2 weeks but safety has to come first and if there is a nasty corner that is better to trot round then trot rather than have an accident with a car.

Hope this helps

 

[Pony180]

If I may could I hijack this slightly as you are all so helpful and i'm struggling to decide the next steps with my horse. He had 7 months off due to an undiagnosed foot issue (caused by blessed farrier) and having come sound in the field barefoot after 5 months I brought him back into work.
On advice from the original vet (I moved areas in between) I have been walking him for nearly 6 weeks now. This has been on different terrains varying from plenty of road work to soft tracks and stony tracks including some hill work. I now need to start thinking about starting trot work but not sure how much to start with, how to build it up and on what terrain?
I started walk work on the soft as concussion was a trigger in the original injury which we suspected was soft tissue damage in the toe of one foot although both were afected due to the imbalances created. He's been fine on all terrains and although now shod again, touch wood is showing no signs of the injury...
ANY help most gratefully recieved!