Competing unfit horses..

[juliehannah58]

Just wanted to see if anyone else has views on this really.

Almost all of my horsey friends hardly ever ride, by this I mean less than two or three times a week. Some of these people then take their horses out competing at weekends, with zero or little preparation and then seem completely perplexed when the animal doesn't perform well.

The excuse I always get when I question their horses fitness routine is that they work full time, not enough hours in the day etc etc. This doesn't wash with me, I work full time and I have no facilities whatsoever yet I still manage to work my competition horse 6 days a week and I always have done. This seems to have been happening around me since I can remember. I remember being a child and always being the only one riding daily on a livery yard of 35 horses and wondering why no-one wanted to keep their horses fit.

Personally, I wouldn't ever dream of taking my horse to a competition if I hadn't been riding it regularly and was certain it was fit enough to complete the job easily.

So, is it just me who seems to encounter these sort of horsey people wherever I go?!

 

[Tempi]

no, not just you!!

There is a girl i know who lunges her horse a couple of times a week and then hunts it ALL day on a saturday and wonders why its exhausted and stiff as anything for 4 days afterwards

 

[I_A_P]

yep i also know someone who doesnt do anything with their horses nearly all week then will take it round a xc crouse twice at the weekend

 

[severnmiles]

TBH most of the horses we saw a Chepstow were unfit, the noises some of them were making by the last fence

 

[Morrigan_Lady]

Ive got a gilr on my yard that hardly ever rides her horse, then will come up one day and gallop it round the fields then go XC comp at the weekend!!

 

[juliehannah58]

Glad it's not just me! It really makes me want to bash my head against a wall sometimes.

A friend of mine has just had her nutty horse PTS, I agree it was the right thing as he was getting dangerous to ride and handle BUT - No one had ever pushed him into his work, he was always picked up and put down like a bit of knitting with no regular work. I've had plenty of horses who would have been unridable without a routine of regular hard work

 

[juliehannah58]

[ QUOTE ]
yep i also know someone who doesnt do anything with their horses nearly all week then will take it round a xc crouse twice at the weekend

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I would just not be able to do that, I would be so concerned for the horse the worry would just get the better of me.

 

[Baileysno1]

I'm afraid this seems to be the case in allot of yards, my last yard probably around 30 horses like yours, I'd say 4 or 5 had consitant work the rest were just shoved in a trailer for a PC rally or a jumping competiton, 'strangely' after pony club camp this year 3 out of 4 that went were lame afterwards might be because the poor horses hadn't seen a saddle for months then were expected to go and do a weeks intense training and jumping.

I work full time my horses never get more than 2 days a week off, jeez I feel guilty if they don't get a real decent hack / fittening session each week and mine only go out and do riding club dressage!

It also amused me when these girls would complain about behavioural issues in their horses which have no exercise routine but are off their heads on the latest hard feed everyones buying, their answer - calming supplements!

I've since moved to a yard with normal people and horses, everyone rides most days and funnily enough the horses are happy and content and the vet rarely called hmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Santa_Claus]

same round here as well. I normally ride Fleur 5 times a week fairly hard but currently she is not fit enough to go XC and I wouldn't take her, people don't seem to understand this though. The amount of times I go to a HT and watch half the horses struggle home is just saddening, if you want your horse to enjoy it they need to be fit enough otherwise it will all be a negative experience.

It isn't just XC/eventing though its the showjumpers and hunters as well. Most dressage hroses tend to be fit enough but thats because they have to do the schooling more so than other disciplnes and imo opinion you can get away with a lower level of fitness doing a prelim dressage test than a 1ft9 SJ class!

 

[Evem]

I agree completely. I come from a large yard and it's really hard to get motivated to ride when it's dark and everyone else has gone/going home (I work till 5pm). But as they say P*SS poor preperation leads to P*SS poor performance! (By the way this is my first post ever on a froum!)

 

[juliehannah58]

Welcome to the forum

I have no facilities at all so I'm there at sparrows fart waiting for it to be light enough to get out on the roads before I have to get to work.

Like you I was always told you only get out what you put in - I want results so I always strive to put a lot into my horses no matter what discipline they compete in.

 

[Acolyte]

Hi there, and welcome

I work until 5pm too - I think I am the only DIY who does on our yard - but I am pragmatic with myself - if I can't be bothered to ride for a few days then I tell myself I don't deserve to compete, so we go for a nice gentle hack at the weekend instead. Lazy, moi? Never!

Oh - ETS - he IS always turned out for at least 12 hours every day, is handled regularly etc - so I don't just ignore him

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I'm glad its not just me!! I also have a full time job and get up and ride before work. I currently have one horse on walk only and the other hunting fit. The way I deal with it is to take the fit one out first and do a fair bit with her, go home and collect the unfit one and ride and lead the pair of them. I have always been taught that horses need to be fit to go hunting and need exercising every day to get them that fit. People may argue that them being turned out everyday keeps them fit - not so in my book - unless they are on a pretty steep hill just ambling around does nothing except stretch their legs a wee bit.

Unless the horses have been hunting the day before or are on holiday then they get ridden every day - not just for fitness but also for a change of scenary. They enjoy being out and about. Its no wonder that people who don't give theirs enough exercise play up!!!

 

[Rambo]

As you know, I work stupid hours but last year always made sure my horses were ridden at least 5 times a week and usually 6. However, I made a conscious decision this year to cut down on the workload....fo my sanity as well as for the horses. I'm not sure going round and round in the indoor school all winter is exactly stimulating for them....or me lol! So, now they usually have monday and friday off, are ridden for an average of 45 minutes a night twice a week, get lunged once a week and hacked or competed at weekends. They don't seem to be any the worse for it...but then I only need them showjumping fit...i'm not sure i'd want to take them x-c on that sort of regime

It also depends to a certain degree on the horse. Bo is a natural athlete so keeps his fitness better than Trike...who would be related to Wayne and Waynetta Slob if he were a human

 

[Madam_max]

I'm coming round to that theory this year too, I can't face schooling all winter

 

[Sali]

There's a girl on the yard I'm at who rides once maybe twice a month (if that). Horses are exceedingly fat and unfit, yet she'll hapily pootle off to do combined training comps and the likes...

It baffles me.

 

[pennyh]

some people think there horses are machines! wonder if they themselves would go attempt a marathon with no preparation? i think not

i work full time & ride 5-6 times a week , even when i end up doing 10 hour days at work, & still do the cooking & cleaning

i think its just laziness & work is used as an excuse , if you truely want to do the best for your horse & for it to go well you find the time imo

 

[juliehannah58]

When I say ridden 2-3 times a week I mean in total, and the rest of the time they do nothing.

I have to do most of my work out hacking, so I count that as fittening work TBH.

You are the horsey friend exception

But you know the type.....

Also yep you work mega long hours, so if you can keep two fit then that just goes to show it can be done if you are willing to put the effort in.

 

[Loupride]

No its not just you, but the even more annoying thing in a case I know of is that the horse is an absolute saint

Even if he isnt fit or hasn't been ridden he still goes out and performs! I just dont get it, he is so honest.

Eg. Horse is a 5 year old, owners were away last week so horse sent away to grass; arrives back at yard on Saturday evening, sometime after I left at 5pm. I get to yard on Sunday morning 11am and said horse has gone jumping

jumped around the 1m and 1.10 track!!!

 

[H-J]

I know what you mean and working full time is NO excuse!!

I work full time and manage to keep 3 horses fit enough to compete. And always work full time and keep 2 fit for eventing.

Most of the time there is a few ppl on the yard at night when im riding which is nice. Have been at yards where I was the only one there at night riding and its very lonely

 

[Santa_Claus]

[ QUOTE ]
Most of the time there is a few ppl on the yard at night when im riding which is nice. Have been at yards where I was the only one there at night riding and its very lonely

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Thats my life now for the winter!!

Forgot to say in previous post I work 8-5 full time and as I have a 40min commute minimum so I am lucky to get to the yard before 6pm (I go straight to yard from work). There are often people there when I arrive but they soon leave. Housemate is now going up earlier to avoid bring in charges (which I have to pay as no way I can get there and bring in before dark

). By the time I have mucked out and got to ride first horse I am lucky if anyone left, by second there is no one. Admittedly I rarely ride both on the same day during the week. I concentrate on Fleur and Dan gets enough to keep him ticking over.

 

[flower]

[ QUOTE ]
As you know, I work stupid hours but last year always made sure my horses were ridden at least 5 times a week and usually 6. However, I made a conscious decision this year to cut down on the workload....fo my sanity as well as for the horses. I'm not sure going round and round in the indoor school all winter is exactly stimulating for them....or me lol! So, now they usually have monday and friday off, are ridden for an average of 45 minutes a night twice a week, get lunged once a week and hacked or competed at weekends. They don't seem to be any the worse for it...but then I only need them showjumping fit...i'm not sure i'd want to take them x-c on that sort of regime

It also depends to a certain degree on the horse. Bo is a natural athlete so keeps his fitness better than Trike...who would be related to Wayne and Waynetta Slob if he were a human

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's age Rambo - the older you get the more you question the sanity of riding them every day

About 12 years ago I was riding for someone and working in London - so I had about an hour's commute each way on top of work and then had to ride up to 4 in the evening - I quite often didn't get home until 11pm. I tried riding in the morning but with the travelling it meant I had to be home, ridden, showed and changed by 7am and I still used to be at the yard late at night!

There's no way I'd do that now. I live even further out now so have a 2 hour each way commute and the horses have the same sort of regime as yours do - during the week they get Friday off (food shopping night

) and I try to ride one for an hour every other day and the one that isn't being ridden gets lunged/loose schooled - so they are "schooled" twice a week and lunged/loose jumped twice a week. Weekends are shows/hacking days.

 

[samp]

the people at my yard are all very good and ride regularly. I would never compete an unfit horse as you are asking for all sorts on injuries. If I event next year I know I will be doing interval training to help with my horses fitness as I would feel asful if she was not fit enough and damaged herself. I also think a lot of riders are not really fit enough to compete, I am probably not fit enough either

 

[sfward]

I agree it depends on what you're doing and the type of horse. Missie is full TB so she is quite easy to keep fit, but even so in the eventing season she gets worked 6 times a week, mixture of hacking, jumping and schooling. She's just coming back into work after 3 weeks off and I plan to do some dressage and SJ over the winter so she will be worked every other day with mixture of schooling and lunging during the week and hacking and competing at weekends. I too work full time and can't face the thought of schooling in the dark every single evening. I think it's perfectly acceptable for her to be less fit in the winter when she's not doing any fast work or XC.

 

[nickyb]

agree with rambo, i'm too cutting down my work load this winter, i too work full time, and don't finish till 6pm. i also run a yard with my friend (only our own horses thank god!) so life is pretty hectic, my eventer is just coming back into work after 3 weeks off, but have decided to give him mondays and fridays off, as with the light its so difficult to get out, like said in above posts i only need him dressage and showjumping fit so gonna make my life a bit easier for once.

 

[RLD]

I also agree that it depends on the horse and what you are doing with them. When I was at uni during the week my horses would be lunged two or three times, I would come home on a friday school them that evening, hack saturday and then usually go showjumping on a sunday. They were turned out everyday and are naturally playful in the field so keep quite fit just chasing each other about. I didn't notice any change in their performance or attitudes as to when I was at home working them 5/6 days a week and they were never lame.

Obviously this routine wouldn't work on every horse or a horse that had a strenuous job to do (like hunting) but for a couple of rounds of indoor showjumping it worked fine.

 

[Starbucks]

If I'm honest I don't think my horse is ever ridden 6 times a week!!

At the moment he is ridden probably 3 maybe 4 times a week if he hunts a day, and four if he doesn't. He's also done this amount of work for Show jumping and eventing in the summer and managed just fine! He does quite a lot of fast work when he's ridden and doesn't struggle with the fitness side of things at all!

 

[tigers_eye]

I think once a horse is fit you can cut down on the amount of work, so I don't really see a problem with what you or Rambo are doing. As long as you listen to your horse I think you will know if they are coping or not.

It's the people who leave their horse unridden for a month and then go out for a 3 hour fast hack that bug me - but funnily enough most of them seem to get away with it! Not fair on those who slog their guts out then the horse gets a leg anyway!

 

[juliehannah58]

[ QUOTE ]
It's the people who leave their horse unridden for a month and then go out for a 3 hour fast hack that bug me - but funnily enough most of them seem to get away with it! Not fair on those who slog their guts out then the horse gets a leg anyway!

[/ QUOTE ]

EXCATLY! After all the long and slow road work I do I was devasted when my mare did a leg, but my friend who doesn't ride for weeks on end then trots for 50mins solid on the road has no problems. Gah

 

[Starbucks]

Yea I know what you mean, I personally don’t think it is necessary to ride 6 times a week though (unless you want to of course) – not unless they are doing some really serious competition. Badger never really has a total rest from work (maybe a week or two) and so seems to manage very well on what he gets. I’ve never known him appear to be tired anyway.