Do I turn her away for the winter? (Bound to be long!)

Doormouse

Doormouse

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 February 2009
Messages
1,680
Location
The West Country
Visit site
Just looking for a bit of advice really. I have a 16.3hh WB X ID mare, she is 4 (born in May) and was just 16.1hh when she came to me in late May. She has grown like a weed and to be honest I think she is still growing. She tends towards the fat and is probably currently a bit on the fat side. She has been so good this summer but because of the ground hasn't done much, a few lessons, one session xc schooling, one show and 6 days cubbing. She has had days when she feels a bit weak but generally over the last month she was staring to go really well. After the last day cubbing, when we did do a bit of rushing about, she looked much better but her legs were puffy and joints looking a bit round etc. She has now had 2 weeks off, legs are fine and she is in good form. I hunt in a country with very deep ground and am limited with my riding (mainly deep mud fields or the school) in the winter. Would I be sensible to turn her out for the winter and get her back in February so she can do a bit of Spring hunting and hunter trials? Or, should I keep her going through the winter quietly and do little bits and pieces? All opinions welcome please!
 
Personally I'd keep her quietly going. If she's overweight she's going to struggle with bottomless ground, and this could quite possibly be the reason for the filling of the legs etc (stress and strain).

I'd get her in and fit, and take her out on the odd day where you are guaranteed good ground. But they have to be fit to hunt - so roadwork, roadwork and more roadwork to toughen up those legs.
 
And for the other side: I'd turn her away now and then bring her back in carefully after her break with lots of slow roadwork. Give her a chance to do some more growing up.
 
amymay said:
Personally I'd keep her quietly going. If she's overweight she's going to struggle with bottomless ground, and this could quite possibly be the reason for the filling of the legs etc (stress and strain).

I'd get her in and fit, and take her out on the odd day where you are guaranteed good ground. But they have to be fit to hunt - so roadwork, roadwork and more roadwork to toughen up those legs.
Click to expand...

agreed!! ;)
 
Thank you Amymay, it is nice to hear someone saying keep going cos my OH keeps saying she is too weak and I should stop but I'm concerned a winter off will just make her fat. I wish I could do more roadwork but sadly the yard I'm on is on a main road and we have to ride across loads of fields to get to a road which still isn't very safe! That is my main worry with keeping her in this winter, where am I going to exercise her?
 
I am one for the keeping going but very slowly.

Just gentle roadwork, lungeing and longreining. No comps, no hunting and no heavy schooling.

Just have a bit of fun.

Best of luck.
Fi
 
I'd wondered about taking her out in the lorry, we used to have to do that years ago when I kept mine at home but I wasn't working full time then! The picture of her below was taken in August when I had managed to get a bit of weight off her. She has built up behind alot since the photo but has also managed to get fatter despite lots of trotting up hill and lots of long gentle cantering!

004.jpg
 
I'd do lighter work. Four is still young for a big horse. hunting is heavy work really. I don't think you have to do just roadwork to harden the legs - just not all soft arena work. Tracks across fields are not soft, and would probably be better. Play it by ear, and see how she goes on. Increase the work gradually and see how her legs cope. At four our 17h ISH was a total different horse from what he is now, and not as strong. The people who had him before hunted him at 3/4, and he has splints to show for it...
 
jemima_too said:
And for the other side: I'd turn her away now and then bring her back in carefully after her break with lots of slow roadwork. Give her a chance to do some more growing up.
Click to expand...

Definitely, it will pay dividends later. She is a mixture of breeds, both are very slow maturing types and she's going to be a big girl; I bet she'll still be growing when she's 7 so she needs all the time she can have to do this slowly and surely without added strain put on her.
If all you have to ride in is deep mud then even more reason to leave her alone with her young limbs. She won't get fat if she's growing besides you can always leave her rugless if necessary to shake a bit of weight off (it's alright, she won't break or die of cold, she'll actually get the chance to grow a proper coat which will keep her insulated and snug)
Don't forget, they are both big framed breeds too, she needs to be able to fill that frame to mature; from that picture, she would be a bit too light for me for the stage and age she is at.
 
Last edited:
Funny you should say that because when I saw those photos I immediately thought she was getting too light and began feeding her again and suddenly she exploded and got really fat on her neck and shoulders! I think I know in my heart that turning her away is the sensible thing to do, after all 5 months in nothing at her age and I know with other youngsters it has paid off. Do you think she will be ok out even when it gets wet?
 
I would keep going but with very light work. You can teach so much out hacking. You dont need to do hours of school work. 20 mins in the school is enough for a baby. I wouldnt hunt as she would need to b fit and the amount of work required to get her fit would imo be too much for a weak youngster. Short, regular sessions 3/4x week, a mix or hacking and school work. Let the horse tell you how its coping and religiously check her legs
 
Its a really tough one but I'm leaning towards turning her out. AS others have said you dont want to ruin her and she has plenty of time left to mature. I've just had my boy PTS because he was started far too young so its something I am overly paranoid about right now. I think you will be surprised at how much better she will look in Feb time in terms of her maturing and then you can get her back into work before the spring grass arrives!
 
amymay said:
But they have to be fit to hunt - so roadwork, roadwork and more roadwork to toughen up those legs.
Click to expand...

Walk or trot on the roads?

I'm interested because my 8 yo who has very little bone and is prone to lameness has never been trotted on roads.

Might she be stronger if she had been?
 
As she's part WB she'll probably be a bit of a wuss so I'd have a lightweight NZ at the ready if you get persistent rain but otherwise I'd leave her naked providing she has access to decent hay/haylage with a mineral block too (D & H Uniblocks are quite good for that) and a decent sheltered field; with no work, she'll either not need any or only the most basic of feed to keep her ticking over. If she only has wire fencing of some sort, no hedges, walls or banks to hide behind or is at the top of a hill then I'd probably relent and have her in a LW all of the time.
 
martha said:
Walk or trot on the roads?

I'm interested because my 8 yo who has very little bone and is prone to lameness has never been trotted on roads.

Might she be stronger if she had been?
Click to expand...

I trot for ever on the roads - however, he's a stonking great thing with oodles of bone.

If I had any doubts about his ability to cope - then I too would only be walking. And many professionals say 'don't trot - ever'.
 
martha said:
Walk or trot on the roads?

I'm interested because my 8 yo who has very little bone and is prone to lameness has never been trotted on roads.

Might she be stronger if she had been?
Click to expand...

It all depends on how she was first ridden and whether they expected her to do work she wasn't fit for which might have caused the weaknesses to start. However, no amount of work would alter the size of her limbs because that's down to her conformation which could also be the cause of her weakness. Long steady walking (marching along not slopping) for at least six weeks before you think about introducing short trot work should build up the fitness and strength of both the limbs and the lungs but stay off a horse walker if you can, they're dreadful for joints if over used.
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I think I must turn her out, she is still very weak and if I'm honest she hasn't got the best hocks in the world and might be a tiny bit short of bone for her size so not a good idea to push it. She still has a full summer coat bless her so I think she will have to have a rug of some sort, and she has been in at night for ages. Now I just need to find her a friend!
 
My young TB mare is out with no rug, as is my elderly almost full TB, they are hard done by as there is little natural shelter and both of them are looking very well indeed. I should see how she goes, I did try putting rainsheets on mine but found they were too hot in them - wetter on the inside with sweat than on the outside.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top