do your horses have holidays?

RubysGold

RubysGold

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Just wondering whether other people give their horses a holiday each year.
last year, Jimmy had all of winter off because he was backed and turned away.
this year I had planned to just keep riding. But its been difficult with the dark evenings, and he has been getting quite grumpy, and because of less ridden work, the quality of work wasn't too good.

so i have decided to give him all of December off. If its not too snowy/icy we will restart in January. Hes worked hard through summer, competing and camp etc.
so what about you, do yours have time out?
 
Ironically, Kal tends to have an easier time during the summer because his jockey's kids are not in school . . . he works all through the winter.

However, he tends to make sure he has unscheduled "holidays" by finding a way to hurt himself at least a couple of times a year ;).

P
 
I took my girly to France this summer and last summer!

I give her a week off here and there but as she is 19 its better to keep her regularly working than not
 
Depends on the horse. Reg has normally had winter off, but this year is pottering out with my mum to keep him gently ticking over, but he's not really doing much (not cantering). Smokes is in proper work all year round, as he's too clever not to be- it's amazing what trouble he can get himself in with just a week off work!

Tango is having a proper, roughed off holiday this winter. He was backed this year and has done a lot of quite intense learning and needs time off to let him relax and grow some more. But when he's not a baby he'll most likely be kept like Reg is.
 
Mine are kept going all year but have a few days off now and then if I'm away. However, if I am away for a week or longer I usually send the competition horse away to be kept fit and generally sharpened up for me. If he had a long holiday he'd get fat and even lazier than he already is!
 
Mine all have periods without shoes and will have a break when I remove the shoes it is usually about six weeks followed by a couple of months working lightly without their shoes sometimes longer they all have a minimum of twelve weeks per year unshod .
 
Mine has a week off here and there, I don't really plan this but there are times when I am really busy with work and I don't worry too much about him being exercised every day, this is never usually more than a week though. If he's made a lot of progress in the school (he is seven and still quite immature, slow growing breed) or appears to be bored then he has some time out of the school and I hack him for a couple of weeks, he always comes back fresher and willing to learn more so I think that works for us. Generally I like to keep him fit and working though.
 
Mine is in work all year, bar 2 weeks at Xmas and odd 4-5 day stints when I go away during the year. He gets schooled over the winter, and in summer I mostly hack in between competing. Plus there is always some time off due to weather in January.
 
Yes but enforced rather than planned either due to their or my injuries or my workload! Finding it tough this winter to ride after 12 hour days, dark am and pm, dodgy hip etc. Luckily turning out for up to 13 hours a day tends to keep them sane!
 
Sure, I think its important for them to have regular extended periods off, for their mental health as well as to maintain long term soundness and physical well being. If they are being schooled properly, it shouldn't hinder their progess, and I know that I wouldn't like to work all year round, why should they?
 
Would love to give mine a holiday but the TB is VILE when not in work (about to get back on tonight after a month off - thank god!) and the other one is new and a bit feral still so I will wait until I have had him for a bit before I see what he is like with time off. Hopefully he will be ok and cann ghave a fortnights holiday over the summer. The TB? No way. Cannot stand the stroppy face pulling, mooching forlornly about and generally being a PITA...
 
Hackie said:
Sure, I think its important for them to have regular extended periods off, for their mental health as well as to maintain long term soundness and physical well being. If they are being schooled properly, it shouldn't hinder their progess, and I know that I wouldn't like to work all year round, why should they?
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I haven't had more than two weeks' holiday at a time in five years - why should horse? :P I agree a break can be good, but a change is as good as a rest, so lots of variation between schooling, jumping, hacking, trailering to the beach, going cross country schooling in amongst competing etc can cut down how bored your horse gets (the way I do with work...).
 
Mine doesnt work hard enough to get a holiday.... ;)

Possibly a week off when I manage to get away in late spring or early autumn, and also only if its too unsafe to get out of the yard due to ice/snow, so I do keep riding through the winter as there is always at least 1 horrid spell that crops up
 
Elvis has had two breaks this year- both enforced through injury. He's better if he's kept in work- just varying it is the key. If I go on holiday it pay the yard to school/hack him. I think if he was competing I'd give him a couple of weeks off after the season is over, but we need to get to the stage of him staying in work long enough to compete, to put that plan into action!
 
khalswitz said:
I haven't had more than two weeks' holiday at a time in five years - why should horse? :P I agree a break can be good, but a change is as good as a rest, so lots of variation between schooling, jumping, hacking, trailering to the beach, going cross country schooling in amongst competing etc can cut down how bored your horse gets (the way I do with work...).
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I don't think they need a break from their schooling routine so that they don't get bored, I just think they need a mental break from being ridden (and to a degree the constant handling that comes with it), full stop. I think its nice for them to just be horses, and it keeps them fresh. Both young and older experienced horses will benefit from this.

I just don't get the mentality that a horse should be in work pretty much all year round. And I've never known a professional rider who doesn't give their horse at least one annual spell of several weeks, for long term soundness mental fitness reasons.

ETA - not only that, but I've seen horses break down through arguably too much work. Maybe they would have broken down anyway, but to be honest I'm not prepared to take the risk with a good competition horse, so I work mine as much as they need to for their education and to progress them compeititvely at a reasonable pace, and no more if I can avoid it.
 
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Hackie said:
I don't think they need a break from their schooling routine so that they don't get bored, I just think they need a mental break from being ridden (and to a degree the constant handling that comes with it), full stop. I think its nice for them to just be horses, and it keeps them fresh. Both young and older experienced horses will benefit from this.

I just don't get the mentality that a horse should be in work pretty much all year round. And I've never known a professional rider who doesn't give their horse at least one annual spell of several weeks, for long term soundness mental fitness reasons.
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Pros are different. If horse is in hard work, then a turning away period is invaluable. However how many of us can claim our horses are in more than what the feed companies tell us is light work (Up to 1 hr schooling/2 hours hacking mostly walk/trot with some cantering/jumping, up to six days a week, and RC level competing/Grassroots eventing/elementary dressage)? Mine doesn't do more than that. So why should he get treated exactly the same as a high level horse when he isn't - I certainly don't work him as hard or feed him the same!

Many pro horses are also kept boxed for much of their 'working' time, then turn out during the off season - my lad is out 24/7 alongside his work. So he is 'being a horse' for most of the day anyway!

Also, horses that are older/arthritic/like mine and have problems like PSSM actually deteriorate when turned away without regular work - they stiffen up. Regular exercise, even if reduced in workload for weeks at a time, is better than six weeks off.

And anyone who claims hacking out is mentally taxing I do think is being a bit silly. One thing needing a mental break from say PSG dressage or 1* eventing, but from hacking out four times a week say? I don't see any benefit there from long periods off.
 
my horse has always had the summer off before i had him. he was a NH racer so from mid may till mid july he was turned away for his holiday. the first year i had him we picked him up beginning of june so he was already roughed off. i decided that as he had raced the previous season he deserved his holiday so didnt start bringing him back into work till july. i dont do much schooling with him as he tends to get very bored and hates the repetition of going in the school every day even with varied work. so i tend to hack mostly. he is definatly a thinker and doesnt like to spend too much time out in the field so i tend to try and keep him in work however with my work it is difficult and he does tend to get more days off now then what he does over summer!

my old horse hated winter, he would come alive in the summer and really thrive so i tended to back off him during the winter and just take him for the odd plod arond the roads to keep my other horse company. i suppose it all come down to what suits you and your horse individually and what work he/she is in.
 
khalswitz said:
Pros are different. If horse is in hard work, then a turning away period is invaluable. However how many of us can claim our horses are in more than what the feed companies tell us is light work (Up to 1 hr schooling/2 hours hacking mostly walk/trot with some cantering/jumping, up to six days a week, and RC level competing/Grassroots eventing/elementary dressage)? Mine doesn't do more than that. So why should he get treated exactly the same as a high level horse when he isn't - I certainly don't work him as hard or feed him the same!

Many pro horses are also kept boxed for much of their 'working' time, then turn out during the off season - my lad is out 24/7 alongside his work. So he is 'being a horse' for most of the day anyway!

Also, horses that are older/arthritic/like mine and have problems like PSSM actually deteriorate when turned away without regular work - they stiffen up. Regular exercise, even if reduced in workload for weeks at a time, is better than six weeks off.

And anyone who claims hacking out is mentally taxing I do think is being a bit silly. One thing needing a mental break from say PSG dressage or 1* eventing, but from hacking out four times a week say? I don't see any benefit there from long periods off.
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We'll have to agree to disagree! I still don't get it. If you're only riding and competing for enjoyment (for want of a better word), then I guess you are just doing all that riding because of the enjoyment you get out of it, not because its needed for the horse. You could still do everything you've listed, and ride 3 - 5 days a week at most, and give prolonged periods off.

And whilst I was never professional myself, I've always competed and take my lead from my instructors, who are professionals; followed similar feeding and schooling programs. If its working for them at a very high level, then similar principals apply for me, surely?

I just have a mentality that whilst I enjoy it, I don't ride on a day to day basis, just for the sake of it. I do still enjoy working a horse a few times a week, don't get me wrong! If the horse is going well and improving, then thats great, but thats what I enjoy, and I don't need to ride every day to do that. Maybe as I've always ridden ex-racers as well, maintaining soundness is really prevented by not overworking them.
 
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Hackie said:
We'll have to agree to disagree! I still don't get it. If your only riding and competing for enjoyment (for want of a better word), then I guess you are just doing all that riding cause you like it, not because its needed for the horse. You could still do everything you've listed, and ride 3 - 5 days a week at most, and give prolonged periods off.

I just have a mentality that whilst I enjoy it, I don't ride just for the sake of it. If the horse is going well, then then I leave it as much as I can. Maybe as Ive always ridden ex-racers as well, maintaining soundness is really prevented by not overworking them.
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I guess we will!! Yes, I only do it for enjoyment, and I do ride 3-5 days a week, and hence why I don't see the need to give prolonged periods off - if he was ridden 7 days a week and competing hard that would be a different matter. Plus my horse (an exracer actually) gets stiff if I give him prolonged time off - he has PSSM and has fewer problems on a regular exercise programme.

I guess that's where we differ - I look to keep improving, slowly, but continually, so just because a horse is going well it doesn't automatically then need time off. If I worked him harder, I'd do things differently, but I don't.

And surely if you have had exracers, especially with joint problems, you know that maintaining joints is best done by keeping them moving? Regular low impact work is better for arthritic joints than rest - that's why doctors tell patients to keep moving. Overworking and not giving long periods of time off aren't the same thing - and like I said saying a horse is overworked when they are hacking out 3-4 times a week is silly.
 
Hackie said:
We'll have to agree to disagree! I still don't get it. If you're only riding and competing for enjoyment (for want of a better word), then I guess you are just doing all that riding because of the enjoyment you get out of it, not because its needed for the horse. You could still do everything you've listed, and ride 3 - 5 days a week at most, and give prolonged periods off.

And whilst I was never professional myself, I've always competed and take my lead from my instructors, who are professionals; followed similar feeding and schooling programs. If its working for them at a very high level, then similar principals apply for me, surely?

I just have a mentality that whilst I enjoy it, I don't ride on a day to day basis, just for the sake of it. I do still enjoy working a horse a few times a week, don't get me wrong! If the horse is going well and improving, then thats great, but thats what I enjoy, and I don't need to ride every day to do that. Maybe as I've always ridden ex-racers as well, maintaining soundness is really prevented by not overworking them.
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I agree with u and I do not ride everyday either. My boy is a German Warmblood bred for dressage (but threw his toys out of his pram at an early age, then we crossed paths!) for the first three years I had him he mostly hacked out with little or no schooling. But since last moving yards last May he is schooled two to three times a week, hacked out and lunged and normally has a couple of days off (which I presume most non competing equines do). We also have lessons every two weeks or so and compete (dressage) once a month. This week I have not ridden since Monday and that schooling session consisted of walk-halt transitions only (which he really enjoyed and to my surprise was very refreshing., I had a lovely attentive and engaged horse without any speed and me not sweating more than him once finished!) I probably won't ride again now till the weekend (and that will probably be a hack) as I have so much to do at home along with having sickly kids ATM! And he probably won't do a lot now until January either just maybe the odd hack and lunge. I don't feel bad about it as others have said down time to be "a horse" is ok.
 
Not usually, although they have had enforced breaks for a month at least due to heavy snow the last few winters as we have no school and the roads are treacherous.

Ths year mine went lame in January, had various box rest, rehab walking and small paddock rest until August when he was kicked out in the field with the herd. I was then too pregnant to ride,mand now I have a 9 week old but have duffed my back so no riding for a while yet! :(

But then I'm transitioning to barefoot ATM (shoes off since August), the horse chiro is booked in a couple of weeks time to make sure the horse is good to go and hopefully I'll be sorted by the new year. By then I will have clipped and smartened up the beast and we will likely have snow on the ground for a month again :D

So, in short, this year 5 months total field rest......
 
No he has never has scheduled long holidays. He has had SI problems and regular work is best to keep him strong. Now he is 18 he is more likely to lose muscle tone and become stiff so no again to long holidays for that reason. In the winter he is only ridden 3-4 times a week at most hacking, not exactly mentally tiring.
 
I doubt 80% of amateur owned horses work hard enough to need a holiday. On a slight tangent from the original question what do owners consider 'hard' work to be for a pleasure horse and just to pour fuel on the fire, I would suggest that amateur owned horses are frequently injured because they are not worked hard enough to maintain the level of fitness needed for the weekend competitions.

I am not being self righteous, I am amateur and have an injured horse at the moment, plus hunters of the past that were injured through lack of fitness.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I doubt 80% of amateur owned horses work hard enough to need a holiday. On a slight tangent from the original question what do owners consider 'hard' work to be for a pleasure horse and just to pour fuel on the fire, I would suggest that amateur owned horses are frequently injured because they are not worked hard enough to maintain the level of fitness needed for the weekend competitions.

I am not being self righteous, I am amateur and have an injured horse at the moment, plus hunters of the past that were injured through lack of fitness.
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This. This is much better put but my point exactly!
 
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