Fittening after box rest

[RHM]

Following on from a similar thread what is everyone’s fittening regime for a box tested horse?
Mine has just had some melenomas removed. Was very fit and out competing until 3 weeks prior. Then I began letting her down a tiny bit, but still fitter then most. She will be box confined and hand walked for four weeks, then turnout during the day but still off games for a couple more.
Looking to get her back to peak fitness by end of spring/early summer for SJ and Hunter trials primarily. So not in a hurry but interested to know how most people would go about it. I was planning on just hacking for weeks on end but I quite like some of the structured plans on the other thread!

 

[flying_high]

I built up to from 10 to 40 minutes hand walking twice a day, including hills, before turning out. I used an equicore band for one walking session, and a stretchy figure of eight bandage for the other walking session. I was also allowed to rein back and do raised walk poles in hand. All helps with core fitness.

Once back being ridden, vet said to mainly hack the first six weeks, and build the school work up slowly. I think I cantered out hacking after six weeks.

 

[Birker2020]

Following on from a similar thread what is everyone’s fittening regime for a box tested horse?
Mine has just had some melenomas removed. Was very fit and out competing until 3 weeks prior. Then I began letting her down a tiny bit, but still fitter then most. She will be box confined and hand walked for four weeks, then turnout during the day but still off games for a couple more.
Looking to get her back to peak fitness by end of spring/early summer for SJ and Hunter trials primarily. So not in a hurry but interested to know how most people would go about it. I was planning on just hacking for weeks on end but I quite like some of the structured plans on the other thread!

Interval training is thought to be good. So doing short bursts of activity with long intervals of less intense activity with a view to making the intense activity longer and the rest period shorter.

Its what we do during our spin class also known as HIIT.

 

[SEL]

Lots and lots of walking was prescribed for the pony after her box rest for a wind op. The weather was so vile last winter that actually she got turnout for a fair while before I got back on board which I think helped her. Once she was happy with a few miles at walk under saddle I started to introduce faster work.

She did lose a lot of muscle on box rest. She's had a couple of foals so got a belly on her and by the end of it looked pregnant again. It wasn't fat (she was on rations), just lost muscle and a saggy tummy!

ETA - and her saddle didn't fit either due to the lost muscle

 

[TPO]

Slow and steady

Increase either stress* or duration and when stress increases cut duration.

For example 5 min in hand walking twice a day in straight lines building up 5mins per day. Then when you're at 30mins add saddle and cut duration back to 5mins and build up again. So on when a rider is added, time cut right back and build up again.

I think it was @Gamebird who posted a good reply about recovery time post box rest.

A sort of comparison to how weak we feel after a few days bed bound by something and how that is often disregarded when bringing a horse back into work.