Getting a horse fit again?! Rota planning! ...

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MJ_1993

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Hey everyone!!

Hoping i can have some help with planning a fitness guide for my horse.
It's harder than usual as earlier on in the year he was diagnosed with hock arthritis (He's only 10) It's quite mild and he's responded incredibly well to the steroids, . During the period of investigations some issues with a front leg arose, he was kept in a pen for 4 months, he's been in walking work. He's been sound Since Mid September now, I've been cautious with workload as i've not known if the medication is still working, vet had to come back regarding a kick he got and pointed out he passed a flexion so his hocks are still good.
He initially lost 100kg or so (weigh tape) and vet says he still needs to lose a little more but i think we are now both aware the only thing that is going to get the last off is winter as even when hes fit, he's a little porky. Diet has all been changed, he's on baileys lo cal and soaked hay, weighed.

So sorry for the long description but the vet is due for a review mid December, I would love to have him of a level of fitness that the vet could actually notice, seeing as i know his hocks are fine i wanted to ask a little more of him, he's not really schooling (once a week for a lesson to make sure he's straight) but we have hacking round the farm.


Soooo, can anyone come up with a good plan for me to get him going again? I'm such a pansy as i don't want to rush him but he's good in walk, his trot feels mostly good but a little wobbly due to lack of muscle
Seriously appreciate it!! <3
 
You don't say how much he is currently doing so not easy to suggest what you can do to increase it but I would be riding 6 days a week in an ideal world and going out mainly in walk for an hour building up to 2 hours gradually with as much use of any hills as you can and doing several short periods of trot that gradually increase in length as he is ready to do so, there is no set pattern as everyones facilities, time and requirements will differ so do as much as you realistically can ensuring he always feels comfortable before increasing too much.

I would expect to see a difference in a month or so if ridden 5 days a week but not so much if ridden less frequently as that may be rushing him, I would not start cantering until he can do a 2 hour hack easily and only if the ground is good so that may have to wait a while and that is usually when the real fitness starts to show in their condition if they are good doers, dont forget he may need an increase in hay as his work builds up to prevent him dropping too much condition.
 
I was taught that it takes as long as they have had off to recover - so if he's been on restricted exercise for 4 months it will take you 4 months to get back to where you were.
Most of that will be in walk - the long boring work phase is really what establishes the fitness. Hacking is good (hard this time of year if you work), hills is good, Little and often is good, so weekends something in the morning and the afternoon if you can.
 
Basically what BP said, but just add, as you're building up it is good to take a mental note every ride of how they feel - how free and active is the walk, how through over the back, is he straight, is he able to push evenly up the hill etc. And it's also a good idea to make notes of these after each ride as it halos you get an overall picture of how they're improving.

And I would keep him in a fairly open frame out hacking for a bit.

Good luck with him
 
A friend's endurance pony was diagnosed with the same thing at about the same age. She did lots of slow work in straight lines, which mainly involved walking out along hilly forestry tracks. Fortunately, that's a very useful thing for an endurance horse to be doing anyway. He clearly preferred canter to trot while the joints were doing their thing, so she let him dictate the pace to a certain extent. Good news is that he's continued going up the competitive ladder since, and is fully expected to keep going big distances.
 
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