Getting eventers fit

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orsemad

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Just a quick question for all you eventers! How long have your horses had off at the end of the season and what is your plan for starting them off again - ie how much road work (walk and trot) are you doing before you start schooling?
 
My horse had 10 weeks off, 3 weeks hacking and is now schooling again for about 25-30 mins every other day with hacks in between
 
I built her up quie quickly- she was a bit of a handful so it seemed safer!!
Tbh, I tend to think that if theyve been in the field then theyve been active at least so I trot from day 1, starting at 5 mins and building up to about 15 mins after a couple of weeks.
 
I will probably do a similar thing. B has been out 24/7 without shoes and rugs since beginning of November. He's all hairy and feral!!

I'll bring him back in between Xmas & New Year and do 3 weeks of slow steady hacking (active walking only) building up to 1 hour and a half. Then we'll start trotting and I try to extend hacks to 2 hours. I'll probably start flatwork twice a week and include a bit of cantering when I'm schooling. After about 5/6 weeks we'll start jumping once a week too. After about 6 weeks we start to have some fun cantering whilst we're out. There's a great long slow hill near us that's about a mile long once you've gone up one side of it, round and down, and we'll aim to get to the point where we're cantering this once or twice a week interspersed with schooling x2, jumping x1, and steady roadwork x1. Hopefully we'll be ready to go in time for Isleham on 1st March!

You've got me all excited now! I'm going to work out my actual fittening & feeding plan. I've booked the farrier and dentist for 28th, and I can't wait to pull his mane & tail and clip him & get going again! That's if I can catch him..........!!
 
Ernie has been out in the field for about 10 weeks give or take.. he is due back tomorrow, when he will start 3 weeks walking, building up to troting and flatwork, then jumping and lessons/weekend shows, he prob. wont do much 'fastwork' before his first event, but he's a breedy horse who doesn't need it.. he will start doing 'fastwork' some time before his first 3day which i think will be mid April (i think, not a solid plan, just an idea)...
will take each day as it comes.
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My horse hasn't had any time off, although she's not working as hard as she did in summer/autumn.

What's the point? No human athletes completely stop exercising during the year?

Surely they are less likely to do any harm being kept ticking over than stopping and starting again? Do they enjoy the break? Maybe some do, and it depends on your livery/grazing situation.

Yes I know a lot of the top people turn their horses away but equally a lot don't, and I personally find it easier to understand the benefits of keeping them in work (plus it's much more manageable)
 
Mine is a 5yr old/rising 6 and is still growing. He was also getting a bit stale with the routine, so it did him good to go out for 7wks and live in a "herd" and chill
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He has changed shape since bein out, and strengthened up. I do think it helps their mental well being to "be a horse" and have a holiday
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I wish I could have 7 weeks to "chill"
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My horse don't really got time off as such, buy he never really works that hard TBH. We have a serious lack of grazing now so I think he will have to go on his hols at some point this summer to fatten him up a bit!
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[ QUOTE ]
My horse hasn't had any time off, although she's not working as hard as she did in summer/autumn.

What's the point? No human athletes completely stop exercising during the year?

Surely they are less likely to do any harm being kept ticking over than stopping and starting again? Do they enjoy the break? Maybe some do, and it depends on your livery/grazing situation.

Yes I know a lot of the top people turn their horses away but equally a lot don't, and I personally find it easier to understand the benefits of keeping them in work (plus it's much more manageable)

[/ QUOTE ]


I like mine to have a holiday because I believe it does them good to 'be a horse' and turn native for a while.

Horses don't chose to compete - we make them. I don't think mine mind very much - in fact I think they enjoy it otherwise I wouldn't do it at all. But I do think they also deserve sometime to chill out and be equines without human interference. I think it freshens them and helps to take a bit of the strain off their legs. They have their shoes off for 2 months a year - my farrier likes that - says he reckons it's good for their hooves to grow without nails in for a bit.

I don't know - obviously a discussion point, and I'm interested in what everybody elae thinks. I'm lucky to have the facilities to turn away for 2 months a year. It also gives me a break to do all the other stuff that gets forgotten during the competition season.

Can't wait to get going again though.....!!
 
Mine just had 3 weeks off. They get turned out every day all year round anyway, but come in either for the day or night, depending on the season , or they would get too fat.

Work has dropped a bit now, just ticking over and a bit of BSJA rather than eventing fitness.

They all seem keen and happy, even when they are very fit and eventing they still get their turnout so they generally have relaxed minds. I like to give them a couple of 'short' breaks rather than a long holiday.
 
Mine hasn't had time off yet, he's BSJA'ing most of the winter. But he's not ridden much during the week (if at all!) yet BSJA's most weekends, so he's on a semi-holiday! Mine all live out 24/7 so keep themselves ticking over. He'll get from this Sunday until probably end of January off completely. Then again he'll have about 2 weeks off in March (Im on my hols!) before starting eventing again. I dont do any roadwork as I dont hack! I'll just start to introduce faster and longer periods of work. I'll also probably begin lungeing him in the morning and then riding in the evening.

With my Welshie who'll do the odd Intro and possibly PN next year, he's off "officially" from last week and will be brought back into work in Feb probably. He's still maturing so needs more time off than most!
 
Yes I think it often boils down to facilities too. We have no grazing and no shelter, and she would simply disintegrate! She does summer out 24/7 though anyway, and is out all day every day in winter.
 
My 5yo had a month off, but he had also had a month off mid-season, for much the same reason as KatB's boy - he was bored bored bored and I wanted him fresh mentally. My 8yo had two months off which he seems to have enjoyed, but then he is the most workshy horse I have ever had and finds his life really tough and really tiring.
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I had other projects on with schooling my OHs hunters, so I didn't get a month's holiday sadly!

They both do 2 weeks walking and 2 weeks trotting when they start again.
 
My girl had two weeks off in October after her last event. I would normally give her more (at least 3 weeks) but with everything either cancelled because of rain or the ground too hard to run xc she only actually completed 3 events
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I like her to have some "being a horse" time but to be honest she became so obnoxious whilst she was on holiday (difficult to catch, kicking her door, more "don't touch me" days than normal) we were all glad when she came back into work, her included I think
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She hacked for about 1-2 weeks, then schooling only. Now back BSJA but she's not eventing fit.
 
My girl really relishes some time off and always comes back super keen, whereas if I keep her ticking over, over the winter, she acts a bit peed off. My farrier also thinks it's a good idea to take their shoes off for a couple of months. she hasn't had them off this time as the rest period is too short.

She's had 4 weeks completely off, and the last couple of weeks I've just ridden her once at the weekend for a hack round the road.

Got a few hacks with friends planned over Xmas and then I'll start lungeing her twice a week in the dark depending on the state of the ground, plus flatwork and a bit of indoor Dressage and SJ.
 
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