giving horses time off when you go on holiday?? do you?

charlie76

charlie76

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I'm going away soon for ten days and I don't really like people riding them when I'm not about as they are both pretty tricky on their own ways!
I am planning on them having the time off ridden work but go on the walker every other day for 30 minutes so they maintain some fitness and keep weight off of them.
They go out during the day and in at night. I usually ride them six or seven tomes a week and they have just suddenly improved and feel great ( they are dressage horses) and now I am concerned they will loose what we have achieved and fitness in the time I'm away.
One is 14 yrs old so I try and keep him ticking over with something every day.

Do you tend to give them the time off or do you have some one in working them for you?

Turning them out 24/7 isn't an option as they have ever expanding waist lines!
 
yes they do. I can't imagine not having a holiday for the next 15 years of my working life. Yes it means i have to take a step back to fitten up again but its only a couple of weeks so will come back very quick and often better. Best ride i ever had on my horse was after two weeks off. If they have to be managed for weight/lami etc etc thats different, but just a normal horses, esp comp ones, need a break. I believe carl said once he only rides the top horses about 3-4 times a week.
 
Horses do not loose fitness overnight! In Australia they did an experiment and found that once a horse is really fit, it doesn't loose fitness for 6 weeks. Humans loose fitness after 2 weeks. I think that in America, again, once the horse is fit and competiting, endurance horses do not do much work between competitions. Think of hunters that (once upon a time) might have 2 weeks off in the middle of the season due to frost and snow.

Obviously with dresage horses, they need their muscles to be kept supple and working, but if yours are out in a field, as they are, then with the time on the walker they will be fine. Obviously when you get back, ease them into work again, but I doubt if you will have any problems other than a fresh horse!
 
My horse goes on holiday when I go on holiday. Hes had two weeks off (as I'm away) and will come back into work on Friday. Shoes pulled, turned out, be a horse.

He gets this twice a year - once in September and again in late Dec/early January (due to weather being pants). Sometimes I go to see family for a week in March/April and he'll have that off too. It's good for their brains and fit horses are ok for up to two weeks off without it affecting them IMO.

He was in full work (5-6 days a week, competing once a week or fortnight) before his break so I anticipate he'll be back fighting fit after 2 weeks of fittening work.
 
And ideally have shoes off for a few weeks - years ago this was always done at least once a year, and accepted and recommended by farriers. I think one of the reasons shoes can be a problem these days is that isn't done, the feet never get to flex and act as they evolved to do.
 
charlie76 said:
I'm going away soon for ten days and I don't really like people riding them when I'm not about as they are both pretty tricky on their own ways!
I am planning on them having the time off ridden work but go on the walker every other day for 30 minutes so they maintain some fitness and keep weight off of them.
They go out during the day and in at night. I usually ride them six or seven tomes a week and they have just suddenly improved and feel great ( they are dressage horses) and now I am concerned they will loose what we have achieved and fitness in the time I'm away.
One is 14 yrs old so I try and keep him ticking over with something every day.

Do you tend to give them the time off or do you have some one in working them for you?

Turning them out 24/7 isn't an option as they have ever expanding waist lines!
Click to expand...

Normally ( and I have been away two weeks ) those in work get schooled twice or thee times a week while I am away
 
When I'm on holiday mine gets one, he didn't when he was younger as he went with me for 3 years, but lets face it, they do what 2 hours a day at the most out of 24, the rest mostly out in the field, or in winter a few hours in a stable chilling, not exactly a hard life compared to ours.
 
Usually yes but it depends on what the horses are doing when I get back if they are hunting they get ridden .
I am another who thinks a mini break does most horses good now and again .
 
I really didn't want Serenity, the new mare, to have time off so soon after getting her, but it'll give her extra time to settle in and heal after her kick.
Ned can be left for months and be the exact same loony as before! So he'll be fine. When I get back, assuming Serenity is 100% sound, both are in for a lot of work! I want all three of us fit to compete next year.
 
If it was my own horse to ride then I probably would give them a break while away on holiday. However we only have daughters lead rein pony and last time we went on holiday we took it as an opportunity to put her on schooling livery for a couple of weeks which was fab as a refresher for her. We will probably do the same when we go on holiday next year as we would need to pay someone to come to the yard and do her anyway (total DIY yard) so paying a bit extra for schooling livery over the holiday is well worth it for us.
 
I never used to. But then I never go on holiday 😂 but this year I had a week away and there just wasn't anybody available (suitable) to exercise my mad lady so she had the time off. I was really worried she'd be super fresh and a basket case when I next got back on her but I swear she has never ever gone as well as she did that week I returned back. Just goes to show that she needed the break too.

Here's hoping it's the same after a week of box rest...*wishful thinking*...
 
Yup nice week long holiday for me and for my horse, I find he comes back into working better after a break too...I dont trust anyone enough to let them ride him ( bar two people who are unavailable anyway!)...
 
very rarely go away but horses are on hols if I do.
I'm a bit precious about mine anyway :o plus no one would even want to ride the cob anyway :lol:
 
Mine have time off when I'm away. If it is winter they stick to their usual routine of in at night and out during the day. We don't go on summer holidays as work is too busy. I don't notice a difference in fitness afterwards but mine do like to play in the field, they don't just go out and glue their faces to the floor for the entire time (only most of it!). They also have time off if I'm busy, ill or the weather is rubbish.
 
Phew, should be fine then, I have told them to put them on the walker at a brisk walk for 45 minutes a day so should be enough to stop them getting fat! Thanks!
 
I have done. This time around I sent him to my DR trainer for 9 days and got back a vastly improved and more chilled out little horse (which probably says quite a lot about my own shortcomings in schooling him...!). I didn't just want him pootling around on short hacks so sent him away instead and it was worth every penny. Usually I would either give him a week off, or just pay the yard to hack out a few times.
 
Mine get regular breaks even if I am not on holiday. I find the older horses really benefit ad it seems to help their muscles.
 
If I go abroad, I put mine into livery and ask that he is ridden, not particularly hard, just to keep him ticking over, really to know that he is being well looked after and I don't have to worry about him. If it is just for 3 or 4 days and I will be in this country than I ask a freelance groom to feed and check them, but then horse doesn't get ridden.
 
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