Honest advice needed!!!! Please

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Holidays_are_coming

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Hi sorry need some advice, took pops BJSA tosay and she normally loves it and we struggle to have any control, but today she didnt feel keen, I struggled to get her to jump it took loads of encouragement and growling (I know we can all have off days but ive never felt her like that)

Someone at my yard mentioned that I might be working her to hard, she is very fit and a typical week - this week:
Sun - 3 hr hack nice and steady but lots of trot and canter
Mon - 1 hr Schooling (lots of canter)
Tue - Day off
Wed - 1 hr mix of schooling on grass and x-c mix of fence sizes up to PN (travelled 50 mins total)
Thurs - 1 Hr schooling
Fri - BSJA 2 classes (40 mins travel)
Sat - Steady hack
Sun BE80T

This is typical sometimes she competes twice a week, doesnt really go to far usually max 45 mins.

Just worried im doing too much, she is on 24/7 turn out and gets 1/2 the daily recogmended amount of staypower museli, with electrolytes.

I know Im probably being silly but she works harder than most horses on the yard im on, she does look fantastic!!

Please be honest, I wont be offended!!
 
Doesn't seem a lot of feed for what she's doing - quite possible she may also be 'feeling' her feet if she's been doing a lot of work on firm going. Are you careful of what ground you work her on?
 
if that's an example of a normal week, I would have 2 suggestions if she's feeling a bit unwilling to jump -

1. might she be feeling the hard ground?

2. if she were mine, I would be feeding her more - not sure she's getting enough energy from her feed - partic if she's out all the time, so spending energy walking, grazing and maintaining her temperature.
 
I work my tb in the following:

2 hrs of schooling a week ,1hr lunging/loose schooling split over two sessions,3 hrs hacking, 1 jump session and then he nomally does a couple of lessons in the school(he's on working livery) over six days which is fairly similar to yours and he is fed 1 1/2 scoops of enduro 100,1 1/2 scoops of top spec conditioning flakes,3 scoops of alfa a and a good'glug' of oil a day . Obv don't know if your horse is good doer,bad doer,fizzy etc but as above said doesn't seem like alot of food for what is quite an intense work load . There does seem to be alot of horses off colou at the mo eg viruses that are showing up as a reluctance to go forward/lack of energy so might be worth bloods or a course of propell plus/red cell etc if it continues.
 
I agree, that is quite a lot of work for a horse to be doing. I would give her a few easy days, or possibly a week of doing gentle hacking/schooling. After this period pick it up from there and see if you notice any difference in the way she's going.
 
Well mine do about the same as that p/week, I would suggest you up her feed and possibly give her a good few days to chill at some point.
 
I don't think that's too much work for a horse, particularly on good ground. The only element I'd reduce if you're worried is your 3 hr hack down to a 1.5-2 hr hack. Try feeding more or adding something different. I find Alfa-A original is surprisingly good for keeping their energy levels up when they are in moderately hard work. You could also try using something like Equilibra 500 or Blue Chip. I haven't tried them as yet, but I like the look of Chestnut Horse Feeds.

I really wouldn't worry about doing too much work, but if she is suddenly and obviously lacking in energy then you do need to work out what the problem is as soon as possible. She's been managing fine, it seems, until now, so I'd try upping the feed and if that doesn't work then you're going to have to investigate further.
 
Sorry but do think that the workload is waay to much- do you really need her that fit, not even the racehorses do that much kind of hammering training, and they have about 5 x amounts of that food! Also not even Novice eventers would do that much work. I would imagine the horse is very tierd. Also that sort of routine is the quickest way to break them down, horses are extremely precious things, you need to treat them carefully. Also she's only at BE80, how much more work will you need to do when you move up the levels- there would be nothing left! Sorry, but you did ask
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I would do( to get fit for BE 80,)

Day1- 90 min hack, mainly walking, perhaps 10-20 mins trotting
Day2- 35 mins schooling
Day3-90 min hack as day 1
Day4- 20 min jump in school followed by 30 min walk to cool down
Day5-90 min hack, canter for 10 mins if you must
Day6- school/comp

Those sort of lines
 
I would have to agree with O_B.

Seems an extreme workload for a horse jumping at 80cm level. The poor soul would be tired! maybe horsey needs a break.
 
Ok thanks, she does compete at BSJA, at 90 at the moment and the schooling sessions are only so long as I need her to do it right before I can stop!!!

The hacking is very sensible with a good half of it being in walk -(just thought it was 2 hrs not 3)

Plan give her a easy week, after tomorrow 2 days off then light hacking (40 mins walk) and 1 lesson before next sun, then she can have the week off, will have to see about her having 2 feeds a day, ans will cut the schooling down and see if it helps if not she will have to be blood tested!!!

Thanks though sometimes I dont realise how hard she works
 
She has been fine until now im wondering about the grass quality, the problem with her is the more u do the more energy she gets, she never feel tired!!!

But I want to keep her going as long as possible!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
the problem with her is the more u do the more energy she gets, she never feel tired!!!

[/ QUOTE ]
Maybe you don’t feel she is tired, when she actually is.
Many horses get heavier in the mouth when tired.
A SJing competition takes less than two minutes. If you compete twice, then it will be just four minutes of work with a long period for resting between comps.
Then, do horses really need so much hard and long training periods?
I think not.
I never train my SJing horse more than 30 minutes. Hard intensive training, but short.
And as he is 16 years old, I know I’m not going to teach him anything new, so I don’t jump him at all during the week; only at comps.
And I’ve had excellent results. He is keen, fresh, and happy to do any effort at comps.
I’ve seen people ruining horses by jumping them too much when training. Horses do get tired and fed up with so much jumping, and will not respond at all in competitions.
Remember, you are training for just a two minute intense effort at the competition; train your horse consistently.
My experience, I wanted to share.
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Hey

I would say she's working harder than she needs to, so prob tired. And considering she's out 24/7 she will not be resting as a horse stabled would.

Have you had bloods done recently? She may have a virus?

I would also up her feed. If she won't eat more bulk then can you add oil for her energy?

Also - everyone needs a holiday and prob her time...

Bx
 
I personally wouldn't do so much in a week. I generally never jump my competition horse (or any past horses) at all at home and only get a monthly SJ lesson. I only ever really jump them at the weekend and not every weekend (up until now Ive always had 2 horses to compete so took it time about). I wouldnt do a BE at the weekend after already taking her XC training AND BSJA'ing only 2 days before. I just find horses go stale with jumping very quickly. As mine dont jump at home, they are always fresh and look forward to jumping out. I also never ride for more than an hour at home, usually my sessions are 45 mins max - I just do enough to make sure he's had a good work out and we've achieved something. He competes very happily up to BE CIC* and BSJA 1.20m like this
wink.gif
 
I don't think her work load sounds excessive, my horse does roughly the same but with out the travelling. He also does way more work than anyone else at the yard (which isn't hard) but he looks the best and seems to love it!
He does get a 4-6 week holiday every year, and when he lames him self. If you are worried about the work load may be exchange a schooling session for more relaxed 'schooling' hack.

The only thing I would say is you don't seem to be feeding her very much for the work she is doing (I don't know the product 'staypower museli'). We feed Am & Pm:

3 scoops of white chaff
1 scoop grain mix (Sustaina by Mitavite for racehorses)
1/4 scoop rice bran.
1 large biscuit of lucerne hay

He is in at night, during the day he is out in a small field (grass more for decoration than and actual food source except in spring).

I hope she cheers up soon.
 
my horse would actually DIE if i asked him to do that! but he's not competition fit...

i'd try giving her a week's holiday. and upping her feed slightly - can you add nice stuff in (carrrots, apples, new exciting yummy food) so she doesn't turn her nose up at it.
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Our pony (14.2) is now fit for camp- bearng in mind she's in the training ride (the ride where the most intense work usually happens) where she's going to be riding for about 4 hours a day, at quite a high level. She isn't doing that much, and is getting much more feed (out 24/7). We give her a scoop of chaff and half of pony nuts twice a day, and ad lib haylege. She gets ridden on hacks which are an hour at the most, ahs 2 days off, and schools very gently. This is completely normal, but she is fit enough to ping round PC Open ODEs and come back jogging!

I'd ride her half as much, cut out most fo the schooling (honestly, is she that bad, lol?) and only compete one a week at the max. If she burns out, you'll be kicking yourself.
 
How big is she and how old?

Based on a 16hh horse, working as hard, they should be getting approx 28lbs feed intake a day, divided between hard feed and grass/hay. I would reckon to divide this 60:40 with 40% of her diet being feed, the rest grazing.

On this basis, she should be getting approx 11lbs hard feed/day. Working on a standard "Stubbs" scoop being around 2lbs (depending on type of feed), then maybe you could give her more!

if she turns her nose up at the volume - which she probably will, as she's used to less and she'll feel full, then you can always adjust the energy levels by adding oil to the feed, thus reducing the bulk, and going for a more energy dense hard food in the first place. Something like alpha-oil helps get the oil in without them noticing!

I don't think she is working too hard - but I wouldn't want to keep her at that intensity for too long.

For muscles & fitness to develop, they need time to repair and reconstruct after stress - so a period of intensive work should be followed by time to consolidate.

smile.gif
 
She is 16.1 and 7yr old, she has been working like this for abou the last 3 months, and unfortunatley she thinks a good game is too buck in canter to try and put me off, so you have to keep going until she gives in!!! Someone in her past has let her get away with this behavour and she hasnt figured out that she will get board before I do!!
 
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