How important is keeping a horse in relatively active/hard work?

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Zipzop

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So many of you have seen my previous posts regarding my crazy 13 year old section d.
Fast forward to current times and he has had all the works ups by all the professionals and everything has been ruled out - he is healthy and good to go.

So my question now is, would hard work settle him down? I think in the ten years I have owned him he has never been in completely regular, everyday work so I want to find out how important this would be to some horses.

He lives in a 3 acre field with one other horse and is turned out everyday and in his stable at night year round.

I thought this would keep any horse sane but I'm now thinking along different lines and thinking maybe not, maybe he needs the big long hacks etc to get rid of excess energy?

Any input or experiences with your horses would be great TIA.
 
Most horses do better with work and some horses are best with lots of work .
Living in a pottage stamp paddock ( three acres is a postage stamp to a horse )and standing in a stable all night is simply not enough exercise for a horse .
 
Agreed. I think they're better with work, as long as they're sound for it, and that consistency is really important.

Some horses are happy for you to pick them up and put them down I'm sure, but I've never had one like that.
 
My horse is still young, approaching 6 years old, and he has a lot of energy most of the time. My usual schedule has to fit around my college priorities, but we try to stick to:

Monday - 30mins flatwork
Tuesday - 5 minutes on walker
Wednesday - polework and small fences 30mins
Thursday - light hack 20mins
Friday - day off
Saturday - lunge/groundwork 15mins
Sunday - jumping and gridwork 20mins

And it keeps him sane most of the time! When the seasons change he can get quite frisky, so I'll school him for a while before our hack, extend riding sessions to fit in more work and sometimes ride instead of lunge. It all depends on the horse; my last horse was twice my current boy's age but he needed hard work 6 days a week or else he would go completely loopy, even though he was on 24/7 turnout in a massive group paddock.
 
My 23 year old Sec D needs to do something every day,regardless of weather or he becomes mad/spooky/sour. And he lives out 24/7
 
This is really very helpful, thank you. It surprises me that some of your horses despite living out still require a schedule of hard work. Gives me some hope that if I get a strict exercise schedule in place, ( and push through the initial crazy phase Im Sure to get), things may improve. Thanks again.
 
In winter Jay needs work to keep his mind happy. He is on arena turnout.

In summer he is more chilled, on a paddock, and is happy with very little work.

I think warmth and the sun on his back is the key, as well as grazing.

In winter it is not feed, as he only has dry hay, and a measure of Formula 4 Feet!
 
Yes hard work cures most behavioural problems. I have a D who I've mentioned before who was a complete monster when I bought her. Regular hard, correct work, confident riding and consistent strict handling has turned her into a horse many people would like.
 
My 22 yo Section D x TB needs work to keep her sane - when she's properly fit she's lovely when she half fit she hard work. I always maintain a properly fit horse is easy and pleasurable to ride but that's a reward for going through the half fit horrors to get there.

In my experience most Section Ds and Section D types are all forward propulsion and if you don't indulge their need for speed at least once a week they just aren't right. I always have a blat the day before I have to appear in public with mine or she so horribly behaved we're in danger of being asked to leave.
 
I've only ever ridden for short durations at home in the school, never been more than 45 minutes, but normally 30 mins and have done this for years, mainly because I find schooling a bit boring and I prefer to be out and about competing instead. I think it depends what you want to do OP. I think coming up to the spring horses naturally have a lot more energy, they are looking forward to the wind in their hair, lol and the sun on their backs and they can get a little fresh and naughty!

I have done many long hacks in the past, going back 20 years we used to think nothing of hacking out for three hours at a time, but in recent years probably an hour to an hour and a halfs duration with my horse, because hacking has always been rather limited before I moved yards with him. My horse used to go on a horse walker every day for anything between 30 mins - an hour walking in total, this would often comprise of walker before riding and walker after riding, depending on availability and I really think this kept him fit.

I used the walker a lot prior to the three times we competed at the MKEC 3 day event for fittening work and I did some trot work on the walker to as there was a rubber floor on the walker. Can't tell you how much the walker kept him fit, almost to the point that he became a little over fit at times! I also did lots of little bursts of faster canter work to try to get him fitter.

I think if a horse is turned out it keeps itself relatively fit anyway, at that helps use up excess energy. Ours have only been going out between an hour - two hours a day for the last four months in a small sandpit and he has a lot of excess energy at present which is manifesting itself in undesirable ways! :) The sandpit is a life saver for my horse really, with his injury it is great not to have the boggy mud that most yards will have at this time of the year so I don't mind that he is not out at grass. I think if your horse is turned out in the field for most of the day he will be fitter than those that are not anyway.
 
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Both of mine get noticeably more tricky to handle if not in regular work. Millie goes feral and starts looking for mischief, Kira goes backwards in her training.
They get on average 1 day off per week, mainly to give me a rest from riding 2 a day ;) Other than that they would get an hour+ hack, or 45 mins in the school. I gave Millie the winter off one year - never again! Her mind is far too active.
 
i've one and he needs a good gallop every week or else he's not right at all. If he gets out for one good run where he feels like he's had a proper blast then he's happy.
 
Mine hasn't been in full work for a few years. She literally doesn't care. She doesn't have much muscle but is otherwise healthy, happy, and isn't in the least bit tricky to handle.

ETA: She is a Dutch Warmblood who evented and has previously been in very hard work. It just doesn't make any difference to her as long as she has a routine.
 
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Regular work is the key to a lot of these wee demons lol

That doesn't necessarily mean hard and fast work every day but ridden at least 5 days a week doing various activities. Mine is better if his mind is challenged as well so more difficult schooling exercises a couple of times a week, jumping, hacking, in hand work and lunging all are done on a regular basis
 
Wheels said:
Regular work is the key to a lot of these wee demons lol

That doesn't necessarily mean hard and fast work every day but ridden at least 5 days a week doing various activities. Mine is better if his mind is challenged as well so more difficult schooling exercises a couple of times a week, jumping, hacking, in hand work and lunging all are done on a regular basis
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This, I try to ride at least 5 days a week with one of those days being a competition or a lesson when I can afford to go.
 
My horse is better the more he does otherwise he turns into a spooky slug - either hurling himself in hedges at leaves or slugging along like he can't be bothered. He is far better in every way when he is fit and having a nice time hunting and doing fun things.
 
I would look at feed before upping the work. If your horse gets anything at all other than hay, including supplements, I would remove it from the diet. I had a made and knew another one exactly the same, who the more work they did, the sillier they got. We then found that she was intolerant of cereals and refined sugar. I have never had a horse that has had to be worked ever day, which is a good thing as I have worked very long hours and never had an all weather surface avail able
 
I have one who, unless he has a job to do, is a real git for escaping and going on adventures. I can only imagine he was read a lot of bedtime stories about hobbits going on quests to slay dragons as a foal...

He's never really silly to ride though, and is kept purely on straw so not an overfeeding thing. He's just blessed with a very strong work ethic. And is prepared to use it against me :eek3:
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I would look at feed before upping the work. If your horse gets anything at all other than hay, including supplements, I would remove it from the diet. I had a made and knew another one exactly the same, who the more work they did, the sillier they got. We then found that she was intolerant of cereals and refined sugar. I have never had a horse that has had to be worked ever day, which is a good thing as I have worked very long hours and never had an all weather surface avail able
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Since my last post, where you told me to cut out all hard feed, i have done exactly that and yes to a point it has definitely improved things. He is much calmer and less on edge but he is still crazy! I took him out in hand a couple of days ago as he has had quite some time off ridden work and recently was having some sort of breathing issue, we think allergic episode. The vet gave him a course of meds and said to walk him out which i did but he was such a jerk and was cantering sideways on the leadrope down the edge of a very quiet field for no reason that i could see, a regular route for us I might add!
I'm not sure if this may have been a side effect of the meds upsetting his system or maybe it was the handful of Dodson and horrell just grass he had to have to mix his meds into or if he is just loopy.
Pearlsasinger - my turnout and bring in lady thinks the just grass feed would have sent him mad again but I just can't see it, it's basically dried grass!????
Before this medication that he needed for ten days he was on only grass and hay and now he has finished his course he is again on hay and grass only and I mean not even a carrot or treat, absolutely nothing else.
 
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Zipzop said:
Since my last post, where you told me to cut out all hard feed, i have done exactly that and yes to a point it has definitely improved things. He is much calmer and less on edge but he is still crazy! I took him out in hand a couple of days ago as he has had quite some time off ridden work and recently was having some sort of breathing issue, we think allergic episode. The vet gave him a course of meds and said to walk him out which i did but he was such a jerk and was cantering sideways on the leadrope down the edge of a very quiet field for no reason that i could see, a regular route for us I might add!
I'm not sure if this may have been a side effect of the meds upsetting his system or maybe it was the handful of Dodson and horrell just grass he had to have to mix his meds into or if he is just loopy.
Pearlsasinger - my turnout and bring in lady thinks the just grass feed would have sent him mad again but I just can't see it, it's basically dried grass!????
Before this medication that he needed for ten days he was on only grass and hay and now he has finished his course he is again on hay and grass only and I mean not even a carrot or treat, absolutely nothing else.
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Just stop feeding it to him and only give him hay and see how he is.

It could also come down to a lack of manners on the ground. My last TB was a pest, if she thought she could canter about whilst you were leading her and generally be a pain, she would. And it got dangerous. I bootcamped her, loads of groundwork, enforcing "my space", making her walk beside me, stop when I stopped etc. If she didn't, I made her back up using "loud" body language or stamp my feet. She got the hint very quickly not to get ahead of me, if she reared I would just wait for her to come down then make her back up again. One wrong step in hand I would stop and make her walk backwards. (Just a few paces back). She very quickly got the idea that any behaviour other than a calm walk was unacceptable. She was however incredibly dominant, she needed to be kept in her place or she would be a danger to people.

Even my current horse after 6 months solid of being stabled last winter (She barely got to leave her stable for more than a pick of grass every few days) wouldn't even dare to try cantering beside me or anything else on her way to her first days turnout. Once the headcollar is on, I demand manners and behaviour. I spent far too much of my life being dragged about by ill mannered livery horses. Its too dangerous.

ETA: My horse is not scared of me, and I do not beat them up, they just know what is expected of them and get on with it.
 
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It could be high in sugar, certainly grass pellets are quite high in sugar, I don't know about the stuff you are feeding. Cut it out.

Are you feeding mag ox as well?
 
Mine is better for regular work but it doesn't have to be hard work. Just doing something "light" every day seems to keep his brain (and manners) in order. I'm slightly hamstrung in the winter in terms of the light and the cold (didn't lunge or ride last night as had dead, white fingers due to the cold and couldn't hold anything) but as it gets lighter, I will up the level of his work to get him fitter.

Meanwhile, ten minutes on the lunge or a 20 minute hack keep him sane. If he is being particularly idiotic, I throw in something new to make him use his brain and that does the trick. So at the moment, we are trying to master the keypad on the yard gate which is very SCARY because it bleeps. Last year, before the electronic gates, he learned to open the yard gates which was useful as no-one had to get off to open them but also really helped settle him before going out. The boy needs a job so I find them for him!

ETA - JFTD is the master of this - her horses have all sorts of challenges thrown at them and I am sure are better for it! We call my new activities for my horse "handy pony training" and he is becoming much more handy :)
 
moleskinsmum said:
The boy needs a job so I find them for him!
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^^ this is mine too. Cob can forget her manners occasionally if she has a moment but Millie's mischief when not in work extends to things like putting her feet in the fence when turned out rather than flattening people or terrible behaviour. It's more like if I don't give her something to do, she will go and find her own 'entertainment'.

Different issue to manners though. I agree that manners should be installed regardless of whether a horse is in work or not. There do seem to be more rude horses that aren't in work than rude ones *in* work. Perhaps it's because it's tempting to not spend time on boring (:wink3:) things like that when you aren't spending the time riding a horse, dunno. Musing, not pointing the finger btw.
 
I think many owners overestimate what equates to 'hard work'. To my mind a horse in hard work is a three day eventer, or other high level competition horse, or a race horse. Most amateurs' horses (mine included) are in light to medium work and this includes those competing imo.

There are some horses I'm sure who require a heavy workload and will thrive on having their tanks emptied once a week or more. I think equally important is consistency (as many pps have also said): a regular workload of varied activities and a clear routine combined with (ideally, 24/7) turnout on sufficient land should keep most horses sane. Providing it's not being over-fed grain. Hacking is brilliant for their mental health in a way that 30mins in the school or on a walker just can't replicate. Also, beware of getting a horse overfit for what you can realistically maintain for your lifestyle/aspirations. No point embarking on a fitness regime that you can't reasonably sustain and ending up with a horse both fit and bored!
 
I'm with Damnation on this one, the horse should behave around you regardless of it's workload. It has to know the boundaries when you're interacting with it.
 
moleskinsmum said:
ETA - JFTD is the master of this - her horses have all sorts of challenges thrown at them and I am sure are better for it! We call my new activities for my horse "handy pony training" and he is becoming much more handy :)
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Mornin' and thanks for that. Aye, my escape artist hobbit horse is also young, immature and has spend much of his life with me un-rideable due to age or growth phase / saddle issues, thus we get creative about in hand challenges.

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(I should be clear, he's not *young* in this photo. I don't recommend jumping any horse over stuff like this before they're fairly physically mature, even in hand.)

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Plus we do all the standard in hand work (lateral work etc). Massively useful if you don't have a surface or floodlights!
 
The difference in my little cob since he went into steady regular work is unbelievable! Hes actually gone up a gear work wise but is very rideable, and hes a lamb to handle. I was expecting trouble when I moved him, but hes too tired to be making mischief :lol:
 
All my horses need a minimum of work x5 in the week, preferably 6. Looking at what we do and against feed requirements, this is only deemed to be light to medium work, but it is the consistency that keeps my horse happy. I don't turn out every day because he has had a problem with his eye so if the weather is horrible or very windy, he will stay in. I did underestimate how much a walker would contribute to his fitness as didn't factor that into account. There are very very few younger horses who can cope with many days of in between work, if you are thinking of competing at all. When my old mare hit 23, then she could be picked up at leisure but she was only hacking...could have never done that when she was younger.
 
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