How long do you feel u can leave a horse in a field then hack?

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Therightone

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Looking for other peoples opinions as I have heard a few different ones this week.

Horses that are not used for comps just hacking. How long do you feel they can be left turned out then brought straight in to go out hacking?

I ask as a new girl I share a field with told me she leaves hers for months on end then when she feels like going out for a "good hack" she does. A woman and also a friend I also share the field with was disgusted saying she should bring her horse back slowly to be fit enough for hours hacking.

It started making me curious as I can only manage to ride on weekends. So 3 people with three different opinions.

So your own opinion how long would you leave yours turned out for then taking out for a good hack?
 
I always aim to have my horse fit enough for what I require him to do. If I just rode at weekends then I would hack in walk for 45 mins or so. I certainly wouldn't be bombing round the countryside, but then again I am over cautious of injury.
 
Like above I like my horse to be fit enough for what I'm asking. Some yes behaviour wise might hack out quietly after months in a field, doesn't mean they are fit enough for it. It's fine to only ride at weekends if that's what time allows, you just have to remember that you can't be bombing around for hours. My pet hate is people who do sweet fa with there horse then take it out competing!
 
Yeah mine is only really walking as I just enjoy being out with her. The young girl does go bombing around even got photos of jumping her poor horse after leaving her for months. Just wondered if there is a norm and if some are just extreme.
 
I have felt very guilty leaving my mare for three weeks with no work - but today tacked up and went for a hack with friends whose horses had also had a few weeks off over the festive period. All our horses were chilled out and enjoyed a mostly walking hack - some trots and one short canter. It ll be back to normal from Monday with lunging and schooling added in as well as hacks but we are ladies of a certain age who don't hooley around the countryside at the best of times.
 
When my mare broke my leg she was 2 months without work.. She went hacking after that fine.. (This was only because I never found someone to ride her and my Mother wasn't really experienced enough.)

ETA: By hacking I mean going on the roads!
 
I know someone who has pulled in horses from the field who haven't been ridden for years, and take them for around an hours walking hack in a group. Not something I would do but horses appeared to be fine and quite happy with it... so hey ho.
 
My two (both cobs) have been out 24/7 - this being the first year in many that I've managed to keep them both out at this time of year, normally, as from November/December, they'd be in at night and out during the day.

I've tended not to ride them during the week; I work from home so could do so, but I have a good riding chum who can only ride at weekends, and they're far easier to ride out together, so that's what I tend to do.

We aim to guage what we do with them by the mood they're in; so if they appear a little fresh they'll get a nice brisk trot up the hills, or if they're a bit more laid-back then we'lll do a bit of walking.

We go out sometimes at weekends for about a two hour hack, and they're fine. Both are clipped, one clipped out entirely, the other a chaser clip, and they aren't sweating up at the moment.

I'm a bit of a wussy rider, and can't face getting them out solo if its blowing a hooley round my backside:) - but sometimes I do manage to get them both out solo during the week, for about an hours ride.

They are not usually left more than a week without being ridden though; mare would be probably OK if left longer but trad-lad would, I think, be quite a challenge if left too long to his own devices to think up mischief.
 
Mine only get ridden in decent weather, and only when it's light... so at the moment they go out once a week or fortnight. We walk for up to an hour, an hour and a half at a push (with a break for the horses if we're out a long time) and have the occasional trot if we're on the road and need to trot out of a situation. They are both quite happy and healthy! They only go out on a shorter ride if they've had two weeks off. We only amble about, too - no more than they do in the field.
 
Mine haven't been ridden for nearly two months, I've just had too much going on. I will be clipping and getting on them this week, just walking for about 45 mins on a hack initially. I left my mare for a good year once while I was recovering from an operation and got back on and hacked. I aimed for a 40 minute hack in walk, but she did most of it in passage!
 
I hadn't ridden for 18 months and the first time I took him out I just went for a walk on the flat for about 10 minutes and built it up slowly from there. Due to the weather I haven't ridden again for three weeks but will take him out tomorrow for about 50 minutes at walk.
 
If the horse is out full time in a good sized field he/she should maintain a level of fitness. I don't see an issue with not riding a horse for a few months but it isn't reasonable to do hard work after a long layoff.
 
My welshie is always fit enough to get on for a decent hack. She exercises herself in the field all the time despite being out 24/7 and despite me telling her not to!
 
eggs said:
If the horse is out full time in a good sized field he/she should maintain a level of fitness. I don't see an issue with not riding a horse for a few months but it isn't reasonable to do hard work after a long layoff.
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Agree! The fields are so wet here that most hacks recently have had to be in walk or very short sections ok to trot. We had a few nice canters on the one day the going wasn't too soft, but have mostly had bog or frozen ground to cope with. It's suited me though as my boy isn't used to long canters on grass! I try to do some schooling every so often too, but don't think it hurts to do less over winter.
 
Mine quite happily will go for 2 weeks without work and then we may go out for 1 hr and a half with some good trotting periods and a canter or two. She usually gets ridden once or twice a week for 45- 60 mins a week. Horses that are out grazing for long periods cover a lot of ground so slowish hacking with a light rider isn't going to be of too much detriment. Wouldn't pull a horse out of a field after More than a months down time and do much more than an hour in walk though.
 
For the last few years (since having children, really) mine have been ridden on and off, sometimes after a few months off. I just get on and go out for a wander. I am quite lucky, though, in that my grazing is quite hilly so they do maintain a certain amount of fitness when not ridden. If I were aiming for something/planning on doing some hunting, etc, I would put more work in to get them fitter but as I am a lot more sedate these days (if I go out hunting now it's only for an hour or two) I don't worry about having them super fit like I did in the past.
 
Many of us will have been guilty as kids of leaving the pony for months then slapping on a saddle on the first day of school holidays and riding till the sun went down I am sure!
 
eggs said:
If the horse is out full time in a good sized field he/she should maintain a level of fitness. I don't see an issue with not riding a horse for a few months but it isn't reasonable to do hard work after a long layoff.
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This, mine are out on a 5 acre field, They are 22 and 24 years old and I often just hack out on the younger one once or twice a YEAR!! Never had any problem going for a 2 hour hack with a bit of trotting and a couple of canters ( although with his name being Turbo they often end up a little fast lol )

They keep themselves quite fit in the field, the older one I rode a couple of weeks ago having had 8 weeks off and he was fine on a hour walk with a little canter :)

They hooley round the field especially when the hunt is around, don't see that its any different tbh. I think it is more important that you warm them up first, so always a good walk for at least half an hour.
 
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