How long to hack unfit horse?

[KINDMARE]

My little cob is coming back into work - we have done a few 40 min walk hacks on level ground but I would like to do a longer loop of approx 1.15 mins with a couple of hills - do you think it’s doable?
Thankyou

 

[AmyMay]

How long has he been out of work for?

 

[ycbm]

I wouldn't personally do an increase that big on an unfit horse in one go. You are talking about doubling the time and adding in hills at the same time.

Don't forget that as well as unfit legs, you're putting weight on an unfit back held up by unfit core muscles.

I'm always surprised by how quite knowledgeable people think sitting on a horse while it stands still isn't asking the horse to work and requires no fitness.
.

 

[expanding_horizon]

I would only do it if you are happy to walk and lead him for half of it, including up all the hills. Assuming he has been out of work 6 weeks of more, before you started adding back the recent 40 minutes walks.

Else I would not do it, and build on more 40 minutes outings, and increasing slowly from there.

 

[Wishfilly]

It depends how long he has been out of work for, but I personally wouldn't- if it's been long enough to notice a loss of fitness, I'd have probably started with less than 40 minutes at a time. Is there any way to add in hills on a shorter route?

To be fair, all hacking here is hilly, so I try to keep initial hacks short as I know I basically have to start hill work straight away.

FWIW, I find my cob finds going down hill as hard as going uphill, and if it's tricky for him he often wants to jog- so if you want to keep yours in walk, that would also be a consideration.

 

[Kirstd33]

I used to run marathon and was well used to following training schedules where the premise is only to increase distance/time by approx 10% each week to avoid injury and let the body adjust to the increased demand. I no longer run (back surgery) but follow the same principle with fittening up my little coblet, slow and steady can quite literally win the race

 

[sbloom]

Dismounted work first, then a very slow careful build up of fitness, while still doing groundwork, is the ideal. It really IS much harder for them to carry us than we realise and all those "downhill" or otherwise "conformationally challenged" horses are so often actually in poor posture, exacerbated by these issues. It's super common so not something that people clock.

This looks a super interesting course given by someone who is highly regarded https://amyskinnerhorsemanship.com/Introduction-to-In-Hand-Work - as always I'm posting to help anyone reading this post rather than jumping up and down saying you have to do this course

 

[Jellymoon]

It kind of depends how long he’s been out of work and what the reason was, and if he’s coming from box rest or from the field, and how old he is, how fit he was before…
You could get off and walk some of it!

 

[lynz88]

I'm always surprised by how quite knowledgeable people think sitting on a horse while it stands still isn't asking the horse to work and requires no fitness.
.

I tend to use the analogy of putting a weighted bar on someone's shoulders/back and asking them to walk, squat, or generally move....if you go to the gym, you will know adding even 1kg to each side of the bar results in a *lot* more muscle and oxygen recruitment.

 

[little_critter]

I’m bringing my horse back into work and I’m noticing that he often tells me he has tired back / neck muscles by snatching the bit down (I let him stretch and am not really asking him to ‘work’ at the moment).

It depends on how long yours has been out of work and how long he’s been back in work.

 

[Carrottom]

It's doable if you are happy to dismount and lead for a couple of tens minute breaks. Maybe plan a route where you can hand graze for 5 minutes.

 

[Lois Lame]

I think going down hills is harder for the horse than going up. I think getting off and leading down hills (at least) would be a very good thing to do. (Even on a fit horse, like the endurance riders do.)

I'm not sure why sitting on the back of a stationary horse was mentioned, but I agree that it is hard on a horse and should not be done. It is easier for them if they are walking, rather than standing, when we are on their backs. (You see people at horse events using their their horses as grandstands. this shouldn't be done imo.)

 

[ycbm]

I'm not sure why sitting on the back of a stationary horse was mentioned, but I agree that it is hard on a horse and should not be done. It is easier for them if they are walking, rather than standing, when we are on their backs. (You see people at horse events using their their horses as grandstands. this shouldn't be done imo.)

I don't agree that it's easier for a horse to move with a rider than stand still. If you back young horses you will know that moving off with the rider on is quite difficult for them in the early stages.

I made the point that simply standing still with a rider on requires core strength because the OP is proposing to nearly double the length of time she is going to be sitting on the horse, which would be a big enough ask if the horse was standing still, and worse if it is also being asked to move.
.

 

[Goldenstar]

How many weeks has he been in work ?
You need to stick to the shorter distances and doing them five or six days a week .
Lots of things influence the best way to bring a horse back to work the most important being why the horse was out of work .