How many of your horses...

[niko]

Can you leave for 6mths off work and hop on as if you were out the day before? By this I mean no lunging etc before u get on.
My question was provoked from circumstances this year causing my mum and I to do just that with our horses.
Both are competition sport horses IDxTB and mine full TB. We brought them in, tidied them up, tacked up, hopped on (would have to hack to the school) and off we went for a hack (may I just add that they have been with us years so not uncommon for us or them and have a partnership).
They just go off as if they were in full work, all buttons, aids and manners just as we left them. Musing over it tonight I said how lucky we are to have such horses that don't bat an eyelid but yet can take out eventing etc.
Just interested in your response as know of quite a few you couldn't leave for 2 days!!

 

[LauraWheeler]

Merryn you can leave for however long you want and get on like he was ridden yesterday.

Herbie on the other hand turns feral if he has more than one day off.

 

[Copperpot]

None of them. Although saying that I did leave one for 11 months after an injury and he was an angel the first ride. Second ride however normal service was resumed. He was lulling me into a false sense of security.

 

[Auslander]

This one. Danish warmblood, bred in the purple, and a talented chap. Retired for two years, before we stuck a saddle on him, hopped on and went out hacking. He's immaculately behaved under saddle (which is lucky, because he's a PITA otherwise!) and loves being worked!

 

[jadelovescassie]

Within the first few years of having my Welsh D she got laminitis and was off for 3 months...we were expecting her to be sane and sensible as she generally is...maybe naive, as when I got back on she was anything but, leapt about like a rodeo horse and left me winded on the floor (lol...wasn't funny at the time but is now!). She's been off work several times again over the last 7 years and has mostly been an angel coming back into work though I have sometimes lunged due to that little episode. Definitely has something to do with the partnership as she wouldn't dare do that to me now as she knows she would be in trouble!!

 

[Charmin]

My old mare had just shy of a year off to have a foal, hopped on her in just a bridle as her saddle was being adjusted to her new shape and she ambled around.

Her daughter when in light work is easy to drop and pick up. No hesitations getting on her after five weeks.

Had a TB on loan who was left for over a year and he was also a star.

However my made comes out 'fresh' when she's in medium to heavy work, is fit and fed as such, and then misses a couple of sessions of exercise. She's out 24/7 but this still can result in some exciting moves. To be honest I've found horses who have been off for a long period lose all their fitness and don't have the excess energy, muscle tone or general oomph and tend to be a bit more blasé than their fit pals at the missing workload.

 

[Lolo]

Reg can have months off, then have his shoes back on and behave like a dream. He is one of those horses who just is very calm and level-headed about almost everything, and his 'moments' are exceptionally rare. I can honestly count them on one hand from the day he stopped being a racehorse to today. And most of those were his first non-racing outings!

Smokes is also pretty good. He needs fairly frequent work, but his bouncing and rodeo pony moments are never more than just for laughs, and are fairly evenly spread. He more needs lots of turnout to keep sane rather than lots of work!

 

[Equi]

I could have done that with my loan horse, and DID a few times (his owner who did "livery" aka abandonment here never saw him and i had my own horse)

 

[fawaz]

My TB had about 2 years off as I was living 1000km away. Hoped straight on once he moved up here one sunny day and he was perfect. Bit stiffer than I remember but just as we had left off two years ago!

 

[Leo Walker]

Both of mine But I would blumming well hope so as both were bought by me for a fat,, disabled, nearly middle aged rider who just couldnt ride out any shenanigans! However in a lot of years teaching in riding schools I found most horses would be ok, but that might be due to the fact that riding school horses are picked for their nice natures

 

[JFTDWS]

All mine have been like that. Even the daft four year old...

 

[Shantara]

Yep! He had 7 months off once and it was like I'd never got off him! He was a star He recently had just over a month off and apart from being a little iffy in the school (always has been) he was a good boy

 

[Lolo]

All mine have been like that. Even the daft four year old...

I am so torn over whether its luck or a good upbringing! Reg is one of those unflappable types. He just can't get himself worked up, which is good because when he does he is completely unreachable... Al and mum worked hard to set his life up so he had everything right all the time, and made sure he was in a very chilled atmosphere.

Smokes is under the identical regime and can't have a week off or his feet don't touch the ground for a few days after that, and he starts making his own fun. He gets lunged before being ridden because he loves being a rodeo pony. It's not malicious, its just high jinks and he'd be mortified if Al did hit the deck.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Benji, I've had since he was a yearling (20yrs ago now) and I can jump on him whenever and expect the same service. He had 11 months off due to a tendon injury and he was fine. My son's pony is pretty much like it too which is what I would hope for a child's pony. I'm backing a 4yo at present and she had a few days off and it was no different to the previous days. I hope that continues...............

 

[keri66]

Lucy is like that. No issues no hang ups she is just the easiest horse I ever had
Who said Arabs were flakey lol

 

[keri66]

Lu my horse is like that, no issues, no hang ups just the easiest horse I have ever had.
Who said Arabs were flighty lol

 

[Red-1]

Mine is usually fantastic, including after time off.

HOWEVER, some days he comes out like the devil himself in lying in wait behind the hedge, and on these occasions I will lunge or ground work first.

I have not linked to what the spooky days are, maybe once every couple of months? I think he sees dead people!

 

[Dumbo]

I can leave both of mine too. A full tb and dutch warmblood. Both quiet when it comes to riding and doesn't matter if they have a day, week or month off, always the same
My tb had 8 weeks strict box rest last summer. I did a week of 10
Minute in hand walking but I got on him in a bitless bridle, when no one was around and just walked around the paddock. He was more fussed about grazing! I feel very lucky to have them

 

[Polos Mum]

Mine has had 3 big breaks - 2 while I had babies (5 months then 10 months) and one for ligament injury (7 months) each time I've lunged once then hopped on - lunging was a waste of time he just ambled round wondering what I was up to
He's an ex eventer and I've always put it down to habit - for every year of his 10 competition years he'd finish in Oct then not start again until Jan/Feb so - as he doesn't have a diary- he just thinks it's a normal yearly break

 

[NZJenny]

Three out of my four, number four is yet to be started. My biggest problem is saddle fit, 'cos time off usually means they get fat.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

All of mine you can just hop on. Even the exracers, in fact they are the best ones. My freshly broken shelties can occassionally put their backs up but soon drop them and my dartmoor is the same but he has been like that for the last 10years every day let alone after a break.

Sometimes I think people make more fuss of things than they need to and get the horse wound up.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Can you leave for 6mths off work and hop on as if you were out the day before? By this I mean no lunging etc before u get on.
My question was provoked from circumstances this year causing my mum and I to do just that with our horses.
Both are competition sport horses IDxTB and mine full TB. We brought them in, tidied them up, tacked up, hopped on (would have to hack to the school) and off we went for a hack (may I just add that they have been with us years so not uncommon for us or them and have a partnership).
They just go off as if they were in full work, all buttons, aids and manners just as we left them. Musing over it tonight I said how lucky we are to have such horses that don't bat an eyelid but yet can take out eventing etc.
Just interested in your response as know of quite a few you couldn't leave for 2 days!!

Both my previous I could my boy I can but he is coming back into work so need to go slow.

 

[Arniebear]

My 5 just turned 6 yr old had 9 months off due to injury and i just hopped straight back on and hacked out! Its only now 4 months back into work that he has started pratting about and only really in the arena as i have upped his work load and he clearly disagrees that he should have to carry himself correctly!!

 

[Jnhuk]

Both my grey boys are absolutely fine. My youngster who is just getting backed maybe not initially as I have been advised that I may need to lunge him a little if I don't do anything with him as he is being quite girthy and still reacting to saddle after a few days without it.

 

[niko]

I'm loving reading about all your horses. Some very relevant points about upbringing, bond etc. My boy is an ex p2p'er too. I have only had him a few years and has

 

[niko]

Silly phone! Proved he is worth his weight in gold. As was posted about them not being as 'sparky' as those counterparts in full work, I tend to disagree. They aren't novice rides, they will spook&want to go forward, but I think the vital part is that they won't (touches wood so far) lift their feet off the floor to buck or rear even when bullocks are running at us, other dogs, trailers etc.
it makes horse ownership so rewarding when you and they have the trust in each other to be able to do that.

 

[Kikke]

Could do with my welsh cob mare, she would be fine albeit a bit lazy. she just gets less and less forward the longer you leave her (not just fitness, happens even after a week)
Would not try with with our Belgian draft. He is a lovely boy but very forward in general and would be a bit reluctant as he would probably just want to go for a good old run!

 

[sasquatch]

Haven't tried it with my boy, don't know if I'd want to!

He gets very very excited and then gets strong and spooky, but to be fair he's generally not too bad and would probably be fine to be left if he was left in the field, however I don't think you'd get a saddle to fit, just looking at grass makes him expand!

 

[pennyturner]

I've yet to have a horse I can't do this with, including the current 11. Applies to driving too, as I break all of them to drive, but there's been times when I haven't driven a horse for a year (or more), but then pull it out, strap it in and expect it to trot down the road like it was yesterday. There's usually 100yds or so of iffy steering and hesitation before they remember and puff up with pride at being told they're 'clever'.

Being out 24/7 has a lot to do with it. A couple turn into monsters on the rare occasion that they're kept in overnight!

 

[Polos Mum]

Being out 24/7 has a lot to do with it. A couple turn into monsters on the rare occasion that they're kept in overnight!

This I totally agree with, I'd much rather get on my boy if he'd had 3 months off in the field than ride him after 24 hours in a stable - that would be taking my life in my hands !!