How quickly do horses lose fitness?

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MuddyMonster

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The question is in title really ... :D

If I was to give a horse a break to lose some fitness, how long would that break roughly need to be?
 
Several weeks I think. Humans loose fitness after 2 weeks. There was a report in H & H about a study in Australia with TB racehorses, I can't remember the full details, but it was a surprisingly long time before lack of exercise, made a difference in horses that had been brought up to a certain level of fitness. I think some were out at pasture, they retained the fitness for longest, some were stabled/out and some stabled - logically it was the stabled ones who lost fitness first.

If you think about it, it is the getting a horse fit that is the hard work. Once they have reached the level you need for whatever you are doing, whether hacking or doing competitions, just going out once a week or so to a competition is enough to keep them at that level and you don't have to put in the long, long hours of exercising unless you are trying to achieve a higher level.

I do recall reading about endurance horses in America that once they were competiting at a certain high level, are scarcely ridden between competitions. If you think in this country about hunters not being able to hunt for 2 weeks because of frost and snow, don't come to any harm when getting back to work.

I am sure there are studies about it and other people will know more than me.
 
I was wondering similar recently actually after my horse having had a few weeks off. I'm pretty sure there is a bit in this weeks H&H about it. Just flicking through one at work this morning, there was an article on vet tips to get horses fit or something and covered this.
 
Orangehorse said:
Several weeks I think. Humans loose fitness after 2 weeks. There was a report in H & H about a study in Australia with TB racehorses, I can't remember the full details, but it was a surprisingly long time before lack of exercise, made a difference in horses that had been brought up to a certain level of fitness. I think some were out at pasture, they retained the fitness for longest, some were stabled/out and some stabled - logically it was the stabled ones who lost fitness first.

If you think about it, it is the getting a horse fit that is the hard work. Once they have reached the level you need for whatever you are doing, whether hacking or doing competitions, just going out once a week or so to a competition is enough to keep them at that level and you don't have to put in the long, long hours of exercising unless you are trying to achieve a higher level.

I do recall reading about endurance horses in America that once they were competiting at a certain high level, are scarcely ridden between competitions. If you think in this country about hunters not being able to hunt for 2 weeks because of frost and snow, don't come to any harm when getting back to work.

I am sure there are studies about it and other people will know more than me.
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Thanks, for the input.

I actually think my boy is too fit for me at the moment & combined with the grass coming through, is causing issues.

He's had the vet, physiotherapist & saddle fitter recently & all have commented how 'well' he is after a winter of riding most evenings - normally he does very little in the winter & he's huffing & puffing at this time of year!

I'm thinking of winding him down & giving him a few weeks off - I've no inclination to ride him as he at the moment, but don't want to get on him in a month's time if he's still fit but just had a month off :D
 
I find it massively depends on the type too. A tb type seems to stay fitter longer than a middle or heavyweight. My ish can go from fit to unfit in no time!
 
Orangehorse said:
Several weeks I think. Humans loose fitness after 2 weeks. There was a report in H & H about a study in Australia with TB racehorses, I can't remember the full details, but it was a surprisingly long time before lack of exercise, made a difference in horses that had been brought up to a certain level of fitness. I think some were out at pasture, they retained the fitness for longest, some were stabled/out and some stabled - logically it was the stabled ones who lost fitness first.

If you think about it, it is the getting a horse fit that is the hard work. Once they have reached the level you need for whatever you are doing, whether hacking or doing competitions, just going out once a week or so to a competition is enough to keep them at that level and you don't have to put in the long, long hours of exercising unless you are trying to achieve a higher level.

I do recall reading about endurance horses in America that once they were competiting at a certain high level, are scarcely ridden between competitions. If you think in this country about hunters not being able to hunt for 2 weeks because of frost and snow, don't come to any harm when getting back to work.

I am sure there are studies about it and other people will know more than me.
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It was the other way round I'm sure. Horses that were turfed out in the field started losing fitness after 10-14 days as they relaxed more. Horses that were stabled but on the horse walker every day didn't lose any significant fitness for 2-3 weeks. Horses that were stabled completely took longer again.
 
I thought I saw a study that showed that competition fit horses left in a large field didn't lose "significant" fitness for quite a few weeks. Need to find the article; was in the vet records a few years back. I THINK (!!! My memory seems unreliable lately). Certainly my own can go several weeks on their 40 acres, and then train up for the same level of competition within about 10 days. Mu super fit hunter, however, was turned away (on 40 acres) due to a little viral infection that made him a bit unwell (but not particularly ill). He lost muscle mass within 10 days, presumably because he just plodded everywhere even though he looked perfectly healthy and happy. That took a bit longer to "fix" once he felt better.
 
Quite a number of variables to be honest.

-How fit the horse really is/was at when in work (this itself can be a minefield as one persons heavy work is another's light work)
-Type of work horse was in - endurance, dressage, eventing etc
-Type of horse
-Age
-Diet
 
BethanT said:
Quite a number of variables to be honest.

-How fit the horse really is/was at when in work (this itself can be a minefield as one persons heavy work is another's light work)
-Type of work horse was in - endurance, dressage, eventing etc
-Type of horse
-Age
-Diet
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There is no definitive answer, I will add to the list above, turnout, whether it is daily in a tiny paddock with loads of grass so hardly moves in which case it will drop more fitness than one turned out with an active group in a big field with less grass so they are moving about constantly.
If you want a horse to drop fitness and be calmer the second turnout will be better from the point of view of getting back onto a relaxed horse, often it has very little to do with actual fitness causing a sharp horse and more to do with them being wound up from being restricted too much in some way so letting them really be a horse should give more benefit and pick a nice warm evening to get back on for the first time when they are relaxed from having the sun on them all day.
 
be positive said:
There is no definitive answer, I will add to the list above, turnout, whether it is daily in a tiny paddock with loads of grass so hardly moves in which case it will drop more fitness than one turned out with an active group in a big field with less grass so they are moving about constantly.
If you want a horse to drop fitness and be calmer the second turnout will be better from the point of view of getting back onto a relaxed horse, often it has very little to do with actual fitness causing a sharp horse and more to do with them being wound up from being restricted too much in some way so letting them really be a horse should give more benefit and pick a nice warm evening to get back on for the first time when they are relaxed from having the sun on them all day.
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Agree with this, and I wanted to say it but was cautious I couldn't word it like be positive!

I generally find the easiest horses to rider are those that are fit and in a routine.

Even things like being turned out alone, with one other, two others or a proper heard can make a huge difference.

My boy got really "depressed" when he got moved out of his massive field with all his buddies, to another smaller field with two ponies that he was already out with. He spent all day pining at the hedge line for his mates. I know this doesn't answer the OP's initial question, but if he had done that for any period of time he would have lost fitness, and actually he became really sluggish in his work. So the opposite could happen and make the OP's horse quite sharp if he is not happy with his turnout arrangement.
 
Honey08 said:
I find it massively depends on the type too. A tb type seems to stay fitter longer than a middle or heavyweight. My ish can go from fit to unfit in no time!
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Yes of course, I should have mentioned that. A TB or other horse with a work ethic that puts in a lot of effort and likes to be on the move will obviously be easier to get and keep fit than a lazy type horse who is content to eat all day, and not gallop round for fun.
 
Just to clarify he's turned out from 7am to 6pm in a herd of approximately 15-20 other horses. He's unshod, unrugged & definitely gets to be a horse :)
 
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BethanT said:
Agree with this, and I wanted to say it but was cautious I couldn't word it like be positive!

I generally find the easiest horses to rider are those that are fit and in a routine.

Even things like being turned out alone, with one other, two others or a proper heard can make a huge difference.

My boy got really "depressed" when he got moved out of his massive field with all his buddies, to another smaller field with two ponies that he was already out with. He spent all day pining at the hedge line for his mates. I know this doesn't answer the OP's initial question, but if he had done that for any period of time he would have lost fitness, and actually he became really sluggish in his work. So the opposite could happen and make the OP's horse quite sharp if he is not happy with his turnout arrangement.
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This TBH I find my horse much easier to deal with and much more enjoyable to ride when they are in regular work, fit, regularly handled and have a job to do, whether that be hacking or competition. Mine is on individual daytime turnout as that’s what works best for her.
I’m not sure what the exact problem is that you think it is too fit for but I’m not sure going down the road of keeping a horse unfit so you can handle them is the one I’d be following. What do you intend to do with the horse work wise once it has lost their fitness? Is that work suitable for a horse not fit? Will it then increase its fitness again after the 2weeks-month off?
 
He *is* regularly handled & this won't change. Whether he's fit or not, he's sensitive, but easy to handle on the ground - my OH can lead him, bring him in & groom & he's not horsey.

He's usually just kept ticking over during winter - I work full time so not much time to much else, even before you take into account the British weather! Whilst he usually gets a little silly at this time of year due solely to Spring grass, he's also not usually as fit which makes him easier to ride (due to unforeseen circumstances this winter he's been in work all winter). He won't be in full work again next winter - it was a one off, because needs dicated it this winter.

I'm not talking about roughing him off and not touching him for 12 months, but was toying with the idea of letting him drop fitness to counteract the grass & re-pick him later on in the year once the initial Spring effects have worn off - which they always do.

He's a pleasure horse - so generally used for hacking, clinics, lessons & some conpetitions if and when I can be bothered with the palava of getting us both smart! Which he's done happily the last few years I've owned him.
 
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Can you work him harder? Lunge him? Turn out overnight?

My fit TB lost his head last week with the combo of spring grass + fitness, so I've upped his workload (a million more transitions, more canter work), lunge him to take the edge off before I ride/put him on the walker before I get on. We also put him out at night for a few days, and that's knackered him out!

Hopefully you'll only have another couple of weeks of it!
 
If you don't feel like riding him then don't! No law says you need to sit on an unexploded bomb :D

I think the effects of the spring grass will pass more quickly than he will lose significant fitness however, I reckon on around 6 weeks before my moderately fit out on a steepish hill 24/7 arab loses any significant aerobic fitness (muscle mass a bit quicker) and it would probably be 3 months before he was totally unfit. Either way it doesn't matter if your horse becomes more amenable because the spring flush has passed or because he has lost fitness the result will be the same :)
 
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