Iberian girl
Active Member
Help please. I'm fretting about what regimen (fitness/diet) my new horse should be on - bear with me:
9yo PRE, imported 18 mths ago, bought by me 1mth ago. I believe that for at least the last year he has been ridden 30-60 mins most days for schooling with a little light hacking. Similar for the month I've had him - especially as I didn't want to work him too hard while he was settling in. I've added lunging instead of riding some days too.
Food wise, for first couple of weeks with me he was on 2 x scoop nuts + chaff + lots of haylage and was stabled. At end of 2 weeks he was getting more, not less, unsettled which I put down to most of the other horses in the yard being turned out for the first time this year and him being bored. So, although I'm paying for stable livery, I asked for him to be turned out. He's settled down, made friends in the field and seems a lot happier. As he's got access to decent grass most of the day and night (just a couple of hours not when he's in for grooming/exercise/cool down) we stopped all extra feed and said we'd see how he did. Not much time to tell I know but he doesn't appear to be losing/gaining weight or coat condition as yet.
So far so good. However, we went on a hack on Tuesday and although he was really genuine and kept up with the other - bigger - horse we were with, he began to blow hard very quickly on a uphill trot (so we returned to walk) when the other horse we were with hadn't batted an eyelid yet. Plus, once back in the yard, when I dismounted, he seemed shattered - stuck his neck right out, seemed to slump and needed a bit of persuading to move just to walk into his stable. However, it was 18 degrees, we'd been out 90 mins and apart from under his girth (which is new and I don't like it as it feels plasticky to me) he hadn't sweated up so had he really worked that hard?
When we school, he can be a touch lazy and need lots of leg even at the start of a session (that's when he's not being a prat about shying from the water tank or the pigeons or whatever). When hacking out, he didn't need much leg even at the end but we were following the entire way.
I want to be able to do decent length hacks (3 hours say) with him as there's some great country round us plus I'd like him to be forward going when schooling but I don't want to over-heat him and find it adds to his not insignificant tendency to be a prat occasionally and try to bolt back to the stable.
So - hideously unfit, needing a change of diet or having me on a bit (or combination of the above)? and suggestions to solve please!
9yo PRE, imported 18 mths ago, bought by me 1mth ago. I believe that for at least the last year he has been ridden 30-60 mins most days for schooling with a little light hacking. Similar for the month I've had him - especially as I didn't want to work him too hard while he was settling in. I've added lunging instead of riding some days too.
Food wise, for first couple of weeks with me he was on 2 x scoop nuts + chaff + lots of haylage and was stabled. At end of 2 weeks he was getting more, not less, unsettled which I put down to most of the other horses in the yard being turned out for the first time this year and him being bored. So, although I'm paying for stable livery, I asked for him to be turned out. He's settled down, made friends in the field and seems a lot happier. As he's got access to decent grass most of the day and night (just a couple of hours not when he's in for grooming/exercise/cool down) we stopped all extra feed and said we'd see how he did. Not much time to tell I know but he doesn't appear to be losing/gaining weight or coat condition as yet.
So far so good. However, we went on a hack on Tuesday and although he was really genuine and kept up with the other - bigger - horse we were with, he began to blow hard very quickly on a uphill trot (so we returned to walk) when the other horse we were with hadn't batted an eyelid yet. Plus, once back in the yard, when I dismounted, he seemed shattered - stuck his neck right out, seemed to slump and needed a bit of persuading to move just to walk into his stable. However, it was 18 degrees, we'd been out 90 mins and apart from under his girth (which is new and I don't like it as it feels plasticky to me) he hadn't sweated up so had he really worked that hard?
When we school, he can be a touch lazy and need lots of leg even at the start of a session (that's when he's not being a prat about shying from the water tank or the pigeons or whatever). When hacking out, he didn't need much leg even at the end but we were following the entire way.
I want to be able to do decent length hacks (3 hours say) with him as there's some great country round us plus I'd like him to be forward going when schooling but I don't want to over-heat him and find it adds to his not insignificant tendency to be a prat occasionally and try to bolt back to the stable.
So - hideously unfit, needing a change of diet or having me on a bit (or combination of the above)? and suggestions to solve please!