Plan for bringing horse back to work

[AlpacaTeddySJ]

Hi all!

Looking for some suggestions for bringing a horse back to work after a few months off.

Horse has been turned out 24/7 on hilly ground.

Horse is normally a jumper but I’m in no rush to get him back to jumping - rather just focus on his fitness and flat work over the winter.

And yes I understand every horse is different

Do people have a ‘usual’ schedule they use to bring them back to fitness? If so please share!

TIA

 

[sbloom]

I'm going to bang my usual drum here and say posture, posture, posture. A horse's thoracic sling nearly always drops when they are off work, the shoulders lack muscle, not just the top line, and getting straight into fittening/strengthening work without helping the horse straighten and lift in front will simply make them stronger in their crookedness. Getting this right will help long term soundness. I'm a big fan of the Balance Through Movement Method of groundwork, there are others, but this gets right down to brass tacks. The rest of the plan comes later.

 

[Jess1994PM]

Hey!
I always say think of it as you would an unfit person going to the gym - start off slowly with less work time & more rest days and build it up as he improves fitness, give him a little training plan!. you'll start to notice his fitness increasing. Lunging, walking/trotting uphill, interval training take him for some fun hacks and increase trot time over time. Would do a bit of bending work too so he can get supple and flexible again as he comes back to ridden work - if he's only been off a few months it wont take long at all to get him back fit. when we get the horses ready for fun rides/hunting season it doesn't take long for them to up their fitness. Horses usually start loosing fitness after 4ish weeks of not being in work so your not too far

 

[AlpacaTeddySJ]

I'm going to bang my usual drum here and say posture, posture, posture. A horse's thoracic sling nearly always drops when they are off work, the shoulders lack muscle, not just the top line, and getting straight into fittening/strengthening work without helping the horse straighten and lift in front will simply make them stronger in their crookedness. Getting this right will help long term soundness. I'm a big fan of the Balance Through Movement Method of groundwork, there are others, but this gets right down to brass tacks. The rest of the plan comes later.

I am a member of the Masterclass and will be doing groundwork (Miri hackett) and the pillars alongside his other work! I too have done a huge amount of reading and research whilst being off riding and have changed my perspective on horses totally!

 

[sbloom]

I am a member of the Masterclass and will be doing groundwork (Miri hackett) and the pillars alongside his other work! I too have done a huge amount of reading and research whilst being off riding and have changed my perspective on horses totally!

Brilliant!!

 

[maya2008]

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/eventing-fitness-plan-607381

There’s a guide in the link above.