Restarting after 6 weeks off.

[Slave2Magic]

With all this frozen ground I haven't ridden for nigh on 6 weeks. How do others in this situation bring them back into work? I am planning on lunging for the first week and then starting in walk and trot ridden in the 2nd week and building up from there.

 

[pottamus]

6 weeks is not a huge time if the horse was at a reasonable fitness before...so I would just get on as normal and go for a quiet hack around the block...but my horse is steady most of the time...and does not build up sillyness and energy like some horses.

 

[Slave2Magic]

A quiet hack wouldn't happen. My mare is lively at the best of times so it would be interesting to say the least! She has been turned out every day but because of the frozen ground the horses have just been pottering around. I think a few days of lunging will be wise before a hack out.

 

[Chunkie]

Mine normally has three months off and I start riding her at the beginning of March.

She lives out all year and I bring her back into work slowly as she has an existing sacroiliac injury. this is what I do:

Wks 1 & 2 - walking, from 30 mins up to an hour,
Wks 3 & 4 - introduce gentle trotting, work up to 1/3 of ride in trot
Wks 5 & 6 - rides will be up to 1.5 hrs, start canter towards end of wk 6
Wks 7 & 8 - doing everything on hacks and will start lessons if she's ok after week 8

I ride 5 or 6 times a week from the start, and although I do stuff like leg yielding and shoulder in on my hacks from about week 4, we won't do "proper" schooling until after week 8. This is because I have to know her back injury isn't going to flare up, and if it hasn't happened by week 8, it isn't going to!