Return to work - consistency vs. rest days, what's your strategy

[supsup]

My gelding is currently having a lengthy time off (6 months). I intend to slowly bring him back into work this spring. Reading various tips on getting horses fit, I've come across advice that seems to be contradictory, and I wonder what you all make of it.

On the one hand, there's the advice to start slow and gradually increase work (e.g. hack for X minutes per day in walk, then gradually increase the duration). I can see how this day-to-day consistency and gradual increase would be helpful.

On the other hand, there is the advice that horses should be trained alternating "work days" with "rest days" because muscle is actually built when the horse is resting, and a horse needs more than 24 hours between training sessions to allow for this.

So, which way is more effective? The first approach would get twice as many sessions in as the first one, so would you expect the horse to get fit faster? Or are you going to overtrain/sour your horse that way? I suspect the "right" answer probably depends in part on the level of work the horse is doing, as with option 2, "work days" could be schooling days, while "rest days" are quieter hacking days, i.e. a "rest day" does not necessarily mean no work at all, just less work than on a "work day".

So, given that I'll be starting from pretty much zero (other than 24/7 turnout), do you think consistency is more important than alternating days, or vice versa? In the ten years I've had my gelding, he's never been out of work for more than two weeks, so this is new territory for me.

 

[Auslander]

My gelding is currently having a lengthy time off (6 months). I intend to slowly bring him back into work this spring. Reading various tips on getting horses fit, I've come across advice that seems to be contradictory, and I wonder what you all make of it.

On the one hand, there's the advice to start slow and gradually increase work (e.g. hack for X minutes per day in walk, then gradually increase the duration). I can see how this day-to-day consistency and gradual increase would be helpful.

On the other hand, there is the advice that horses should be trained alternating "work days" with "rest days" because muscle is actually built when the horse is resting, and a horse needs more than 24 hours between training sessions to allow for this.

So, which way is more effective? The first approach would get twice as many sessions in as the first one, so would you expect the horse to get fit faster? Or are you going to overtrain/sour your horse that way? I suspect the "right" answer probably depends in part on the level of work the horse is doing, as with option 2, "work days" could be schooling days, while "rest days" are quieter hacking days, i.e. a "rest day" does not necessarily mean no work at all, just less work than on a "work day".

So, given that I'll be starting from pretty much zero (other than 24/7 turnout), do you think consistency is more important than alternating days, or vice versa? In the ten years I've had my gelding, he's never been out of work for more than two weeks, so this is new territory for me.

I'd say that the alternate day option relates to schooling/fast work, rather than the initial walk hacking. I try to do every day for the 6 weeks walking period.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I'd say, unhelpfully, that it depends on the horse.

I would normally be a rest day between harder working day kind of person because that's how I train best myself when I'm running! If I go out everyday I just get tired and annoyed. But my current horse tied up after 2 days off this autumn so we have had our hand forced into daily, lower level, slowly building work and that is what is working for her. No more tie ups and work and fitness improving, albeit slowly. and generally a much happier horse in her work because it's just a given that she works every day so she's not pontificating that maybe today could be a standing around with a haynet kind of day instead please?. She's a heavier type horse as well and I think daily work is good for them, the weight has certainly started creeping off too with no real change in diet.

My now retired mare was much more suited to a hard work then rest kind of fittening programme. She's an anglo-arab and gained fitness and muscle easily, I very rarely had to consider a slow build after time off she just seemed to be able to pick back up into it with very little worry. I never had her in proper hard work though so really she was just picking up light work easily then getting fit enough for medium work quickly. I think the rest days helped her and helped her not over-do it (she was never, never tired - could probably have kept going til her hooves fell off if I asked. :lol: ).

I think with an average type horse I would initially start with alternate days with proper rest days in between (assuming turnout available, a good amount of hand walking if not) and build fairly promptly into alternating harder sessions with chilled hacks and give one day off a week after the hardest session. With a heavier horse I'd lean towards a slow build and consistent daily work. This is based on nothing but my, limited, experience so to be taken with a big pinch of salt. :lol:

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I go with 6 days riding and one day off. Slow gradual build up. Usually 6-8 weeks to get fit after a holiday, but I'll do it slower after injury to avoid reinjuring.

When you've got the horse fit enough, riding ever other day is adequate. Unless the horse is unmanageable without daily work, or is stabled full time, in which case daily exercise is necessary IMO.

If the horse is really fully fit then the rest days in between the work days would be a short walk hack.