Riding a sharp horse without lunging after a week or more off...

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Erehwemos

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I'm wondering whether I am alone in this? I have never seen the need to lunge in order to get a horse's back down before riding, but quite a few people I have spoken to seem to think I am nuts! I'll never forget how stunned my show junping instructor was one year - Ellie had been turned away at his farm for a month or so, and when I decided one day to get her in and take her for a small hack (having not ridden for several weeks) he was shocked that I didnt feel the need to lunge her, or at least to take her in the school to 'get the buzz out' before hacking. It was something he always did with his horses, and I never really understood why.
Then this morning a lady at the yard asked if weekends were the only time I got to ride, which at the moment they are, and she was then really surprised that I was happy to get on and just go for a ride this morning, when Ellie has been out at grass all week. She asked if Ellie was a really calm ride - which she absolutely is not! - and was very surprised when I said she wasnt, and that I just know all her quirks and am not scared by any of them, even when she is fresh.
I guess this is the key - we've been together so long that I do know her inside out, and nothing she can do will ever frighten me!
I just wondered how other people feel about riding out after a period of time off work? Does it bother you that the horse could be fresh? Do you think it depends on how well you know the horse, or is it down to bravery/stupidity on the rider's part? Maybe some people actually think that it is foolish to ride out on a fresh horse?

All thoughts welcome, I am curious!
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its got nothibng to do with brvery and stupidity, it is as you say, how well you know the horse. No horse I ever owned had the brain of a goldfish, they always know their feedbucket, even though they dont see it all summer -so they dont forget thier saddle or what its for either
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- what would very is the amount of work I would do, it just needs to be proportional to the fitness of the horse - you carry on!!
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My mare, luckily, is sensible most of the time
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I could leave her for weeks if I had to, and get on and ride out no problem.
She may be spooky and silly for the first ride alone but I can tell what she is thinking and pretty much know how she reacts to things...most of the time
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slightly different but I knew two horses who'd been turned away for nearly 2 months, shoes off, the works. Brought in one morning, brushed, put in the carriage and did a wedding! lol Behaved impeccably, taken out, given some grub and went back out for another 2months! lol Totally legendary horses!

Not sure I'd hack out most horses after time off but I think the majority are save to get on without lunging before, unless you suspect they've done something hooning round the field! lol
 
When I brought Lucky, the person I brought her from said she was sharp, and wasnt the type you can leave for a while between working without lunging. She IS sharp, but I have given her 10days off before and climbed on her without lunging, and she has been fine
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You just have to be sensitive about how you go about it... watching their reaction when tacking up, sitting uietly when you get on for a bit etc
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Lucky is a 4yr old mainly TB mare
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I do lunge Milly in the winter, because i don't get to ride her in the week in winter and she can be a bit hyper to start with... but in summer when she is on 24/7 turnout and ridden or lunged most days i don't bother. It isn't set in stone and if i was in a huge hurry i wouldnt bother but i just prefer to at the moment while she is still coming back in to work and we don't 100% know each other yet! I have never bothered to lunge any of my previous horses though, i think it's just where Milly is so much bigger and so different to any other horse i've owned it gives me peace of mind!
 
I often don't get to ride during the week, and certainly not at the moment and I think, as others have said- it's about knowing your horse.

I don't have a school so at the moment lunging/ schooling is out as the ground's too wet and my lad can be quite fresh and full of himself but he's never naughty or dangerous in any way.

If I've had a spell not riding, he will sometimes jog or just be absolutely full steam ahead and try to jolly any horses we're with into a race, but he settles after ten minutes or so. When i first got him 3 years ago, (middle of winter!) it could be quite unnerving but I soon realised that he does settle down quite quickly and I do trust him- I normally end up laughing at him now, which probably doesn't help as he then thinks its all good fun.
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Ive always just hopped on? The chestnut mare in my siggy is a bucker and had a few months off this summer, I hopped on and had a lovely bareback hack first time back!
 
Depends on the horse. My Gypsy is quirky but I can leave him for a couple of weeks and climb on and off we go.
But a little coloured we have at work is very cold backed. He has been off for the last 6 weeks as he has had a weird skin problem. He was lunged today for the first time back in his tack just to see how backy he was and he was fine so will be ridden tomorrow.
 
I wouldn't feel the need to lunge either. We usually have quite a lively hack after he's had a short break, but my horse is never nasty - just a bit over enthusiastic sometimes
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I wouldn't ride the tb after a few months off. But my other one can be rather naughty at times infact often naughtier than the thoroughbred! However i've had him for nearly 7 years, i know him inside out and almost know when hes going to do something before he does! So i would and have done in the past happily ride him out after a few months off.
 
I wouldn't lunge Geni before I went hacking. She can be a real madame at times even if she hasn't had time off!! If I havent ridden her for a few weeks I just treat her as I would normally, tack up and go. She may be a bit more joggy than usual, but I know her. She is my baby and she just gets over excited, and loves going out. xx
 
| rarely hack my horse out as he is a spooky twit and I simply dont enjoy it. He isnt 'sharp' spooky but just silly. Ill happily hop on him after a week or two off without lunging but after 5 weeks box rest last december i let him have a hooly round the field before |I got on him as he was wired to the moon.I doubt i would have been able to lunge him as he was so fresh the vet was scared to trot him up lol (he was like a kite as soon as i led him out of box lol)
 
some sharp horses i lunge before riding after a break, some i don't.

totally depends on the horse- it doesn't make you mental or brilliant to ride a sharp horse without lunging it; in fact a lot of sharp horses get wound up by being lunged
 
well.....today I got straight on and hacked my cob mare who hasn't been sat on for 6 weeks!! she is strong but I know her so she doesn't worry me. I used to lunge my D gelding when he was fresh, purely because he was a bit of an unknown to me and not long broken and it worked for him - I think you have to do what is right for you and your horse and ignore any one who says what you are doing is wrong!!
 
It does just depend on the horse, IMHO.

As Millitiger says above, lunging just winds some horses up - I have a sharp mare and I would NEVER lunge her before I got on her as she gets so excited, time off or not. Also I wouldn't lunge her after time off, as she'd go nuts and probably do herself an injury.

I gave her last winter off and sought advice from people on here as to the best way to bring her back into work - the best advice I got was to get straight on and go out for a hack. While my mare is a fizzy idiot she does have enough brain cells to know not to hooley on the road and while our early hacks were a bit spooky and 'bouncy' she soon settled down. I think in future getting straight out onto quiet roads would be my preferred way of dealing with a fresh horse although might not work if your horse is daft in traffic.
 
i've never ever felt the need to do it til i got my 4 year old. he's a bit 'backy' and can be very tense when you first get on him and he can also buck like nothing i've ever sat on before(he was a nightmare to back!)
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When he was first being ridden he was lunged for 5 minutes before getting on- to warm up his muscles and then he was much less tense when i got on. gradually i've got to the point of not having to do this but i still need to be VERY quiet when getting on and i often equissage him before getting on. however, if he's had a few days off then i will lunge him- more for his sake than mine as sure its not nice for him when i get on and his back is tense....will have to do this tomorro coz he's had 10 days off
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I don't have to lunge PF after a week off, even though she's by definition 'hot'. I'd also lunge Antifaz, but mainly because I know he'll just p!ss around for 10 minutes and I'd rather get it over with sooner rather than later
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I wouldn't get on any of the YO's horses after 2 days off without lunging them first. I'd rather be safe than sorry and I've been sorry before!!!
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Most horses I know are absolutly fine to be dragged out of the field after 6weeks off, tacked up and off you go.

However I know a couple of horses (and I have one) who it would be a deathwish. They are too sharp and spooky to be safe to get on without some kind of work before hand, to get them back into the 'work' frame of mind. That doesn't mean lunging though - for my boy going for a hack in hand for the first couple of days if the best thing for him. Lunging would just make him worse.
 
I think it depends on the horse and how well you know it, mine is more on her toes when I havent ridden for a week or so but not bad enough that I would want to lunge her first.x
 
Depends on the horse!

One of mine i can leave for months then hop on her and she is fine!

But the other one i would definitely lunge. She is a bit cold backed too which doesn't help!
 
Bear had nearly 2 months off as I had problems getting a farrier. The day after he had shoes put back on I hacked him out!
Schooled him twice that week and then went and done our 1st dressage (prelim 7) and came 6th out of 12
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