riding after a year off - what does the horse feel like?

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Jericho

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My vet has said although my 13 yr old horse will never be 100% sound as he has problems caused by flat feet, previous collapsed heels and various bilateral lameness issues he would be fine as a light hack and I have decided to put him out on loan as that as I just dont have time to ride 2 horses and he is very bored in the field after a year off doing nothing, sorting his feet out.

I rode him for the first time in a year today after lunging him in walk and trot for a few minutes and he was as good as gold but felt terrible - really wobbly, stiff and awkward and unsteady and I just wanted to know if this would be expected after a year off? I kind of expected him to be stiff and unbalanced because of riders weight but other than that I dont know whether to feel slightly disappointed that he should have felt better. He looked fine in walk on the lunge and in trot although unbalanced was even and steady and when he is looning around the field he looks fine.

He also was chucking his head around lots (although lots of flies around) and really messing about with the bit in his mouth (which I expected there to be some mouthing as again he hasnt had a bit in for a year!)- would this be normal?

Can anyone with experience of bringing horses back into work tell me what an unfit, unridden horse would feel like please??? (although I guess all horses would be different!)

many thanks
 
The horse I have started riding has been off for a long time too and he's just getting there now - it's almost like he is green again.

keep riding as normal and remember he hasn't used his muscles or worked properly in a while ie an outline, its only fair to give him time and a kind hand :-)

Good luck
 
Yup - wobbly, stiff etc are all par for the course. Be gentle bringing him back into work, but that doesn't mean you can't gently ask him to stretch down and flex a little.
 
My mare was on box rest/confinement for 14 months (the final 3 months were ridden but confined to stable). She was brought back into work slowly,handwalking her round the block, rather like taking a big dog for a walk. I built this up and then rode the same route. She did feel stiff and a bit unbalanced but we only did 20 mins at a time for about 2 weeks then added on a bit more until we are now up to 1half hous. Still in walk but a little trot introduced very gradually and only up hill as advised by the vet. She threw her head up and down quite a bit at first when the ridden time went up and I put this down to a bit of an aching back and using muscles she hadnt used for a while. I had the Physio out to her and shes had Equissage treatment. Physio said she was just stiff and to keep up the work as she would strengthen over time. Since being turned out now the last 2 months the head tossing has decreased loads and shes doing great. We do a lot of up and down hill work so her general fitness has increased really well. We havent done much in the school, just straight line hacking. The schools are too deep and dusty at the mo, pretty much like sand dunes.

Just take it nice and steady with your horse and it should all come good.
 
How long have you building up his work / fitness levels before starting to ride him - just the few minutes or for several weeks?

If the former then yes, he will feel stiff, awkward and unsteady. Tomorrow he'll probably feel even stiffer as well.
 
Totally normal. He'll have lost pretty much all of his muscle tone over the past year, particularly those muscles that he hasn't used at all- the ones he uses to carry a rider.

I'd suggest doing some lunging (gently!) for a while- with ours we just use a cavesson and focus on getting them to go slowly whilst working over their backs. This helps to build up their topline before introducing a rider. Also, as others have said, gentle hill work. Keep all his work to a nice slow tempo, which will also help him to build up his topline and gradually carry more weight behind. You may need to keep a relatively light contact as well, as he'll probably need his head to rebalance himself due to the muscle wastage. It'll probably take a few months to get him back to a decent level of fitness.

It's easiest to try and relate what he's feeling to something equivalent in humans- i.e. if you'd had a year of almost no physical exercise, and then decided to put on a big (fairly heavy) walking backpack and go for a walk/jog around the park. Personally I'd be knackered!

Baby steps!
 
I wouldn't start him on a lunge, or be doing any trotting for a while. Long Reining would be good though.

When I have started getting horses back into work, who have had very long periods off I do tonnes of walking out, in straight lines, gradually building them up. Start off by just going out for 15 mins, and increase it over a week or two to 30 mins. Regular 30 - 45 minute walking out sessions will do him the world of good.

If you have any hills, introduce those in the 3rd week. By the 3rd or 4th week, he'll probably be up for some short burts of trot, light schooling, and lunging. Lunging in really big circles, using the whole width of the school is the best way to start them off with.

Be careful about the ground conditions, and in view of his previous problems, I wouldn't trot on stony or hard, uneven ground.

I would say by week 6 he'll feel much more balanced and comfy. Then if you need to concentrate on specifics like balance, he'll be strong enough to have a lesson on, and to start on pessoa work which will start to build up his top line nicely.
 
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