Riding my lovely girl again

[Wagtail]

I never thought I would ever sit on her again. She has been a field ornament for the best part of 3 years after her devastating shoulder injury. She had bone fragments around the point of shoulder and had virtually torn the whole of her biceps brachii tendon in half. Vets thought she would not even recover enough to be paddock sound. Then she developed Cushings and had a couple of bouts of laminitis. So many times I though I would lose her. But this spring when she beat several of the other horses in a flat out gallop up the field, I decided it was time to bring her back into work. Mainly due to her Cushings and lami and needing to keep her weight down, and because she always loved working. She will never be fit enough to compete again, but I have been walking around on her and she feels very strong and solid, and 100% sound. It may be a different story when we progress to trotting. She may not cope. Who knows?

But I have a question. I have never started fittening a horse by getting straight on its back. Usually I will have done a few weeks long reining and lunging first. I didn't want to do this with her because of the strain lunging would put on her shoulder. But her breathing seems really heavy. Do you think this is just because she is totally unfit? Has anyone else experienced this with an unfit horse at walk? She has suffered from summer allergies in the past, and once this progressed to pnemonia, but she is not coughing at the moment.

 

[touchstone]

Oh that's good news Wagtail My mare was retired after she did her ddft and after two years she came sound as a pound and had been in work ever since, so I know what a great feeling it is.

I suspect that she will be very unfit after 3 years of doing nothing, but it might be worth considering that the cushings could also be playing a part and she may have to work at a much slower pace than she did previously.

Hopefully it will be the start of many years enjoyment for you both.

 

[Wagtail]

Thanks Touchtone. I will be taking it very slowly. We are walking for 10 minutes most days and will build it up to half an hour in walk over the next six weeks and stepping over poles before even thinking about trot. She will only ever be a plod now, bless her.

 

[Goldenstar]

Can you lead her from another horse ? That would be agood way of fittening without lunging I would stick to the long riening and avoid lunging As much as you can .
On her respiration rate it's likely just be lack of condition one of our hunters had a two year lay off and had alarming respiration rates at the beginning of the fitness campaign even walking up the smallest incline affected her it took four months to get her working fit .

 

[Holly Hocks]

Excellent news Wagtail - I really hope she stays good for you.

When I started riding mine after she had been in hospital for nearly three months she was breathing heavily at walk. It sounded like she was going to keel over! But once her fitness had built up, she was fine.

 

[Wagtail]

Can you lead her from another horse ? That would be agood way of fittening without lunging I would stick to the long riening and avoid lunging As much as you can .
On her respiration rate it's likely just be lack of condition one of our hunters had a two year lay off and had alarming respiration rates at the beginning of the fitness campaign even walking up the smallest incline affected her it took four months to get her working fit .

Thank you! That has eased my mind a bit about the respiration. She is bound to be extremely unfit. To think that I was worried that she might have a bucking fit when I first got on. She has been brilliant. Just walking forward well in walk and not trying to jog. I wouldn't risk leading her from another horse as her fieldmate is not being ridden at the moment and I think the little monkey would try to kick any of the others. Good idea though, if I had a suitable horse to lead her from.

 

[Wagtail]

Excellent news Wagtail - I really hope she stays good for you.

When I started riding mine after she had been in hospital for nearly three months she was breathing heavily at walk. It sounded like she was going to keel over! But once her fitness had built up, she was fine.

Thanks. Really pleased I asked the question and good to know others have experienced the same with unfit horses.