pinklilly
Well-Known Member
I was just wanting to know peoples opinions on roadwork, whether it's still thought of as strictly necessary. When my vet advised on rehab programme for my horse he said walking in the school would be fine rather than going on the roads.
Now I was always brought up with the methods of getting horses slowly fit by walking and then trotting on the roads. When i was at school I rode out for a point to point yard and worked there for a season before going to be a working pupil to do BHS exams, and we did hours and hours of walking and trotting before we started any canter work.
I've always followed similar fitness plans for the hunt horses I have looked after, some of these horses have had previous tendon injuries in their previous careers as p2pers and I have known plenty hunt horses that have gone on year after year, still hunting in their late teens / early twenties. Hunt staff horses work hard.
The yards I have worked on in later years with p2pers seem to do more fast work, more work on surfaces and less roadwork or none at all on one yard but the horses seem more prone to ligament / tendon damage.
I was just pondering if it's still so important to do the roadwork or maybe it's just not so convenient these days with roads being so busy, people having less time and the availability of artificial surfaces.
Now I was always brought up with the methods of getting horses slowly fit by walking and then trotting on the roads. When i was at school I rode out for a point to point yard and worked there for a season before going to be a working pupil to do BHS exams, and we did hours and hours of walking and trotting before we started any canter work.
I've always followed similar fitness plans for the hunt horses I have looked after, some of these horses have had previous tendon injuries in their previous careers as p2pers and I have known plenty hunt horses that have gone on year after year, still hunting in their late teens / early twenties. Hunt staff horses work hard.
The yards I have worked on in later years with p2pers seem to do more fast work, more work on surfaces and less roadwork or none at all on one yard but the horses seem more prone to ligament / tendon damage.
I was just pondering if it's still so important to do the roadwork or maybe it's just not so convenient these days with roads being so busy, people having less time and the availability of artificial surfaces.
