Should I look for a sharer or give him a holiday?

[icyfreya]

Sorry this is slightly long, but I really need advice
Well, my horseyy has been in very light work since the beginning of december (basically ridden 1x a week, usually a 30/40 min school session or hack, and then lunged 1x a week).

I hadn't really noticed how bad things were getting (as in how little work i was giving him), but today he was super fresh and full of it so thought i'd check through my diary to see how much i've been riding and was shocked at how little! He is in at night and out from 7am til 4pm, but I don't think he's giving himself that much exercise, just stands around in the mud...
The problem is that i'm in the last year of my A levels, have school mon-fri and don't have lights, so riding in the week is really hard atm as it's dark, and i've also been diagnosed with a complicated pelvis injury (non horse related!) which is really painful when i ride...so haven't really been able to ride even though its the hols

I've only had him since Sept, but for the past 3 months i've been riding for an hour 4 times a week, and then lunging/freeschooling once or twice, so he was having a reasonable amount of work. He is a TBx (although very sane bless him ), but i think this lack of work is making him hot up etc as now he is very spooky/flightly/fresh etc, and as he is my first horse, sometimes this knocks my confidence a bit! I have A2 exams in 2/3 weeks and with this pelvis injury really don't think im going to be able to ride properly for at least the time being...

Sooo I guess what i'm asking is, am I better to give him the next 3/4+ weeks off and then bring him back when i have more time (although as he's my first horse I've never brought a horse back into work before, so not sure how to go about it/how he will behave?)....OR I can keep him ticking over with stuff on the ground, eg lunging/freeschooling/hacking out in hand several times a week, so that when I start riding again he hasn't done nothing for a month....OR option 3, find a sharer? although this will have to be a more long term thing? can you find a sharer for 3 months or does everyone want it to be like a year?

Really I just need someone to exercise him for me, but im not at a livery yard with staff (it's totally diy), and i don't know anyone who has the time to ride him for me, and I don't have the money to pay someone to ride him for me! I'm sure i could find a sharer for him, as not looking for financial help, and he is a lovely boy, very well schooled...but its just the long termness of it, as when it's lighter & im recovered from this injury i won't need one.

Feeling a bit confused...what do I do? Umm chocolate cheesecake for any advice peeps Thanks for reading! also happy new year everyone! xx

 

[xspiralx]

I would look for someone to exercise him for free, although its a tricky time of year particularly as it will only be for the worst part of the year.

With regards to the length of time, I presume you'll have exams in the summer too? And have you thought what you're going to do with him when (if?) you go to university?

I would imagine that you're going to be fairly busy with revision and exams at least until the summer when your exams are over so you could look for a sharer for a good 6 months or so which would be a decent length of time.

However it won't do him any harm just to do light work over winter. Can you cut down his hard feed at all so that he's less energetic? Or even just give him 5/10 minutes of lunging before you ride to take the edge off?

 

[icyfreya]

He's only on alfa a oil & a handful of conditioning cubes (which is the best compromise between low energy but high condition as he drops weight easily)...i also give him a lot less atm than when i was riding more...think it's just the tb in him has loads of energy!
I've tried lunging him before i ride, but even if he has a good buck and leap on the lunge, i've still found he's very fresh when i get on...hmm yeah you're right, i will have summer exams & be revising etc, so a sharer until june/july might be a viable option...i guess im just not sure about sharing him, he is my new baby after all

with uni, i don't know! haven't thought about it yet, but im having a horsey gap year first so that we can focus on training & competing etc for a year (haven't applied to uni yet)
In an ideal world i'd be at a bigger yard with yard staff who could exercise him for me & a horse walker so he could have that too...i think he's the type who's saner the more he's worked. but sadly finances dictate, and there aren't any yards like that near me anyway

What's the worst that could happen if I turn him away for a month or 2? Could he be really different in behaviour to bring back into work?

 

[xspiralx]

Probably nothing will happen if you turn him away.

I ride a lot of thoroughbred types, often who haven't been sat on for a number of weeks, and I can't say they are very much different just to get straight back on and do something with. A bit fresher maybe but that's it.

If you're slightly nervous or novicey then I'd bring him back in by giving him a few lunging sessions and give him a fairly decent one before you ride again for the first time - or have your instructor sit on first!

But genuinely I've never found turning away for a month or two does any harm whatsoever - often the opposite.