To turn away or not turn away...

[Annie&Lilly]

Just wondering what people's thoughts are.

I backed my 3 year old Warmblood x Ardennes in august, and have been doing very light ridden work a2-3 times a week, with lots of long reining and everything else thrown inbetween.

She has been trotted around a menage a few times and is happy enough, but I'm on her second saddle already!

She is 16ish hands, but still croup high, saying that, her withers have come up from nowhere and she is beggining to level out.

I'm now deliberating wether to turn her away this winter and save the cost of yet another saddle (or saddles the way she is growing!), or continue her education and not eat

Thoughts?

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Given she is still growing I would turn her away for the winter

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Turn away.

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

Turn away. Won't do any harm and will almost certainly do her good.

 

[brown tack]

Turn away and buy a lunge roller, take her out for odd walk/long rein before bringing her back into work as she may well 'pop out' in the spring.

 

[LeannePip]

Turn away!

although i turned mine away for a month shes three too as she is still growing but am moving to oxford at the end of the week so wanted to have one last ride around the woods! this turned my usually calm plod of a donkey into a speed freak! still easy to ride no mis haps although when i asked for a short canter on a sandy track expecting her to lag a little bit due to unfitness - she turned into a crazy racehorse and kept up with my YO's 17hh tb who took flight as they do! such fun love youngsters!! she thoroughly enjoyed herself after her short break - shes going back out now untill x-mas/new year does them good and is a hell of alot cheaper!!

 

[Blitzen]

I was thinking about wintering off my rising 3 gelding, but he was turned away for 4 weeks and reverted back to being bargy and rude, so that is out of the window!
Maybe just reduce her work down to long reining and groundwork, and faffing with tacking up so she doesn't forget, just to 'keep her eye in'. Depends on your girls personality I suppose, and obviously what you feel is right for her, as her 'Mum'. lol.
My boy is coming out of the terrible twos, so he's going to be long reining once a week or so, as he can be a livewire (typical, late cut, boy!) and needs to be kept busy, so he doesn't forget everything he's learned this summer!

 

[Vickijay]

Turn away. I dont believe a 3 year old should be worked through their first winter. Still so much growing to do and not worth putting the extra miles on them at that point

 

[almrc]

Interesting thread. Would you also turn a 4.5 yr old away backed at 4, in April? I agree that a 3 yr old still has a lot of growing to do as does a 4 yr old

 

[Annie&Lilly]

Thanks for your replies everybody.

You have all pretty much confirmed what I have been thinking. Turing her away to grow a bit more (lord help me) and be a horse.

Plus this winter is meat to be awful

Still going to have a little play with her, but will keep it to a minimum, unless she reverts to being a horrorbag. She seems to really enjoy the "work".

Going to take her for some walks, as she has never been off the yard she was born in! Hi Vized to the eyeballs, glowing like a christmas tree with my 16 yo cob for company.

 

[DougalJ]

Absolutely - turn away! I have seen some disastrous results for horses that have been backed and then continued with. You will get a better horse from turning them away for 6 months.