warming up and loose schooling.

[jes_nibley]

i was just wondering what you do when you loose-school?

it's drummed into all of us how important it is to ensure your horse's muscles are warmed up and he is supple and relaxed before you start any strenuous work so what about loose-schooling?

i make sure i've done ten-fifteen minutes of stretching exercises and lots of suppling exercises if i'm schooling or even hacking as all mine are schooled on hacks as well. also, if i'm lungeing i'll give him a good while to walk, trot and a little canter on both reins before i attach side reins or pessoa.

but, the reason i'm asking this is because mine all get 'loosed' once a week at the moment as there is hardly any t/o due to the weather and i know for sure that they will all scout around for 30 seconds, have a roll and then gallop off in a blur of hooves and shoes.
they do this regardless of whether they're on their own or in twos to play.
this cant be that good for their muscles can it? i do make sure i keep them moving at a trot and then a walk to cool off although i'm sure they'd just go from gallop to food in stable if they were allowed.
any comments, ideas, preferences, suggestions?

 

[GatefieldHorses]

When you turn your horse out most gallop off, buck and fart around. You cant wrap them in cotton wool unfortunately, all ours tank off 100 miles an hour when on the lunge or loose lol

 

[jes_nibley]

that's where yours and mine differ greatly then, when turned out i have to walk them right into the field to get all their bum's out of th gateway and when let loose it's heads straight down and fill mouth with as much green stuff as necessary - run around??, what and waste precious grazing time?

 

[Irishcobs]

We warm ours up on the lunge first then let them off to scout about. That way we control the pace until they are warmed up properly.

 

[Forget_Me_Not]

They do it in the wild... from laying/ sleeping/ resting/ grazing to full plet gallop. They are designed for stand still to gallop. I know it breaks every rule... But horses are horses let them look after them selves like they have for millions of years.

 

[clipclop]

Yeah, don't worry. I loose school mine together and they sometimes can't be bothered and other times they zoom off a buckin and a fartin.

They know how to look after themselves. I am sure a lot of the leg throwing and bucks and leaps are actually their way of freeing themselves off so they don't pull themselves. Sounds nuts but with my horse I have had to do a lot of lateral thinking over the years. hehehe

I tend to loose school before I tack him up and ride.

I know what you mean though. We are so careful to warm up properly as a rule.

That happens a lot around horses, you find a rule and then break it. lol

 

[jes_nibley]

so true bonzabean, so true.

but then rules are there to be be broken.

(or at least that's what i used to tell my teachers all those many years ago!)

 

[MagicMelon]

I think its fine, my horses who are turned out 24/7 often gallop about if they get a scare or whatever, they certainly dont stop and think "oops, better trot for 10 mins first before a canter about"!