Weekend exercise to keep a veteran fit through winter?

[JenJ]

More of a musing than looking for a direct answer, as I'm not quite sure what the question is yet!

I have a 15 year old shire x who is starting to show signs of age and stiffness - vet is happy it's just normal wear and tear as she was a high mileage riding school horse for 10 years before I bought her in June 2011.

She's been at a new lovely yard for 4 months where she can have 24/7 turnout, however as she is prone to dodgy feet on wet ground I started bringing her in overnight last weekend, which I intend to do nightly until Feb/March time. My previous yards only offered a few hours daily turnout and I'm sure her joints etc will benefit from being on the move for 12 hours a day this winter.

Sadly, new lovely yard doesn't have a surfaced school, and so during the week from now until March I won't be able to ride in daylight. She's started getting more trippy out hacking this year so although there is a field we may be able to ride to in the dark, it's along a stoney hilly bridleway to get there and I'm not sure the risk of her falling over is worth the benefit of exercising her. So realistically she will only be ridden at weekends.

She doesn't need to be fit 'enough' for anything - I'm a happy hacker and will play it by ear in terms of pace and distance of hacks according to how she is, but I'm concerned that as she's getting older, she should be getting more regular exercise to keep her healthy. Is weekend hacking only for the next 5 months likely to have a detrimental effect on her mobility or am I feeling guilty about nothing?

She's currently on a joint supplement from my vet and will go onto Cortaflex when that runs out.

 

[Abbeygale]

My girly is nearly 17 (Welsh d x arab) and has also started to show some signs of wear and tear too. Generally speaking, once the clocks change I can also only exercise at the weekends, but she is out from about 6am until 4pm every day - without fail. She seems ok with this - and we can still work on her fitness.

At the beginning of this year I decided to do some endurance training rides, so we started doing canter work on the beach every other weekend (or when tides allowed), and completed our 1st training ride in March time - which she did ever so easily.

I would sit in the camp that she will be fine, and especially if you are not fittening for anything in particular - she will be quite happy Do not worry

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I have used magnet boots to good effect on some stiff horses in the past, although it doesn't work for them all. I would expect tht if your horse can go out for several hours every day she should be ok. Have you got a hilly field you can turn her out in?

 

[BWa]

You could have described mine exactly! High mileage from 15 years in an equine college and showing signs of wear and tear. He is a big, 21 year old so all to be expected. I keep him at home with no school and he is in on a night. Once the clocks change he is only ridden at weekends gently and for the past 2 winters he has been fine. He does go out everyday 7- 4ish in a 7 acre paddock, whatever the weather and do think that helps. I tried a few supplements but in the end I have taken his shoes off, put him on the classic barefoot diet and added turmeric to his feed. This has stopped him tripping. 2 years ago in the snow he had nearly 2 months off but he still went out everyday and I do think this is the key. And when I hack I make him work properly, he can wander round his paddock with his nose all the floor all day if he wants to! When the hunt goes by and he floats round the paddock I think there is plenty of life left in the old dog!

 

[Tickles]

Can you choose the hilliest/longest field for turn out? Ensure food (if you'll be haying in field)/water are far apart? Basically anything to encourage gentle exercise during the turnout time...

 

[JenJ]

Well that's all very reassuring! Thanks everyone :smile3:

All the fields are pancake flat as we're in a valley next to the river, and she's the laziest toad ever - I've never seen her so much as trot or canter in the field - but she does keep moving constantly (though slowly) in order to search out the best grass!