Whos horses are having a break over winter?

georgiegirl

georgiegirl

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I say every year I'm going to do and never actually have so this is the year!

Autumn is 6yo and has had her first season eventing and I think it would be prudent to give her (and me!) a bit of a holiday. She has been fully clipped but Im hoping shes going to grow back her woolies before its gets properly cold. Our last event is at the weekend then she is booked to have her shoes taken off at the end of october.

So, who else is having a holiday? any hints/advice? and when and how will you start bringing yours back into work for next season?
 
Mine is going out at the end of the week. He gets turned out with a small herd for the winter months. He has a rug on, with a heavier one going on when the weather turns really cold, and access to a shelter.

I am looking forward to it, really busy with work and just don't have enough time for him. Also, I think a break does them the world of good - saves the legs and stops them going stale.
 
My 2 are as I am off injured. They are being roughed off (cob being left to grow his woolly coat!) for the winter and will be living out.
To bring them back into work I will be doing 6 weeks of hacking, first two in walk, second two in walk/trot and last two in walk/trot/canter.
 
Son's mare is very lightly competed jumping one class every three weeks or so. She is turned out every day and so I don't think her competitive work is anything like as strenuous as those of you eventing. She'll continue to compete over the winter but as usual we'll just pick and choose classes, mainly hacking with some light schooling inbetween.
 
Mines not. We had an 'un-planned break from April when he got kicked badly and was on 4 months box rest so only just properly getting back into work.
 
For the first winter for years and years, mine AREN'T having a break.

Millie is heading off to be a broodmare next spring so I am cramming in as many BD outings as possible beforehand.

Vinnie was going to have a break but has come back from school a bit full of himself so will be hacking over winter ready to crack on in spring.

This is all assuming we don't have another hard winter with months of snow!!! :)
 
mine has off when i am off - so the odd week or two scattered about the year - she's just had 10days off after her last event this season as i was away - then when weather gets really bad (generally january) she'll have a few weeks off simply as it'll be too icy i imagine to ride

got another 3 xc's planned to take me to end of oct - then it'll be hunting and sharpening up sj over winter

saying that i live in highland perthshire so if its like last year she'll have the whole of dec/jan/feb off and we'll get nothing done again :rolleyes:
 
When I was younger my mum used to turn the horses away for 6 weeks at the end of the season, I think it gave her a break too!

I won't turn my horse away but then I don't compete him very hard. He has the odd week off here and there throughout the year, usually 10-14 days when the snow and ice come in the winter. For several reasons really, two being that he suffers from mud fever and it gets very muddy where I am and he doesn't have any shelter in his field.

:)
 
My lovely boy will be having his little break come this Sunday after our last Event of the Season at Pulborough on Saturday! He will have 3 weeks off, and then be lighlty competed doing BD until the season starts againnext March!
 
Although Reg hasn't had a particularly hard season in terms of competing (2 ODEs at 90cm and 5 1m ODEs and the occasional dressage test in between) he's had a very intense learning curve with lots of lessons so he's having about 6 weeks off from mid-November to the end of December. Also, if it does snow again, he can't be ridden- the roads round us turn into ice rinks and he' does the best Bambi impression going!

It means he has time to chill and think life over in a nice big field with company (a pretty girl this time he hopes!) and lots of rugs and hay and then starts fittening work in time for the spring events. We used to give the horses 4 weeks over Easter, but only because that coincided well with exams- it doesn't now and all it means is that you never really get going.
 
Frodo and Bolly are already on their break and they hadn't been clipped in anticipation. Although they were both very fit, I felt a bit sorry for them in the heat at LD on Sunday but better they were a bit hot then than a bit cold now and in the next couple of months. They'll both start slow work again just before Christmas I think, building up to some SJ/dressage comps and XC training in the new year. Frodo really grew into himself last year over winter so we're hoping both he and Bolly do a bit of maturing this time too.
The other youngsters (two 3 yr olds) and Bertie won't have time out as they've had an easy summer.
 
Mine doesn't "do" time off, she has had a few days off this week due to having her back done, and is FOUL currently... but winter is slower for her anyway as I ride a lot less! However, she hasn't had a hard year tbh, and is developing better through quiet work. :)
 
Mine doesn't do time off either unless I want to risk my neck! He's had a very easy summer (little bit of hacking and schooling by mum) whilst I had my uni exams and then away in New Zealand for 6 weeks so he's coming back into 'proper' work now so to speak. Hope to get out and about to clinics/lessons/comps over the next few weeks before attempting eventing again next spring :)
 
This will be my fourth year of giving my horses a total break off for the whole of December. Live on a balancer and haylage and just CHILL!

We have my daughter's event horse and my "part-time" competition horse, who still follows the same fittening work despite only probs competing a few times over the year! Both horses are ridden at least once a day 6 days a week. It is more a rest for us and a break for the horses to just relax. I manage to catch up on seeing non horsey friends and my back recovers!!

They still come in mainly due to routine and our eventer turning feral! It is a wonderful time when we both have time (with no guilt etc etc) to just do normal stuff like christmas shopping and catching up on other jobs. Dont know why I did not do this 20 years ago!!

I have seen friends struggling with keeping their horses fit and exercising them in all weathers and am happy with my decision to not ride on icy roads, boggy fields etc!

Work starts again first week on January, ready to start over with early season events in March!

We thoroughly enjoy the January clip, mane pull, fittening programme etc and would recommend it to any of you guys!:D
 
Yup, B and I have had a pretty intense learning experiance this summer and we will both have earnt a break!! He has got Pulborough on Sunday, shoes off on Monday and wont be brought back into work until I am back from uni in December!
He will spend all of December doing walk work either in the indoor or on the roads weather dependent and then start a little trotting through January gradually building up to schooling etc, although he will be taking it pretty easy as I am in my third year at uni, so its unlikely I will be eventing before June.
 
Billy is already on week 6 of his 2 month holiday - not that I'm counting or anything :o

He will probably have more than 2 months off though, just going by what the weather forecast is for this winter :eek:
All I want to do is go for a hack or do some fun jumping! Miss riding him and have been riding another horse, but it just isn't my billy! (who is pulling concrete off the wall in bordem...)
 
have never been one for giving them huge long holidays as they always seem to get bored. ok if you've got acres of turnout and a big herd of friends for them but with my limited turnout and one other horse for company horse gets bored v quickly.

He has had a long busy year since I got him last Sep. He hunted through winter then started dressaging in Jan followed by eventing in April and has done 12 events (one 80, ten 90's and a 100) since then. He has got the 100 at Pulborough then the 90 champs at Tweseldown then we'll start to wind things down a bit. I dont want to just suddenly stop all work when he's super duper fit so planning on doing a week or two of light hacking then he might have a week off and then we might do another week of hacking before cracking on with some more schooling, bit of BD and of course his favourite - hunting! No doubt the weather will stop play again in Dec/Jan so he's bound to have more time off then. Dont want to give him weeks off now and miss the best time for hunting if we're then going to lose half the season due to bad weather but he does need a break, mentally if not physically.
 
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