Winter Exercise/riding...

[horsefeed]

How much do you do with your horses? I am putting a lot of pressure on myself to do more but just not got time.

All my guys are barned, they have a reasonable amount of room to move around, the shetland can get a canter up in the space they have so while in they are not massively restricted in the same way as they would be if stabled. I am on heavy clay so turnout is limited and I am trying to save the fields to give them 2 to 3 weeks 24/7 over Xmas to give me and them a break!

At the moment, they get ridden/exercised varying amounts depending on the horse, my time and weekend plans, whether 1 is going out for dressage or jumping etc...

My main riding pony at the moment I feel is the fittest she has ever been, she is naturally very lazy but she is responsive and sharp to ride and if she doesn't get out most days she is super fresh!

Last week I managed to ride 4 times
Monday 2.5 mile hack 50% was trot and canter, few jumps (logs in woods)
Tuesday 1.7 mile walk only as lead my horse having rehab out from her all road.
Saturday 1.5 hour hack didn't track it but it was a reasonable amount of trotting, cantering and a good long gallop. She bucked me off as was feeling too full of it!
Sunday 30 minutes grid/bounce work session in school, we both worked hard.

My other horse is just coming back from injury, still bandaged so road/school work only at the moment did an hour walking over the same 4 days!

My main concern is it's not enough, the last 2 days it's gotten even worse, I just haven't had time so I have literally lunged each for 10 minutes, (5 mins each rein). The fitter horse does the whole session in trot and other in walk, it is just a leg stretch and to get them out for some fresh air, it seems to psychologically do them good but I have had a few comments about how they are in so need to do more? Will 10 minutes be doing their fitness any good at all, will it help maintain their current levels?

Thoughts?

 

[Antw23uk]

I would not be happy with those horses being locked in a barn for essentially 23 hours+ a day? they need to be out. Fields will recover! You are going to burn out before Xmas and i don't think its healthy or achievable for you or the gang.
ETA - I drag mine in from the field if the weather is nice at the weekend and go for a hack. I've decided, regardless of the clay, he can stay out this year with the yard and stables open for shelter. If its really bad i may use the yard/ stables as a nightly holding pen but it will need to be really bad for that to happen and it will be temporary.

 

[Sprig]

I disagree. A decent barn can be much better than a swampy field. I try and ride 4-5 times a week in winter. I don't always manage it though but I am fortunate that mine live out all year round so they are keeping moving regardless. In your position I would be keen to try and get them ridden as much as possible. I don't like lunging so wouldn't do that.

 

[horsefeed]

I would not be happy with those horses being locked in a barn for essentially 23 hours+ a day? they need to be out. Fields will recover! You are going to burn out before Xmas and i don't think its healthy or achievable for you or the gang.
ETA - I drag mine in from the field if the weather is nice at the weekend and go for a hack. I've decided, regardless of the clay, he can stay out this year with the yard and stables open for shelter. If its really bad i may use the yard/ stables as a nightly holding pen but it will need to be really bad for that to happen and it will be temporary.

Unfortunately that’s the problem it’s doesn’t recover I have the best part of 2 acres that are literally weeds still from last winter, I left them out 24/7 and they trashed 7 acres completely to plough! With extensive reseeding, spraying etc we still only have 5 back to be able to use, it was a very expensive mistake which will take us/grazing years to recover from.

 

[MuddyMonster]

How big is the barn? And are they getting any field turn out at all? I'm assuming the barn isn't paddock size, so I'd still want them worked every day personally. Not to maintain fitness but to ensure they get a chance to move properly from a psychological and well being perspective.

Can you get a freelancer to help with chores to free up riding time? I appreciate winter can be so tough so you have my empathy.

 

[RHM]

I agree with MM, I would want them all being exercised for at least a hour a day. I think that would be a absolute minimum.
I personally would rather pay to reseed every year or rent extra grazing just so you can have a life!

 

[Sossigpoker]

It may not be ideal , but very few of us have the ability to keep horses in ideal conditions 24/7. The barn set up sounds great and sounds like they live there as z herd which must be nice for them.
I would try and give them all a break from it every day though, whether through ridden exercise or hand walking /grazing.
We are also on heavy clay here so I feel your pain. We have a couple of turn out areas so the horses get to go out for a bit but I do try to do something with mine every day and it's hard work as you know ! (Currently hand grazing as I type ).
Don't beat yourself up - don't suppose getting a sharer or anyone to help with exercise would be an option ?

 

[Cob Life]

They are stabled at night, out in a all weather surfaced paddock all day (7am until I turn up 6/6:30 to ride)
I try to ride 6 times a week as he’s fat so needs the exercise, realistically it’s more like 4-5 times a week

 

[horsefeed]

Thanks all they get turnout a few times a week, last week they managed probably had 24 hours out in total. The barn is 15x30ft ish about 1/2 size of a school

 

[spotty_pony]

Nothing wrong with having them in in barns if they can wander around. Some of the riding school horses where I used to work were kept like this over the winter months and were exercised out riding and leading probably 2/3 times per week. Some were also boxed back to the stables at the weekends for riding lessons/hacks.

Mine mainly live out still at the moment but I am riding 2/3 times per week on each. Take the pressure off yourself - winter is always difficult to fit everything in especially with the limited daylight hours we have.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would love a big barn like yours and my horses would be quite happy together with some hay, I really wouldn't worry too much about them being out all the time, most horses really don't care about being exercised and I think a lot of them don't like being out in the rain but they do need company and you are providing that.

If you can only ride a few times a weeks so be it in winter don't worry about it I don't think your horses are suffering at all.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Prime example I keep my horses at home one is on box rest with a fractured pedal bone, the other horse is turned out every morning with a haynet but he prefers to stand at the back of my stables on the hardstanding near my other horse thats in, he has the whole field to graze all day and yes he will graze for a bit but he prefers to be near my other horse.

So I think most horses in general prefer company rather than space and grazing.

 

[SheriffTruman]

I feel your pain, and I have only one horse. As I'm on DIY, on winter nights after work I hardly find the time to train him. Often it is running in, doing chores, get cold, get wet, run home before 8pm when the barn closes (new rule ). Im on DIY because it's affordable, and because he's out 24/7, be it on a far too small sand paddock in winter.

So, I decided to move yards. It will cost me more, but it will be assisted livery, and he will live on a really big paddock in a herd (summer is 27/7 out in the big field). This means I can go, and actually spend time with my horse. I will make do financially. This is a choice to do better for him , and for me. I'm SO looking forward to it.

 

[catembi]

We are on heavy clay and I honestly had no idea what proper mud was til I moved here. Mine are kept on a large limestone yard with constant access to 6 stables, each with hay net, when the fields are wet. The fields would otherwise be totally wrecked and turn into a full swamp within days.

I honestly think that they prefer the hard standing to being knee deep in mud, tails caked, clay wind chimes on any bits of hair… I had no idea how to manage it when we first moved here after being on sand and before that chalk and it took the fields a long time to recover from that awful first winter when I was trying to keep them turned out.

 

[Abacus]

Would you let the fitter one get less fit so that she isn't so wired, rather than try to keep her going? Here the polo lot are in barns and will be for a few months, not ridden or rugged or fed, just hay. They're all pretty dopey.

 

[Leandy]

Thanks all they get turnout a few times a week, last week they managed probably had 24 hours out in total. The barn is 15x30ft ish about 1/2 size of a school

Do you mean m/yds rather than ft? If they have some turn out as well as you describe then I would say this is fine. If not, then I would be either keeping them properly in work ie at least an hour's exercise per day (could be none or less if it is a turn out day) or fully barn kept (assuming you are meaning m/yds in your dimensions) where they will chill and settle down, rather than the half way house you seem to have now. 10 mins lunging is just a leg stretch, it in no way counts as "work". Having said that, you say they will get full turn out shortly by the sound of it so it doesn't sound as though what you are doing is for very long.