Wobbly Horse

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ANGE GILLIES

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Hi Guys - Has anyone had a wobbly horse the day after more strenuous work? My new horse i bought - Kool 16.2hh Gelding 8 years old Irish Fine Bred, is only just coming back into work after few months off from no health issues etc. Just hadnt been worked.

He has been brought back into work just a few weeks ago doing 30 mins 4 times a week walk, trot, canter general schooling (which will gradually increase with jumping as his condition does). We had our first lesson on monday which was approx 40 mins walk,trot canter doing a bit more than what we have been doing. He was wobbly yesterday and not as forward going as he normally is when i rode which i thought could be stiff from Lesson so I carried on for 20 mins with no change still wobbly. Trotted him up flat road with no obvious lameness, hot legs etc just wobbly.

Could this just be stiff and tender muscles from lesson day before?? (im hoping this is the case) He is slightly under weight currently being fed top specs recommended amount of balancer, chaff and conditioning cubes.

Looking forward to some feedback of your thoughts / Experiences

Ange :D
 
ANGE GILLIES said:
Hi Guys - Has anyone had a wobbly horse the day after more strenuous work? My new horse i bought - Kool 16.2hh Gelding 8 years old Irish Fine Bred, is only just coming back into work after few months off from no health issues etc. Just hadnt been worked.

He has been brought back into work just a few weeks ago doing 30 mins 4 times a week walk, trot, canter general schooling (which will gradually increase with jumping as his condition does). We had our first lesson on monday which was approx 40 mins walk,trot canter doing a bit more than what we have been doing. He was wobbly yesterday and not as forward going as he normally is when i rode which i thought could be stiff from Lesson so I carried on for 20 mins with no change still wobbly. Trotted him up flat road with no obvious lameness, hot legs etc just wobbly.

Could this just be stiff and tender muscles from lesson day before?? (im hoping this is the case) He is slightly under weight currently being fed top specs recommended amount of balancer, chaff and conditioning cubes.

Looking forward to some feedback of your thoughts / Experiences

Ange :D
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Not quite sure what you mean by wobbly? Do you mean his hind legs so he appears like he is drunk, and he has trouble with placement of his limbs?

Or do you mean wobbly as in disunited canter wobbly???

Or wobbly in another way?
 
Hi I meant wobbly as in unsteady on all four, it turns out he was just weak the next day after lesson he is back to his normal forward self again.

He is slowly building up muscle.

Thanks
Ange
 
As he has been out of work the lessons need to be shorter or less strenuous with time to allow him to stretch in between each exercise. The wobbling, as you know now, was due to muscle fatigue. However, be careful as a tired horse can damage himself as the muscles tire and he then tries to find a different way of going - using the incorrect sets of muscles etc.
 
Just make sure he is getting adequate minerals - particularly Mg, Cu, Zn etc. and enough salt. I give my guys sea salt crystals from the hand so I can see how much they take.
 
That's a lot of hard work for something that's been laid off for a few months. It might not have been his fault he was off but he still needs proper fittening work before he should be doing lessons of any sort. I'm not surprised he was wobbly, it would be muscle fatigue, you need to cut back before any damage can be done and take it steady.
 
Maesfen - I understand what you are saying, the lesson wasnt a hard work lesson and the work I have been doing with him isnt that strenous.. I have been gradually buidling up his work not bolting around the place.

brucea - He is on top specs Recomendation, Balancer, chaff and conditioning cubes aswell as lick in his stables.

More improvement every week :O)

Thanks
Ange
 
30-40 minures in W,T,C is a lot for a horse that has been off for months. When I started my TB back in work, the advice the vet gave me was roughly as follows.

10 minutes in walk daily (one rest day) after one week introduce trot, increase work by 5 minutes every week until you are up to 30-40 minutes, canter can be introduced by week 3.
Not just riding but long lining and lunging as well.
 
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