Worldly advice needed

[pottamus]

I posted on here some weeks back about me having damaged my back and not being able to do anything or ride etc. Well we are a few weeks on and still not good although I have megga strong painkillers from doctors now!

Anyway I had to lead my boy around to my house for the farrier yesterday and he was like a coiled spring because he has not stepped foot out of his field for 5 weeks now!

I am concerned about leaving him indeffinately because he will become a nightmare to ride when I can finally manage it. I thought about leading him in hand a couple of times a week to get him out and give him some mental stimulation and exercise, as well as keep him in with traffic etc.
Would this be a good idea do you think? I will take all safety precautions and have his bridle on etc. He is not the type to bugger off just bounce around abit and settle after he has been out once or twice. My husband has offered to come and help too

Would it be better to do this than leave him for more weeks in the field????

 

[Tempi]

is there noone who can ride him for you? If not i think walking out in hand is a good idea, just make sure you wear a hat and gloves and dont go out on your own without your mobile.

 

[HenryandPeta]

To be honest I'd be inclined to leave him turned out unless there's someone competent to ride him - you could be causing more issues if someone hops on him without knowing what he's capable of! So long as he gets good amounts of turnout, he should be ok. You could always try free lunging him in the field to get some sparks out? If you have a bad back I'd be reluctant to lead him out for fear of him pulling or jolting you and setting back the recovery process...

Sorry about your back, hope things clear up soon.

 

[jumpthemoon]

I agree with Henry1997 - If he is roughed off in the field he will lose fitness and when you do come to get back on him, he shouldnt be fit enough to be a pain for more than a couple of minutes. Is he just on grass - no hard feed? If you are feeding hard feed I would stop, unless he needs medicines, in which case I'd feed them with a handful of chaff. When you come to ride him again, loosely lunge him first to get some spark out of him.

If you do bits with him in between without working him properly, you will just maintain his fitness and he will be worse when you get back on.

Good luck with your back - hope it heals soon