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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
   
Location: Kansas | Chance doesn't know it (unless he understands English, which is highly possible with him LOL) yet, but he's now on winter vacation for at least the rest of January, and probably most of February too. He just ran three days at a series of rodeos over New Year's and worked great, but hasn't really had a vacation since late last winter so I want to turn him out and focus on my others for the rest of this winter.
He'll be turned out in a large dry lot at my parents' place with an old mare for company but they'll probably be fairly lazy most of the time. My goal is to have him back in shape to run by April 8th since there's a Barrel Bash in his favorite arena then, and I've been thinking about picking him up from Mom & Dad's place the end of February so he'd have the whole month of March to leg back up. I'm not going to pull him off any supplements or change his hay substantially during this time, and I'm going to get his shoes reset mid-late February so he'll be ready to go. Obviously, I plan to take it easy legging him back up, but does this timeline sound reasonable? | |
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 Thick and Wavy
Posts: 6102
Location: Nebraska | I always plan for 6-8 weeks of reconditioning after a break :) | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| I heard one time that it takes twice as long to get one back in shape as the time they were off. So 2 months off, means 4 months back to the same shape. I'm not sure I find that entirely accurate, but I would say that it takes at least as long as they were off to get them back, so 2 months, 2 months. So, youd be in your 5th week back from 2 months off, so he may not be in the SAME shape, but at least well on his way. | |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | OutlawsLastDance - 2016-01-04 10:50 AM I heard one time that it takes twice as long to get one back in shape as the time they were off. So 2 months off, means 4 months back to the same shape. I'm not sure I find that entirely accurate, but I would say that it takes at least as long as they were off to get them back, so 2 months, 2 months. So, youd be in your 5th week back from 2 months off, so he may not be in the SAME shape, but at least well on his way.
that sounds reasonable until you get to a certain point. if they were in a pasture for 3 yrs i don't think it takes 3 yrs to get them running | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| kwanatha - 2016-01-04 3:35 PM
OutlawsLastDance - 2016-01-04 10:50 AM I heard one time that it takes twice as long to get one back in shape as the time they were off. So 2 months off, means 4 months back to the same shape. I'm not sure I find that entirely accurate, but I would say that it takes at least as long as they were off to get them back, so 2 months, 2 months. So, youd be in your 5th week back from 2 months off, so he may not be in the SAME shape, but at least well on his way.
that sounds reasonable until you get to a certain point. if they were in a pasture for 3 yrs i don't think it takes 3 yrs to get them running
Definitely agree. That's actually the reason I don't agree with the "double the time off" rule. I find it hard to believe it would take 2 years to bring a horse back that was off for 1 year. I think at some point you "max out" the time frame. I'd say depending on how often you ride and work one, and why they were off, maybe a year max, to bring one back from years of being laid off.
Edited by OutlawsLastDance 2016-01-05 10:37 AM
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I think it's a reasonable amount of time, since he'll be turned out. Hopefully the lot allows for some exercise.
Mine are turned out and play quite a bit, so legging them up isn't as hard as one who's been in a stall all winter.
Just like a person, if you gradually being him back, I usually start with 1/2 hour sessions of w/t/c and build up time on the T/C over time, then he should be fine. If you go to the gym and work out all day, heavily, then you're more likely to injure something.
Just like all of the Jan. 1, New Year's Resolution gym goers. They hurt after pushing too hard and then they quit after a week or 2. | |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Nateracer - 2016-01-05 11:09 AM I think it's a reasonable amount of time, since he'll be turned out. Hopefully the lot allows for some exercise.
Mine are turned out and play quite a bit, so legging them up isn't as hard as one who's been in a stall all winter.
Just like a person, if you gradually being him back, I usually start with 1/2 hour sessions of w/t/c and build up time on the T/C over time, then he should be fine. If you go to the gym and work out all day, heavily, then you're more likely to injure something.
Just like all of the Jan. 1, New Year's Resolution gym goers. They hurt after pushing too hard and then they quit after a week or 2.
The lot does allow for some exercise, and he does a good job of moving around on his own, even in the smaller lot he's in up here at my place. I plan on building his workload up gradually, of course, as I don't want to have any setbacks. There are a ton of added money races in the spring at places he likes and I want him in the lineup. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 628
Location: Missouri | I always allow mine to have the winter off as well. My horses get turned out on 15 acres and are constantly running around so I know they stay in decent shape. I usually pull mine up when I get back from Denver, so late January and they are ready to go by late March. It's good for them to have that little vacation. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| I bet he'd be in about the same shape he is now by that time. I'm a big workout person and I can tell you that I can take a month off and seem to rebound back pretty quickly. His diet might need to change to prevent to much weight gain but I don't believe that he will loose all his tone in 6-8 weeks. | |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | FlyingJT - 2016-01-06 9:06 AM I bet he'd be in about the same shape he is now by that time. I'm a big workout person and I can tell you that I can take a month off and seem to rebound back pretty quickly. His diet might need to change to prevent to much weight gain but I don't believe that he will loose all his tone in 6-8 weeks.
Dad will switch him from my 14% pelleted grain to the 12% low starch textured feed he gets at their co-op when I take Chance down there because his co-op grain is a lot cheaper than anything I can find up here, and Dad won't mix a handful of alfalfa pellets in with each feeding like I do. Chance has never been one to get piggy fat but those small changes should keep him nice & lean. He's in great shape now and I kind of hate to turn him out, but every race coming up either has no added money or is in a pen he doesn't like, so it's the best time to give him a break.
The plan is to bring my brother's old mare over to Mom & Dad's and feed her separate from Chance so she can gain weight while keeping him company. Brother's place isn't set up to pull one horse off from the others during meals so Diamond has lost some weight this fall. | |
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Winter vacation & returning to work in spring