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Expert
Posts: 1477
  
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | Me and my horses needed a long break. One has been off a few months shy of a year and the other has been off since June. I’m ready to start back running. What’s the best way to get them back into running shape? |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
 
Location: Arkansas | Bump |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Just get back on and start legging them back up.  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| Short trail rides at first are good, 20-30 minutes or less for a 2-3 weeks so they can build their endurance back up. Then after 2-3 weeks I'll start trotting for a couple of minutes during the ride. Lengthening the time you're trotting after a couple weeks. After about 6-8 weeks I'll head back in to the arena and start working in there, focusing on the more technical things. I prefer to take it slow bringing one back because I don't want to risk an injury. This is my plan for this summer when I start bringing my mare back after she foals in April. |
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Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | Just get on them and put them to work. Horses don't go out of shape like humans do. |
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Expert
Posts: 1586
Location: west of East Texas | Have they been turned out in a big pasture or kept in a stall or small run? If they've been walking all day every day then they are ready to start a trotting routine. Go about 5 minutes and then check to see how they are doing. Add another couple of minutes every week until you get to where you want them to be then start adding a few different maneuvers and speeds in each week. If I've been off as long as the horse has, I will wear out before it does. :)
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | chasendacash - 2019-01-06 7:58 PM
Have they been turned out in a big pasture or kept in a stall or small run? If they've been walking all day every day then they are ready to start a trotting routine. Go about 5 minutes and then check to see how they are doing. Add another couple of minutes every week until you get to where you want them to be then start adding a few different maneuvers and speeds in each week. If I've been off as long as the horse has, I will wear out before it does. :)
They’re about half and half. I stall during the day but turn out at night. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| BS Hauler - 2019-01-06 10:13 AM Just get on them and put them to work. Horses don't go out of shape like humans do.
LOL....that's lousy advice. Especially if they are stall babies.
Not saying you can't get on them and work them to an extent, but you can over-do it in the beginning.
I usually start mine with some trotting and loping. 2-3 minutes of each, each way, with lots of walking inbetween. I like to check their breathing rates. If they get to out of breath, I'll walk more, or break it up and trot twice one way for shorter times, etc.
Then after a couple weeks of that, extend the times, especially the long trotting. After about a month we will practice on pattern a couple times as well as breezing a bit. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 824
Location: Duvall, WA | I read once horses kept turned out in a group on 100 acres kept themselves just as fit on their own as a stalled horse ridden three days a week. So if they've been turned out they will have some level of fitness to start. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | I give mine a lot of walk breaks to begin with and limit my rides to about 30ish min for the first few weeks; if I ride longer I'll typically just trail ride. |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | NipntuckLR - 2019-01-07 10:30 AM
I read once horses kept turned out in a group on 100 acres kept themselves just as fit on their own as a stalled horse ridden three days a week. So if they've been turned out they will have some level of fitness to start.
I can believe it. One is younger and she’s constantly running around with the babies. I can tell she hasn’t lost near the muscle mass the other has and she’s the one that’s been off the longest.
Edited by TessBelle 2019-01-07 12:44 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1513
Location: Illinois | I don't ride from November-March generally. Sometimes I'll start back in March but not always. I won't run for a minimum of 6 weeks after I get back on. Start light the first week with 3-4 days. I ride by songs, I always have music going. Walk 2 songs, trot 1 song varying the speed, and lope for a minute of a song. With a song of walking between the trot and lope. Then walk another song after the lope & do the same the next direction. After the first week I go to 5 days a week. When my horse can trot for 4 songs each way and lope for 1.5 minimum without sounding like a freight train, we can start running. I usually say 2 weeks for every month off, but depends on how good of shape they were in to start with and how fast they deteriorate. My horse significantly loses his lung condition within 2 weeks of being off and most also start to lose muscle tone after 2 weeks too |
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Member
Posts: 17
| Here is Sherry Cervi's methods for bringing one back from a long lay off. https://horseandrider.com/training/barrel_horse_layoff_111209-13056 |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I usually start with 3-4 days of walking/long trotting for about 20-30 minutes (maybe lope a few circles) for about 4 weeks then I start loping more and just slowly increase from there. I did listen to a cool seminar that horses hold their fitness a lot longer than we think (much longer than humans do). But winters here are definitely enough time to let them lose some it so I take it slow. I consider how I started at the gym and how I increased. I like it to be work but still pleasant. |
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 The best bad guy on the internet
Posts: 3519
Location: Arizona | BS Hauler - 2019-01-06 9:13 AM
Just get on them and put them to work. Horses don't go out of shape like humans do.
Are you serious?? Yes, they are like humans. You can't expect a horse go out and work after being laid off for a year....good grief. :( |
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