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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
  
| We have come to the end of our rodeo season. My question is, from a health standpoint is it better to turn your horse out for the 4 month winter break and get them legged back up in the spring, or consistently ride 1-2 times per week to keep the horse in decent shape? Which do you do and what is better on the horse? TIA |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Older horse ride once or twice a week. Trail riding. Younger horses, I keep riding. I try to give them a mental break. If they need an all out break due to their demeanor then I do so. I have no problem giving one say 7 weeks off then 7 weeks of prep to get them back into running shape. Since an older horse takes longer to have the tendons and ligaments respond to a tune up I keep lightly riding them. Then they too get a preseason ship shape up training schedule. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I'm also in Iowa. I think giving your horses a break is good for them. I ride occasionally as I have time in the winter, but for the most part, they stand around and get fat and hairy.
Mine are turned out though, unless the weather is bad, so they aren't completely stationary. I would probably try to ride more if they were stalled 24/7.
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | We are only on 4 acres. So turn out for us doesn't mean acres upon acres of roaming. I continue to ride throughout the winter, as weather permits. It keeps the "fresh" attitude at bay and they stay relatively legged up, so we don't have to work as long to get running again. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 668
Location: Upstate New York | I live in New York so the weather does get nasty. There are a couple places that have a winter series barrel race. They are once a month and usually fall that each series is on a seperate weekend, so we run 3 times a month max. (Unless it gets brutally cold or roads are too bad). Other than that, we try to get out to at least do a little trail ride or indoor arena work once or twice a week. Come spring, they all get a little tune up training as they didn't get the best of workout all winter. My guys are turned out 24/7 unless weather is really bad, then they are in at night and back out in morning. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Also in Iowa. We have an indoor rodeo series and indoor jackpot series that will take use into the first week of December weather pending. Then I usually give a couple months off as the rodeo series picks back up in March. they'll still get used to check pastures from time to time. Mid February I'll start to try at least trailing riding the pastures and roads more consistently and cross my fingers for an early spring.
Our first rodeo is usually the 1st week or 2 of April |
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 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | I feel like rest is very important but also relative to the situation. If you ride hard 6 days a week and haul to shows every weekend then rest would be riding one or two days a week and no shows for a while. If you ride once or twice a week and haul every other weekend then rest to me would be more like one ride a week and no shows. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 129
Location: South | I'm probably going to be the odd person out here, but... I turn mine out after my Fall season is over in October to the first of January. They may get rode once a week or once every two weeks, but nothing to stressful other than checking fences and cattle. They get to get fat, and sassy during that time. After the first of the year I start legging them up to be ready to run by April. They come back so refreshed and ready to roll after a good few months off. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Mine gets time off to gain weight (and an attitude) for the winter. I do ground work and refresh basics at this time.  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| I have pasture, not a lot but enough where they do get a little exercise if they aren't being rode.
But, I give mine 1-2 months off during the winter for them and me to regroup. I usually only give myself a break for like a week or 2 and then ride young horses and such. It rarely gets too cold down here to ride and it might snow once a year and last like 2 days so weather isn't a big deal. I am a firm believer that horses do need a short break without any riding each year to refresh themselves. Then for at least a month or 2 I start light riding again before I really try to get them back in tip top shape. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Nateracer - 2016-09-27 10:36 AM
I'm also in Iowa. I think giving your horses a break is good for them. I ride occasionally as I have time in the winter, but for the most part, they stand around and get fat and hairy.
Mine are turned out though, unless the weather is bad, so they aren't completely stationary. I would probably try to ride more if they were stalled 24/7.
Ditto. When I lived in colder weather I'd try to ride 1-2x a week weather permitting, but I wasn't disappointed if that didn't happen. Ours were turned out in a pasture. |
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  More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | Nateracer - 2016-09-27 12:36 PM I'm also in Iowa. I think giving your horses a break is good for them. I ride occasionally as I have time in the winter, but for the most part, they stand around and get fat and hairy.
Mine are turned out though, unless the weather is bad, so they aren't completely stationary. I would probably try to ride more if they were stalled 24/7.
Ditto to what Nateracer said except I'm in South Dakota. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | I'm going to try to pull all my horses shoes this winter for at least 8 weeks probably Jan-feb that's when it's coldest here in Indiana. My older geilding I always try to give atleast a month with no riding. I mostly ride when I can and just try to keep them in shape. I really don't think either way matters but if you look at as if your trying to give them time to heal then it's better to not ride. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| down here in the South where the weather is mild, we ride year round. I usually keep shoes on mine year round also. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I turn my old gelding (23 year old) out for a 6-8 week vacation every summer. Summers are hardest on him and I like having him legged up in the winter to run at indoor races where patterns are smaller. Chance is probably getting a break from running after the first weekend in November, and I MIGHT try to have him ready to run over New Years if that big rodeo happens again in Kansas City. If not, I will leave him turned out longer. Everything here in the winter is in little trappy barns that he doesn't like, so its easy to turn him out then. :) |
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