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 Expert
Posts: 3165
   
| those of you who give your horses the winter off,
or like me, just couldn't get the chance to ride with all the cold and snow...
how many rides would you put on your horse before hauling to a race and making run...
I'm talking about horses who've had 3-5 months of no riding. |
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Made in the USA
Posts: 1234
Location: Cecil, Pa | No less than a solid month of riding for sure. I was lunging mine in the snow deep just so I could get started and ready for April, with all of the weather I had to send mine out to get legged up because there was no way with all of this I was ever going to be have him ready in time! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | Great question! I've ridden mine sporadically with weather permitting but I don't know how much good that it has done. Some weeks everyday and some weeks not at all. My horse is not obese but he needs just to be in better tone and have his air built up. I am looking at our first run back being in a little over a month from now. |
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Expert
Posts: 3165
| Bar N - 2014-03-05 4:07 PM
No less than a solid month of riding for sure. I was lunging mine in the snow deep just so I could get started and ready for April, with all of the weather I had to send mine out to get legged up because there was no way with all of this I was ever going to be have him ready in time!
Thats what i figured, I've been getting them on hot walker as much as possible.
I could maybe get 20-25 rides before our first race, I need get in 3 before Memorial day weekend, so I'm thinking worse case scenario, I haul one horse there pay the entry and just lope through. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I rode once or twice over Christmas break and quite a few days in the foot of snow we had in January. I rode a couple of times in Feb. Then it melted and froze into an ice rink.
The MELT is on for this week so you can bet I'm going to be on them as much as possible! I entered Bonus Race Finals. EEK!!
I want a good solid 30 days, but it'll probably be around 20. They are not in too bad of shape because they are outside all of the time. They don't have much in the way of indurance yet, but by the time Bonus Race rolls around, I think it should be. It's going to have to be. |
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 Living within my means
Posts: 5128
Location: Randolph, Utah | I think each horse is a little different, my horses will have about 5-6 weeks before making a run. My horses are turned out and fed at one end of 80 acres with water at the other end so they keep moving all winter. I was shocked at how much stamina and air my mare seemed to have the first few rides and she had about 4 months off. |
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Expert
Posts: 3165
| Esther - 2014-03-05 4:11 PM
Great question! I've ridden mine sporadically with weather permitting but I don't know how much good that it has done. Some weeks everyday and some weeks not at all. My horse is not obese but he needs just to be in better tone and have his air built up. I am looking at our first run back being in a little over a month from now.
I've put maybe 3 random rides on my gelding since November, None on my Mare.
between my traveling schedule for work, and these crazy snow storms we've been having, I just haven't had the chance to ride... and when we do have a good day, I feel bad riding if i can't commit to doing it consistently...
i always looked at it like... when i took a few months off of the gym... after the first day back, i was so sore the next day... it wouldn't be worth be that sore if i wasn't going to keep going back. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
| I realize their endurance and muscle can slip over an entire winter with no riding, but for me it is about getting their minds back on work. Getting over the fresh, frisky phase is what i need 30 days to feel like we've worked through! I have ridden 3-5 times each month since November....just enough to make sure we haven't totally gone bronc wild while on vacay :) |
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  More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | I'm taking 3 horses to the Bonus Finals. Mine have been off since end of Nov or early Dec. I started riding mid Feb on and off through the various Polar Vortex we've had. We've got lots of ice and now yesterday had a few inches of snow. Today is warming but real windy but I'll be back at it and hitting it hard starting again tomorrow. I have no place indoors to ride and with the hard ground and ice I can only go through a field and no where to lope circles for fear of slipping and no place to breeze yet. I've got my fingers crossed that in the next couple weeks it will melt and soften up. |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12704
| Starting this weekend, if the ground thaws enough, I am going to be returning to a full riding schedule. My first show is April 5, so one month will have to be enough.
I will stand my ground that outside horses do not lose their conditioning as fast and as much as stalled horses. My guys have been out romping in the snow this winter even if I didn't feel confident in the ground for riding. They were in great shape up until December. They still look really good, no big bellies and no pointy butts. |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | lonely va barrelxr - 2014-03-05 5:13 PM Starting this weekend, if the ground thaws enough, I am going to be returning to a full riding schedule. My first show is April 5, so one month will have to be enough.
I will stand my ground that outside horses do not lose their conditioning as fast and as much as stalled horses. My guys have been out romping in the snow this winter even if I didn't feel confident in the ground for riding. They were in great shape up until December. They still look really good, no big bellies and no pointy butts.
All my horses are turned out also. One of the mares I'm taking to the Bonus Finals does a wonderful job of exercising herself. You look out the window and see her randomly running in circles. The other mare I'm taking will run around a little but not as much as the first and my gelding.....he's a different story. He might break into a trot if he sees me coming with a bucket of feed. He's the one I'm most concerned about so he gets the call if I only have time to ride one. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | Ive been slowly getting mine legged up for 2 months and w/n the last 2 weeks have been asking more from him work wise at home... Im just now to where I would be satisfied with hauling him somewhere to compete, but I wont expect too much the first few runs... We both have been out of it all winter and the first time I practiced on the barrels at home, I about came off a few times.... Looks like I need to focus on someone else being in shape now........ |
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 Fridayaholic
Posts: 1990
Location: Warsaw, VA | Here is a really good article I found on The Physiology of Conditioning..
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/hrs6942 |
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Veteran
Posts: 256
| I took a amazing picture today while doing chores of 2 of my guys legging up for race season, they played for over a hour problem is I dont know how to post pics. I sent the pic to LRQHS via text so maybe if I ask nice she would post the pic for me. Hey LRQHS where are you  |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| star1218 - 2014-03-05 3:26 PM
I realize their endurance and muscle can slip over an entire winter with no riding, but for me it is about getting their minds back on work. Getting over the fresh, frisky phase is what i need 30 days to feel like we've worked through! I have ridden 3-5 times each month since November....just enough to make sure we haven't totally gone bronc wild while on vacay :)
This is definetely the case for me. I have an indoor but even with these fridged temps I couldnt ride much. hes been ridden about 1x a week all winter at least, However he needs a good few weeks of consistent riding because hes lost focus and needs to mentally get back in the game.
ETA we are currently trying to get over the fear of barrels leaned up against the wall... you know how scary those can be
Edited by stayceem 2014-03-05 8:18 PM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
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The article touches on some good points. I know my vet recommends 3 months of riding after a 3 month rest, his rationale was due to the bone density, tendons and ligaments.
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I like about a month. I've got exactly that and the forecast(as of right now) is telling me it's going to be warmer over the next week at least so I'm hoping to get my two started. I don't like mine to go all winter but this year it just wasn't possible Between the weather and my trailer needing new tires. |
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Expert
Posts: 3165
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that was a good read... thanks for posting.  |
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| CYA Ranch - 2014-03-05 7:13 PM lonely va barrelxr - 2014-03-05 5:13 PM Starting this weekend, if the ground thaws enough, I am going to be returning to a full riding schedule. My first show is April 5, so one month will have to be enough.
I will stand my ground that outside horses do not lose their conditioning as fast and as much as stalled horses. My guys have been out romping in the snow this winter even if I didn't feel confident in the ground for riding. They were in great shape up until December. They still look really good, no big bellies and no pointy butts. All my horses are turned out also. One of the mares I'm taking to the Bonus Finals does a wonderful job of exercising herself. You look out the window and see her randomly running in circles. The other mare I'm taking will run around a little but not as much as the first and my gelding.....he's a different story. He might break into a trot if he sees me coming with a bucket of feed. He's the one I'm most concerned about so he gets the call if I only have time to ride one.
My children exercise themselves as long as they feel the ground is good. My mom said yesterday they were running around like wild men. Supposed to be 37 today, 50 tomorrow and maybe hit 60 on Monday! You can bet I'll be out there!
Here is a pic of Whisper on one of their playful afternoons. (still taken from video, I'm not this talented!)
 (Whispy rearing.jpg)
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 Whispy rearing.jpg (87KB - 213 downloads)
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | cheryl makofka - 2014-03-05 9:09 PM The article touches on some good points. I know my vet recommends 3 months of riding after a 3 month rest, his rationale was due to the bone density, tendons and ligaments.
I wouldn't get to run barrels if I followed the 3 month off 3 month legging up philosophy. I'm sure your vet has valid points but.....
I think its important to give horses time off, mind, body & soul. |
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