Have you ever turned a horse out for months and had a different horse when you bring them back?

[paintedpennypony]

Mare was quite behind my leg and hard to get going even with her <15 rides that I put on her this summer. However I think at least some of that had to do with our (ex) trainer pushing her too fast and asking for things that she wasn’t physically capable of as a 3yo. Like it would take all of my effort to keep her going and if I even slightly relaxed my seat she would come to a walk instantly. She is extremely even-keeled by nature and not in any hurry even when she isn’t under saddle though (reining/halter bred APHA). We are not with this trainer anymore. I’ve reflected a lot on this and know better for when I bring her back into work next spring.

In my horse’s case it will be at least an 8-10 month break before I start purposeful conditioning, nonetheless start riding her again. Combo soft tissue injury (which I believe is related to the rushed training) and major life events. She will be getting a longer break than the vet recommended for recovery time and will have had almost an entire year to just grow and be a horse, both of which I’m banking on making a difference for her overall disposition under saddle.

Generally speaking, I don’t have high hopes for an intensely athletic career for her. Which is okay because she’s wonderful and perfect and I didn’t get her for that purpose anyway. I’m tentatively planning on low-level dressage for her overall well-being, seeing how she likes jumping, and mounted archery for funsies. She’ll be a great husband horse and has a home for life even if it’s just for my SO to plod around on trails with me!

Have you had a difficult to ride horse come back after a long break more enjoyable under saddle?

[sunkistbey]

I did this with a homebred TB. I started him as a 2 yr old, did about 30 days of walk, trot then turned him out for the year. As a 3yr old I added in some canter and then turned him back out for a year. When he went into work at 4, he was ready to go.
I expect your mare will enjoy the time off to let her body and mind heal and will come back to work ready to roll.
Good luck!

[paintedpennypony]

This is promising! Did you put him in full work as a 4yo or did you wait until 5? She will either be just about to turn 4 or have just turned 4 when I start working her again, but some readings suggest not to put them in a 5-6 day a week schedule until they’re fully developed at 5/6yo?

[sunkistbey]

I worked him about 30 minutes a day x 5 days a week as a 4yr old. We did 3 days in the ring and 2 days hacking out. I took him to a couple local shows and did Training 1. Over the winter we did some cross poles and ground driving and then as a 5 yr old he went into full work.

[Zevida]

I have also heard the rule of thumb that they shouldn’t work more days than their age - 3 days a week for 3 y/o, 4 days a week for 4 y/o. I agree with cross training where you can - I like the idea of 3 work days and then 1-2 trail/hack/easy/play days as a 4 y/o.

[2DogsFarm]

My experience might not be what you’re looking for, but…
Got my mini as a 2yo in August, sent to Amish trainer to be broke to drive in September.
What was supposed to be a 30-60day course, turned into 9mos when weather got bad & trainer asked me to leave him for more time in harness.
In May got back a just-turned 3, accepting harness & cart & driveable by relative Newb (a dozen lessons with a trainer, showed a friend’s dead broke pony) me.
I finished him with a couple trail drives with my Club, County Fair, then nothing when it got cold.
Brought him out the following Spring & he was pretty much where I left him.
Did more Club drives - ~monthly - tootled around my 5ac on occasion, but not even weekly.
Took him to an ADS show that Fall - tied for 12th of 14 - arena classes only.
Then pretty much back to pasture until the next year.
He’s 9 now & I stopped showing 2yrs ago, do less driving with the Club (because: Lazy), but every time I do hitch, he’s the same pony.
I give him at least 50% credit for being who he is.
I won the Mini Lottery

[luvmyhackney]

I did this with my latest horse. He was growing so much I chunked him out for 6 months until he leveled out again. Came back much more mature and relaxed.

[candyappy]

My horses come back from a long period of time off (6 months or more)about the same as when I stopped riding them. They were older and already trained so that makes a difference.

Last year my then 4 year old had 8 months of time off due to several issues and when I started him back the behaviors I didn’t like were still there but we worked slowly through them.

I think with her being so young you will see a change in not only her body but her mind and hopefully she will be more willing to progress in training.

[Weezer]

My experience with younger horses is that putting them out on pasture for a few months can be great for their development if they have good role models out there with them. The ideal pasture mates would be chill, friendly, and a bit playful. You don’t want them out there with a bully or with a flighty horse who spooks at everything.

[ElementFarm]

I have a quirky homebred mare that I started myself at 4yo (I won’t sit on mine till then). She was easy to start but then kind of stalled on progress and was reluctant to go forward. She was going through some physical changes and was a tough saddle fit, so I chalked it up to that, coupled with me being a little too permissive, and turned her back out (metaphorically. -mine are all stalled days/nights seasonally) to mature some more.

At 5yo I sent her to a hunter trainer I know well and respect immensely. Miss mare made some progress there, but still never really got over the periodic (and strong) aversion to going forward, particularly at the canter. Basic vet workup didn’t show anything and MRI/bonescan wasn’t in the budget, so I turned her out for another year to save up money for diagnostics.

At 6yo, $ in hand for advanced diagnostics, I sent her to a scrappy event trainer I’ve used for some tricky horses, with full disclosure, and the expectation that the mare would exhibit the same behaviors again, and at that time would go to the University Vet Hospital or equivalent for a full workup. Mare was fantastic. She never really shut down or exhibited the significant behavior she had in the past.

TBH, it’s not been a 100% smooth road. She’s still a 3 steps forward, 2 steps back -kind of horse. She has some strong opinions about saddle fit, work expectations, rider style, etc, and she has a tried and true behavior response she pulls out to make her objections known. However, she’s a completely different ride and more willing partner than she was a few years ago (she’s 7 now). She’s done some horse shows, schooled cross country, and overall is lightyears ahead of where I thought we’d be when dealing with her at 5yo.

I did do a lot of vet things, custom saddle fit and regularly checked, and she has a specific work schedule that I stick to, as riding more or less both result in a less-happy horse. But I’ve learned a lot about managing her, and she’s actually a beautifully bred, fancy mare who’s worth investing the effort into, though she has a home for life with me regardless.

So, all that to say, don’t give up, and it may take longer than a few months off to really know what your horse is going to be… But we know so much more now about how slowly horses mature physically, so giving more time off on the front side may pay long term dividends. Good luck.