Our barn had a pretty busy season, I was thinking of giving my boys 4-6 weeks of pasture time off and bringing them back into work in Early January. What are you thoughts??? With the Holidays around the corner its seems fitting as well.
Depends on the horses’s age and attitude. Some horses benefit from being let down and spending some time with minimal care. Others need some sort of steady work to maintain their mental and physical outlook. Older horses often fit in the latter category. Steady work as in trail rides, light flat work and or jumping keeps them from losing too much muscle and fitness.
Check with your trainer and vet to work out the best down-time schedule for your horses.
I love to hear folks thinking about giving their horses a month or so to chill. It is good for the body and soul, for equine and human.
Depends on the horse and the level as well as the busyness of the season. I have one that so far (training level) hates time off. From about mid-November until January, we won’t show and we will do a lot of hacking, but we’ll also have a dressage lesson once or twice a week which will keep him happier than being off (especially as even if he was off, it wouldn’t be chucked out in a field off).
Actually mine go fox hunting. I think it is fun for them to just get to go out and run around the countryside. We’ll do some lessons to keep things in shape but is only once a month. They’ll hunt once a week and get some other light flat work.
At the end of February we pick up more on lessons and event training. Its worked pretty well for us for over 20 years.
4 to 6 weeks is great but how they spend their time off will vary. Some can totally do a total vacation while others may need just a change in their program. I can’t give Toby a complete break, but I will give him 10-14 days totally off, then cut him back from 6 days to maybe 3 or 4 and hack on the buckle as much as possible. If we can’t get out, I either just don’t ride or I do a short stretchy ride or maybe lunge. It makes a big difference for his brain and his body and he usually comes back to full work very fresh and feeling great.
As above: good advice. Taking off their shoes and sticking them in a paddock is a bit old fashioned. Horses are fitter, better fed, better vet care etc and last longer as a result. So maybe, rather than no work, it is an opportunity to do other things, new things, fun things that you can both enjoy. Going for long trail rides is an excellent way to build the relationship between you, for example.
[QUOTE=Willesdon;7252723]
As above: good advice. Taking off their shoes and sticking them in a paddock is a bit old fashioned. Horses are fitter, better fed, better vet care etc and last longer as a result. So maybe, rather than no work, it is an opportunity to do other things, new things, fun things that you can both enjoy. Going for long trail rides is an excellent way to build the relationship between you, for example.[/QUOTE]
I’d call it old school, rather than old fashioned.
Considering that William FP just mentioned in the clinic at Morningside, that his horses are blanketed and barefoot in a field this year…And I’ve heard Mary King state the same thing.
It’s all about what your individual horse wants and needs. Mine, after a few initial field hi jinks, calms right down and loves having time to just eat and be a horse. I need the time off mentally, since normally I have to ride late in the evening after my day job. Since I normally leave the house before five am, and don’t arrive back until 8 or 9 pm during the season, I myself need to take some time to be with family, relax, and recharge myself.
My horse just did a CCI at FHI, and I pulled the shoes the next day (something important for his particular feet). He’s been completely off since then, and while I might get on for a hack or two over this weekend, I’m not likely to be able to do much with him for the rest of November.
Of course, I’m also not doing a winter season, and won’t start competing until April. Call me old fashioned if you will, but if it is good enough for WFP and Mary King, it’s good enough for me!
Completely off (with turnout) or as close to it as possible for that horse and your situation from Thanksgiving to New Years then back to work and ready to go by Valentines Day.
Besides the benefit for the horse, it allows the human to enjoy the holiday season, shop, cook, eat and drink too much and curl up in front of the fire watching movies or reading books without feeling guilty about not wanting to go to the barn.
Alternatively, human could probably afford a guilt free week in South Florida or the Keys if the horse stays home:D:D
[QUOTE=Divine Comedy;7252778]
I’d call it old school, rather than old fashioned.
Considering that William FP just mentioned in the clinic at Morningside, that his horses are blanketed and barefoot in a field this year…And I’ve heard Mary King state the same thing.
It’s all about what your individual horse wants and needs. Mine, after a few initial field hi jinks, calms right down and loves having time to just eat and be a horse. I need the time off mentally, since normally I have to ride late in the evening after my day job. Since I normally leave the house before five am, and don’t arrive back until 8 or 9 pm during the season, I myself need to take some time to be with family, relax, and recharge myself.
My horse just did a CCI at FHI, and I pulled the shoes the next day (something important for his particular feet). He’s been completely off since then, and while I might get on for a hack or two over this weekend, I’m not likely to be able to do much with him for the rest of November.
Of course, I’m also not doing a winter season, and won’t start competing until April. Call me old fashioned if you will, but if it is good enough for WFP and Mary King, it’s good enough for me![/QUOTE]
You know I concur, 100%.
I WISH Toby would let me do what DC can do with Dante. But I’ve tried it and it usually ends up with one of use nearly dying, unfortunately. Unlike his buddy, Dante, he doesn’t settle and gets more and more devious and more bent on world domination the more time he is left to his own devices. He would be the perfect horse to hunt over the winter…if he wouldn’t kick hounds :sigh:
Still, I think the more of a break you can give them, physical AND mental, the better. That’s why I don’t school, I don’t take lessons, and if we jump, they are very little and totally about goofing around doing silly things (actually, it would look a lot like the WFP clinic. Lots of little skinny things). If we get stuck in the ring, I make every effort to make it totally easy and all about relaxing and stretching Toby’s body. Or I just don’t ride.
I like vacations. I like knowing I don’t have to worry about getting on ALL the time. I like not stressing about his fitness when I’m with my family over the holidays. It’s good for both of us.
I definitely agree that some horses cannot mentally handle being left to their own devices for so long!
I’d do yb’s plan if Dante was about to self-implode from boredom.
Thank you for all the replies! Our horses have large paddocks they go in during the day and stalls at night, they seem to be enjoying the stress free life thus far. No ulcer meds daily, hauling, small stalls etc. I know I am enjoying not being dirty and spending time with my family.
Mine can’t go more than a week or so completely off without it feeling like you’re staring over from Day 1 with her, so I try to space out a few individual weeks off throughout the year. We’ve also tried the pulling shoes thing with her, but she’s totally crippled barefoot, so I keep front shoes on.
I’d intended to take Nov-Dec-Jan for light riding with a biweekly lesson, but after a bit of a debacle at Waredaca, I’m doing Loch Moy this weekend, and then she probably will get a whole week off-off, then do a bit of hacking for a week, as (deer) hunting season allows us to get out.
I normally give 4-6 weeks in the winter (sometimes more, or non-consecutive, depending on weather–this year will be longer b/c I’m injured) and more like 3-4 in the summer.
That said, I’ve always found it interesting that the prevailing attitude among riders has been that equine athletes need complete time off, while the attitude among human athletes is more about peaking for certain events, cross training and conditioning in the off-season, etc. but rarely taking a month off of exercise entirely. That could be right–we are different species after all, I’ve just always wondered about it.
Nobody said take a month off exercise completely. If they are out in a suitable size area, they move plenty and retain good muscle tone. My senior retired 3 years ago, out anywhere from 6 to 12 hours most days, big paddock maybe 3 or 4 acres… She’s in pretty solid shape, even top line and belly. 4 to 6 weeks of very light riding a few times a week or just turn out isn’t going to create a huge reconditioning issue for most horses.
Plus that, it cleans out their minds. Ours too.
Mine get mid June - late August off with an occasional hack maybe twice in that time. And thanksgiving through new years on same schedule. They live or all the time so not like that factors in much. They were mostly all barefoot all year. Shoes just got added on the 5 yr olds up front for the winter.
Mine like this plan and being on a 3-5 day work week. Never had horses this happy before. Less stress for me also as it allows me to rode when I want and not get burnt out.
Emily
I think we own the same horse. Finn is currently pissed off that his chew toy (mini donk) has a corneal laceration and is in donkey sanctuary land, and Finn can’t chase him across the field, mouth open, teeth bared, ears flat back, chin hovering just above bucking donkey butt. Seriously, I need to video this.
At 21 my mare seems to do well with several short breaks. She had time off this summer- about 3 weeks followed by 2 weeks light work (bareback rides, short hacks, little dressage, learned to play polocrosse at the walk and trot). I have my last event tomorrow and after that I’ll keep hacking and working on dressage about 4 or 5 days a week (instead of 6) until right before Christmas. She will get 3 weeks off and then restart gradually. I will probably get more serious around Valentine’s Day. I wish I could pull her shoes though, if you are pulling your horses shoes this winter I envy you!
She is out 24/7 so I feel like that helps her maintain her fitness and stay limber through those breaks.
My two are off from now until Daylight Savings first week in March. More time than I’d prefer but one got injured a couple weeks back, the other needs to be on a steady program to make riding worth it - trying to fit rides in on early dark cold mornings before stressful demanding job, coming home to cold dark chores… ugh. I’m giving us all a break this year. Hopefully in the future I can do more of the Thanksgiving through January break. If I didn’t have to work I think I’d do the light riding/trail riding plan right through that time, but with the job taking up the ideal daylight & weather hours, and no indoor or arena lights, it’s just too much to ask (of myself anyways).
