At 19:25:50 on 05.02.10, Flicka wrote:
Coming from a hunting background a lot of horses get turned away at the end of the season, often for three or four months Similarly in eventing. Personally I'm not a big fan of this as I think to take a horse that has become really fit and then to chuck him out to get as fat as butter and lounge around, then drag him out of the field months later to start getting fit again is really bad for his health. I can't imagine it would do me much good lol!! I wonder if this could be even more important with older horses-I was talking to someone the other day who said they had a horse that went on well into its twenties but then they gave it the summer off and it never came back into work. I do think it's important to give a horse a break however and think that if you give them a maximum of one month off they really absorb their training whilst relaxing and come back better than ever without losing their fitness. With the hunters after a short break I would just keep them ticking over with light work. Does anyone have any experiences and thoughts on this?

At 18:46:22 on 06.02.10, NMH wrote:
My experience is, don't let your horse right down (unless you have to) as you say Flicka, it's hard to get them back up again both physically & sometimes mentally too. But shorter breaks do the world of good & the horse's recent lessons learned seem to sink in deeper during the time off!

At 00:05:26 on 07.02.10, sophieandcallum wrote:
My boy had 7 weeks off due to our ridiculous winter and me working 6 days a week over christmas, and he has come back fantasticly. He is going better than ever and is almost like a blank canvas to build on it's brilliant. I think a break after giving me so much all summer and learning lots of new things he needed some time to just go be a pony for a while:) Just brought him back into weight so working on building muscle and fitness back up again although he hasn't lost his stamina or fitness level completely. So I think it has worked wonders for my boy anyway.

At 06:47:26 on 07.02.10, Sue862 wrote:
Unless there is an issue of lameness I think anything more then a month is too long especially for the competitive horse. Older horses generally stay in better health when they are worked consistently with little time off. They are much more prone to arthritis and keeping them fit in their later years can make an enormous difference in their quality of life. I think the see saw effect of laying off a horse only to have to bring him back into fit condition can be paralleled to people who crash diet to lose weight only to gain it all back again. This takes it's toll on multiple organs in the body. Horses are considered athletes and should always remain as fit as possible. Besides enjoying spending time with your horse can often be more rewarding then the competitions themselves.

At 08:39:59 on 07.02.10, Angelalain wrote:
As Sophieandcallum has said above, ours have been off since mid december due to the impossibility of the ground, icy mostly. The youngster was off last winter aged 3-4 (he's a tb) and he came back into work so much more mayure than when he stopped (though he obviously was not working hard or very fit as a 3 yr old.) This winter he was fitter, but Susie hasn't been able to start him yet since there is nowhere to ride and no chance of riding regularly until we can go out before she goes to work. i.e. at 7am! She can't realistically just get on and hack out, and then leave him another week before she does it again. We would prefer not to let the old boy off for too long for all the reasons given above, but we've had no choice because even though you can just get on him, he will not hack alone (too old to change now!!! He actually will go out but he gets so silly that he might hurt himself if its muddy, icy etc). I have actually ridden him twice since Christmas, but last weekend when we could have gone out with a borrowed companion, it was once again too icy to ride! Susie is intending to lunge the youngster today, but it won't be for long cos there's too much mud!I totally agree that a week or two does alot of good for a younger horse, but I'd rather keep an older one limbered up. Roll on some better weather, and those with access to indoor schools are lucky!!

At 08:41:08 on 07.02.10, Angelalain wrote:
That word should have been mature! Should re-read before I post!

At 11:47:07 on 07.02.10, sophieandcallum wrote:
I have to disagree with you there Sue862. It is not like crash dieting, due to the fact of no exercise my boy wasn't getting much hardfeed like he gets while being ridden so was on haylage, a handful of chaff, pony cubes and speedibeet and a mineral lick therefore if anything has lost some weight. Which I want to happen in winter so he can come into spring lean so he doesn't turn into an obese whale in spring, this is the process nature intended and I try to make sure it happens still. Now he is back in work he is getting more feed and just has to build a bit of muscle back up and get a bit fitter. He has come back mature and willing to work more than ever and don't see a downside to turning them away for a month or 2 in winter if you have no other choice!

At 00:44:44 on 08.02.10, Sue862 wrote:
Actually sophieandcallum you don't disagree you just didn't understand. The point I was attempting to make does not include those of us who are unable but for those that are unwilling. Flicka mentioned hunting, my experience with this is in showing, people capable of keeping their horses fit but because their show season has ended there horses are laid up until the next season begins. I have to give you credit in that you also adjust feed according to work load as well, you would be surprised at how many people out their just don't get it. My horses are not being worked as consistently as I would like because of ice conditions. I have also struggled to get them turned out as well. And because of this I have tried to come up with some creative ideas to do something with them as they are bored silly, as well as I don't want to lose any of the progress I have made with them to this point.In short I'm not knocking people who can't ride due to circumstances beyond their control but trying to point out the errors in believing that it's ok to bounce a horse in and out of fitness while still expecting the performance from them.

At 13:16:42 on 08.02.10, Flicka wrote:
Yes, I was talking about really long holidays by which I mean over six weeks and I totally sympathize when circumstances are out of your hands, Of course another equine athlete I forgot to mention who this happens to a lot is the point to pointer. I know with many of the hunting and pt2pt people I know they turn their horses away for such a long time purely because they want to give themselves and their wallets a break, which I can understand lol! I just don't think it's necessarily so healthy for the horse!

At 21:28:28 on 08.02.10, farasi wrote:
Turning a point to pointer away is not due to the wallet when you train your own, and you would not be charged the same livery rate when at grass anyway. You need to turn a point to pointer or a race horse away, for both mental and physical reasons, the intense level of fitness and work required would burn a horse out if not turned away for any twinges to settled and for a mental break, or time to mature in a young horse. I do not follow the standard practice, I did run him down and he still came in but only had about 2 months off, then I brought him up again and got him ready for the XC season. Having ran ten times in a very short season - Feb to Mid May (as it was then) he would have June & July off. Most would be lucky to run 5 times in that season. Some ran more than mine, but they likely longer off. Now I do not give them time off, the odd week here and there, but they will soon tell you when they need time off other than lameness. My old horse did not stay out overnight until about 5 years ago, and then if he stood at the gate I brought him in, and now he lets me know when he wants in at night so gets his way (since it's my doing in the first place)! He is happier in a stable at night than out, just him, and all he has known. I turned my young horse away as he was not right and needed more time, yet another youngster I never turned away, the horse will always tell you.