Exercise question / riding amount?

Trewsers

Trewsers

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Oct 13, 2004
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I may have asked this a long time ago, so apologies to those who may already have answered this one!
Really curious as to what you class as "workload". I know it varies between light, medium and heavy. I am not meaning the classification for feed companies (they nearly always mention this when giving advice). I just mean, what would you class as a "semi-retired" or "retired" horse. Does retired me NO riding at all? What do you see as acceptable workload for a horse that you just want to keep "ticking over".
Sorry if it is a bit like a piece of string......I am curious.
 
To me retired would be no riding, semi retired - well pressed into a bit of walk work when needed, but not on a regular basis.
 
To me retired is not 'working', however some of my retired ponies have been hacked at a gentle walk for 15minutes (unless the riders lost control which was common) ocassionally to keep them interested. I don't think retired horses should do anything regularly or be worked or schooled.

Semiretired/light hacks would do short (not more than 1 hour) not too fast hacks a couple of times a week. Some of our semiretired RS ponies will for example do a little kids LR ridesor be models for plaiting etc in pony days
 
For Rosie, retired meant nothing - no lead rein walks or anything, just enjoying being a horse in a field (obviously with daily attention from me and coming up to stables to eat hay whilst I rode Moët)

Now I class her as semi- retired, gets lightly hacked once or twice a week, each time for less than 30 mins, every hack just being gentle walk and trot, the last two hacks Rosie has offered two short canters, which we allow if she wants, but no pushing into it and she could stay in trot if she wanted to.

If she doesn't get out at all I don't stress, it's only to brighten up her life a bit! It's certainly NOT intended to be 'work' though!
 
Oopsit would seem both of mine are semi retired hahahaha

Silver is in intermittent work - but even when fit only ridden 2-3 times a week for up to 2hours in walk and trot with odd canter.

Rascals workload varies based on Silvers health as I have the time she would be ridden when she is poorly though he never works more than twice a week - one lead rein for half an hour at walk and a walk out for an hour or so.
 
Thanks for all the replies. What would you class a horse that gets schooled mainly in walk and trot daily 7 days a week for 30 minutes?
 
Retired to me is when horse has completely finished their working life and is no longer exercised. So my idea of semi-retirement is that it is the stage that preceeds full retirement. I wouldn't say a horse was semi-retired just because it was on a break from regular exercise.
 
There is different types to me if retirement. There competition retirement, activity retirement, semi retirement and pasture ornament :D

I've known horses retired from comps but still leading very active lives teaching others at home :) Kia is retired from certain activities now, he's not jumping anymore and will only go to shorter parade rideouts due to his age and arthritis. He's still very active with flatwork dressage, showing, hacking etc :)

Semi retired to me is happy hacker up to three times a week and not really schooling just pottering around to keep active thne pasture orna$ent is exactly what it says on the tin :D

Just my take on thw different levels :wink: :biggrin:
 
Oh gosh I'm really not doing anything with mine at the moment at all. I lunge or loose school maybe twice a week, and the other days we just play in the school. I'm working on building a relationship with her. When I was riding it was probably only 3 times a week for 30 mins if that, just gentle schooling. I'd consider this very light work but def not retired lol. I believe heavy work would be a horse in regular competition as well as schooling daily.
 
Black Beastie said:
There is different types to me if retirement. There competition retirement, activity retirement, semi retirement and pasture ornament :D

:
Click to expand...

You see this is what throws me when I read Horse and Rider mag, there are articles with horses doing what I'd call "work" and they're referring to it as semi-retired!lol, they must have had a hard life when they were classed as fully working!! (Must be just the competition type horses).

I class pasture ornament as retired - what our Joe was really.
 
Retired what it says on the tin - Field ornament nothing but expensive lawn mower.

Semi - retired is what a lot of people call light work, Hack 30-60 minutes in mostly walk and trot with a little canter. Once maybe twice a week

Light work - 30 minutes schooling most days with hacking 60 plus hacking in mostly walk and trot with more canter

Moves up from here again most people give hard feed based on level of work but actually get the level of work incorrect.
 
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