How long to hack for unfit horse?

C

capalldubh

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May 26, 2006
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Jackson is 5, was backed and "schooled" by dealer last year (i.e. virtually no riding hours clocked up :rolleyes:) and then was unridden from when I got him (October) till about three weeks ago (due to foot problems now resolved).

He has been walked out in hand pretty much every day for between 1.5 and 3 miles including brief trots.

During the last three weeks, I have been riding him very gently in the field (we don't have a school), building up from 10 minutes to about 20 minutes. We have hacked out along the road for the last two days, a circular route that takes about 20 minutes.

I plan to start hacking out gently with my friend, but her pony went off last month to be backed and get 4 weeks of intensive training, so he seems able to cope with 1.5 hour hacks. I have spent a lot of time making sure Jackson associates going out with having a nice time - he walks out well and is quite confident - but I'm worried if I overdo it he will end up stiff and sore and that will undo all my good work.

So - if I hack out with my friend, how long should I start with? How quickly should I build it up? What I would plan to do is ride as far as Jackson is likely to cope with, then hop off and lead in hand the rest of the route.

ETA our hacking route includes two very steep hills - the last two days we rode down rather than up (then back up the hill through a big field).
 
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You sound like you are doing a great job and i think you are very wise to be carefull about overdoing it. Don,t forget that you can combine the ride with some in hand stuff too. So on an hours hack you might be spending 20 minutes of that leading rather than riding.
Thats how i start of youngsters with longer hacks , i might start of in hand , ride , lead the last bit home ect . Steep hills i would get off and walk . Downhill is actually more difficult than uphill for a green/young/unfit horse
 
Can I come too???? I am still ill, but have booked my first lesson since I broke my shoulder tomrrow morning - if I keep coughing RI can ride! (or teach me to lunge or something).

I think if you keep it slow, you will be fine hacking that far, after all he isnt stabled, so is walking around all the time. it is just the extra weight (not too significant in your case), and balance (more significant I would suspect), thant would tire him - but you could always jump off if you felt that he was flagging - happy to take turns leading as well if required.

Free Sunday evening??

Fancy a trip to a saddlery tomorow afternoon? DD needs a new hat, as the Decathlon vented one is rubbish. I have also completely mucked up my credit card transaction that Oscar asked me to do for thanking you for looking after him while I was on holiday, and he would like to buy you a nice present!!!
 
i might start of in hand , ride , lead the last bit home ect . Steep hills i would get off and walk . Downhill is actually more difficult than uphill for a green/young/unfit horse
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Thank you - I forgot about downhill being harder - he does take it carefully. It is hard to avoid hills around here, you come out of the field gate and have a choice of going steeply uphill or steeply downhill :eek: My previous attempts at hacking came to grief (he really wasn't ready to go out on his own) as I led out, went to mount, freaked him out totally and got thoroughly bucked off... This time, he is much more confident as a result of months of groundwork, but I would still rather not risk getting off then on again during the hack for a while(especially as he is rather large and my legs are short :D).
So I'll go with say, ride for up to 30 minutes, then hop off and lead. If I come across a really handy mounting block after another 20 minutes or so, I'll get back on for a short stretch, then lead home.

At the moment, he reckons the purpose of hacking is to go some distance along the road to a field with much better grass, eat lots, then come home :D

I'll post with my experiences later maybe :)

Lucyad, we're riding out at 3pm, then I'm off to a film with OH - could maybe visit saddlery tomorrow? Or another hack if you and Oscar would like to come? Jackson is very good and confident, doesn't worry about rattly lorries or tractors (I keep expecting him to be like Shannon but he actually put his head into the tractor cab when the man slowed down for us yesterday :D). We have trotted up the galloping field too (but he does keep wanting to stop and eat...)
 
Yup, tomorrow fine for tack shopping (Derby House? Port Glasgow?), and posssibly rainy hack afterwards? - will call - enjoy your film! Looking forward to hearing how you hack was as well - isnt he a brave boy!

Had first lesson since spring this morning - went fine but Oscar stiff on left hind (not at all lame, just not stepping through as much as with his right). Will see how he is next week (and will leave him out beforehand rather than stabling overnight), as I suspect it is a slight strain or kick, rather than straightforward no schooling for 5 months, as he used to be stiffer on the right rein and it seems a little strange for it to swap? Looks like I have to build a lunge pen in the back garden to keep him flexible though! RI stresses 'remember that though willing natured, he has the body of a cart horse not an athlete, so will take more work to keep ticking over!' Oh great.... Canter transitions have improved after a sumer jumping though, and RI says not to worry about him refusing occasional fillers just now - to keep taking him to asa much as possible and making a fool of myself!
 
Did the long circular hack by Lawmarnock yesterday in pouring rain - yuk. I rode for about 30 minutes, then at the top of the really scary steep hill down to Lawmarnock I hopped off and led the rest of the way (don't fancy riding down something that steep with only a bareback pad!).

MAnaged a few little trots too along the way - Jackson seemed happy and comfortable.

This morning I'll go out alone again as 9am is too early for field companion ;) and the rain is due to start at about 11.

Any other feedback? How slow should I build up? 30 mins this week, 40 mins next? or is that too fast?
 
Well, another successful hack, but still looking for input :)

Yesterday we headed out alone and along the route we took the previous day with my friend. Went as far as the top of the big hill where I dismounted the previous day but stayed on and turned back. Went back the same route, but Jackson had other ideas and headed off down a farm track he hadn't been down before. Since I'm trying to encourage confidence while hacking alone, I allowed it. But OTOH, it was very stony and he was hobbling and ouching a bit (we are simultaneously trying to condition his feet...) so I encouraged him back to the main road... then when we got back to the field he did not stop or turn in at the gate, but headed off down the hill in the direction of our first few hacks!

So he seems to be saying that he feels fine and would like to continue, whereas I am still being ultra cautious and trying to limit duration.

Is there any way of telling how much is too much?
 
I know riding and walking are two different things, but if you have been doing between 1.5 and 3 miles of in hand walking regularly then getting on and riding I would say that he should be able to cope with being ridden for a couple of miles gently.
I would stay well clear of any really stony tracks for a while. Perhaps try an inhand stony track walk and if he only plods and you feel like your having to coerse him along as he's going too slow then he's not ready for being ridden along there.

I tested mine the other day on a pretty steep down hill stony track. Normally I would have ridden down it as part of a circuit we do. I just did inhand and he was so slow and really trying to place his feet, so I know he's still not ready for it.

Don't try to canter till about 6 weeks, I would stick to walk and trot, and only trot on soft ground. Tarmac is too hard, until his feet have adjusted.

I've been back ridding for about 11 weeks now after fracture injury.

I rode for about 10-20 minutes, 4-6 nights a week for the first 2-3 weeks. Then I did a longer ride of about an half an hour after the 3rd week. The next night I either gave him the night off or I did a 10min ride down the track and back. After 4 weeks I did an hours ride and again night off or short ride. I think he could cope with alot more but I didn't want to push it. One stupid mistake and I could push it to far and undo all my months of nurturing. I don't think so.
After 11 weeks back on riding, I do about an hour and half now which is 99% walking perhaps once or twice a week the other nights are just 20 minute rides. I realise that some might critize me and say I could do more and others will say thats too much but it works for me.

With a 15minute ride you don't get very far and the time goes really quick, but thats what my vet advised. Just build it slowly. Don't be in too much of a rush. Be guided by what your vet recommends and not necessarily others at your yard. Not saying vets are always right but you know what I mean.

I posted on here the other week to ask anyone who had experienced the same kind of fracture injury what they did and whether they thought it might be too quick what I was doing. Had some excellent feedback. And I would say that the concensus seemed to be that maybe I was cantering him before he was ready. Although the horse had no problems when I cantered him. Because of peoples advice of the same kind of injury I have reduced cantering for now. I only canter half a dozen paces perhaps once a week.

Hope this helps, feel free to PM me.
 
I rode for about 10-20 minutes, 4-6 nights a week for the first 2-3 weeks. Then I did a longer ride of about an half an hour after the 3rd week. The next night I either gave him the night off or I did a 10min ride down the track and back. After 4 weeks I did an hours ride and again night off or short ride.
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Great to get that feedback - that sounds like the sort of progression I'm aiming for :)

I'm not really worried about the feet at all (he's fine on all surfaces without a rider, and walking down the stoney track was his idea :D - if there's grass at the end he's willing to endure all sorts of discomfort! As soon as he's back on tarmac, all ouchiness disappears.) My main concern is that because he's never been really been ridden, balancing me on top for any length of time will really work his core muscles (and especially his back) for the first time. I'm just thinking how I feel after overdoing the yoga or pilates :eek:

Definitely no cantering for quite a while until he's really beginning to feel balanced in walk and trot :)
 
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When I was getting mine fit again I increased her hacks by 10 - 15 minutes every 4 days or so, I was going very carefully as she's had back problems.
 
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