Answer

By Your Horse

Instructor Jane Baker replies:

I’m assuming she has been turned out 24 hours a day – if this is the case, it’s not the same as bringing a horse back to work after box rest. Build up from 15 minutes in walk a day, to 90 minutes, over a period of three to four weeks (four weeks if she’s fat and in very soft condition). Some other things to look out for are:
● If she’s not been ridden for a long period of time, check her tack, especially her girth, isn’t rubbing her. Keep a regular check – the skin should harden up gradually.
● Get used to feeling each leg before and after work so you know how each one feels. This is a good habit with any horse, so you can act accordingly if anything occurs.
● In the initial weeks, make sure she walks out properly and doesn’t slop along – she’ll take longer to get fit and be more likely to trip.
● For the first three to four weeks, work on a variety of surfaces, such as roads, bridlepaths and fields. You can also ride on a school surface but avoid riding small circles and sharp turns at this stage.● After four weeks you can add trot work. Use gentle slopes where possible and build up the length of the trot periods – you don’t have to trot for ages to improve fitness. Several short periods with the horse working correctly will be more use than a longer period spent working fast, flat and unbalanced.