|
I have started new horses before...but they always
had some sort of baseline fitness.
The new mare is 6...and for the past two years has
been on probably 1/8 acres flat lot. Period. ONly taken out once or
twice.
She has no discernable muscle tone in her chest or
hindquarters. I have been starting her on a walking program, and giving
her turnout in my back field of several acres with the other horses; at least
they can get up to a gallop going too and from the barn.
I would appreciate any comments on how gradually i
need to build her up....should I just stick to lots of walking on the flat;
increasing to trotting on the flats, or introduce hills at a walk?. I have
had other horses that seem like they adapted sooner as far as doing the hills.
Any timelines here appreciated.
I have been checking the mares legs and tendons
after every outing. They have varied to a maximum of one hour plus under
saddle, and just under 2 hours being poined at a walk. This seems not to
be asking anything that -I- could not do (middle aged lady!)
The day after she goes out, I try to give her
turnout. The days she has been in the barn (lots of rainy days here), I
have found her back legs slighty stocked up from standing all night.....the
tendons do not seem sore at all, and she is able to walk off the fluid....but I
am wondering if this is a warning sign of doing too much....or typical for an
unfit horse.
Two years ago I started the 4 1/2 year old Anglo
Arab on the same sort of program. 7 months later I took her on a slow
LD and I agonized over if it was too soon (gosh, people reacted like I was crazy
to think it took 7 months to condition a horse to do a 25-that i was
babying her). Well....it was still a LOT of trotting! There is no
way I would have thought her legs were ready that first year to do a 50, even
with all the riding we did.
Well, I can't think this mare would even be
ready to do a 25 in the spring. I am also strugging with the needs to gain
weight issue, she is a very picky mare and wont' eat beet pulp or anything
fattening! If we do too much exercise, we will defeat the issue of needing
to gain weight-have to balance between caloric intake and outake!!
All I', hoping to do, by spring, is have her able
to horse camp for several days, maybe do a 16 mile ride (hills thrown in), and
perhaps do some trotting and cantering. This should be doable,
right? This will, hopefully be, with getting her out 3-4 times a
week, only one ride per week to "push" the bounds on what has been done
previously, the other days just walking to stretch legs. Going different places,
through water, mud, rocks, and also trying to make a safe trail
horse.
Karen
Karen
| 