Does Your Horse Need a Job or a Vacation?

When riding your horse, are you training him or just putting on miles? There needs to be a balance between the two. If the horse has an issue or is unsafe to ride he needs training time. If the horse is well trained he may need something different to do to keep him fresh. A few miles on the trail might be just what he needs for a vacation. Paying attention to your horse and how he responds to the things you do with him should help you decide what is best for him. Sometimes a change is as good as a rest. Or maybe a rest is as good as a change?

Whether your horse needs a vacation or a job, it is important to use both of these in moderation. If you just turn your competitive horse out he will lose fitness, but a few days off might not hurt. Horses that are used a lot often like working and they do need to keep their jobs; it is just important to give them a mental and physical break from time to time. If you can keep them interested in what you are doing they will be more capable of dealing with the daily stress of training.

If your horse has been on an extended vacation he may resent working for a living. The lack of training or riding time will show when he starts back to work. He will often need some training time before he is fit enough for any amount of riding and you will likely need to regain some of the control that you had before he got laid off his last job, both on the ground and in the saddle. If he has never had any job, start slow and assume he knows less than he does. This will help you find the holes in the training that need filled in before he is employable.