|
|
Discussion on How long is too long to ride?
|
| Author |
Message |
Member:
mysi
|
Posted on Friday, Apr 30, 2010 - 10:00 pm:
This may seem like a stupid question but how do you know how long a horse can go?
This may seem strange but I have mostly ridden in a ring, for 30-60 min or gone on strolling trail rides with a little trot and canter for what seem like short distances. A friend wants me to ride my horse to her farm on go trail riding with her. She lives about 1.5 miles away. So I would have to ride there and back (wish I had a trailer)and ride with her too.
I will take my young horse who is not a terribly athletic Percheron cross. I ride him 6 days a week for 30-60 min a day. Is that feasible or too much?
|
Member:
mrose
|
Posted on Saturday, May 1, 2010 - 2:02 am:
If you ride him as much as you say and do more than walk the entire time, he must be in fairly good shape. I work with and ride Arabians for the most part, and even out of shape they think nothing of going 10 miles with quite a bit of trotting. I think they could go almost all day at a walk. I do have a Paint, and she can easily go 5 or more miles,with some jogging, when she's out of shape. I think a lot depends on how fast you go, of course. At a moderate pace I would think your horse could go a lot further than you are thinking of doing. Maybe someone more familiar with the draft breeds can add something else. Usually if my horse is out of shape I am too, and the horse can go a lot further than I want to go. 
|
Member:
canderso
|
Posted on Saturday, May 1, 2010 - 4:01 am:
Hi Melissa,
I agree with Sara- if you are honestly riding your horse that much at more than a walk, then he should be fit enough, provided you don't go crazy and canter/gallop the whole time.
HOWEVER I would think a bit more about the surface you would be riding on. Is your horse used to going on roads? Does he have shoes? I doubt 3 miles would wear an unshod foot to nubs but your horse may not be used to the concussion and get sore. A little bute and some liniment on the legs at the end of the day may not be a bad idea.
Also, what are the drivers like on the roads? Will they be sensible, move over and slow down? Is your horse used to having cars, trucks,or whatever drive by? Do you have a vest or jacket that is high visibility?
I really think you should do this - what a great way to get out and enjoy your horse! But take care of yourself and your horse.
|
Member:
canter
|
Posted on Saturday, May 1, 2010 - 8:05 am:
One more thing to think of: temperature and humidity (actually, that's 2 things!). Heavier horses seem to tolerate heat and humidity less well than lighter horses. Does your Percheron cross resemble his draft heritage or the other side of his ancestry? Of course, even horses with the same type of build vary greatly in how they handle higher temps, but it's a factor to consider.
Your ride sounds like a lot of fun - keep an eye on your horse's temp and respiration rate as you go and enjoy!
|
Member:
paardex
|
Posted on Saturday, May 1, 2010 - 10:12 am:
I've lived in La Perche and thus saw quite a few Percherons work. A whole sunday in front of a carriage with quite a lot of trot[over all kind of surfaces and up an down hills was ok with them[even the young one when taken could easily do 15 km [about 10 miles?]
Also there were two trained for the marathon and they were FAST given their weight
Percherons are one of the lightest fastest drafts[were at the base of the french Standardbreds]
Only thing I wonder is indeed temperature, for the rest with reasonable training even if he resembles the draft part he should be OK
Jos
|
Member:
mysi
|
Posted on Saturday, May 1, 2010 - 11:03 am:
Thanks guys,
It is going to be hot here, not humid though.
He was a PMU foal (5 now), so I'm not sure what he's mixed with, I was told a Percheron warmblood cross, he's a bit more refined than a full Percheron but still quite drafty. He is in great shape, but like I said we ride in the ring 90% of the time. Sounds like he'll be fine, I guess I never ride that far from home and when I drive to her place I think...this is a long way to ride but I checked it on mileage and it was 1.55 miles.
I live in the middle of nowhere in farmland and I wont be on the actual road except to cross over. He is barefoot. There's not really any traffic except one road I have to cross has some. People here are pretty good about slowing down but I have plenty of room to stay away from the road. That does scare me though! There is a huge cattle farm that I'll have to walk along the fence and we have not been that close to cows yet, they're usually a couple hundred feet away, so that should be interesting. I remember my other horse's first experience with cows, he went nuts! Tango is pretty much an angel though, I've never has a horse so laid back. The only thing I truly worry about is a loose dog. He's fine with mine but I have had several occasions here with my other horse where I have been chased after. He didn't mind but I have no idea how Tango would react.
Wish me luck, I go tomorrow unless rained out!
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Saturday, May 1, 2010 - 11:21 am:
Hello Melissa,
I agree with those above in that I don't see anything in your post that would prevent your horse from making such a round trip safely including a easy trail ride. Your horse can probably walk all day without over exerting himself.
Monitoring your horses attitude for growing tired, excessive sweating or worse unexplained cessation of sweating, rapid respiration and heart rate that does not recover to near normal after 15 minutes of rest are time honored methods for determining when to stop exercising a horse.
As mentioned above the environment greatly effects what a horse can do and you will find a complete discussion of this at HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Routine Horse Care » Summertime, Caring for Your Horse in the Heat.
DrO
|
|
|
