This Fall Jet is starting to show his age of 18+ a little bit. Especially with his huge fuzzy coat and just a touch of muscle loss because his workload has decreased a bit. I’m really happy though, with my decision to back off his workload to Training Level with a few steps of collectibility and lateral work here and there. He’s happy in his under saddle work three times a week, comes right up to be bridled and is sound at the walk, trot, and canter. He on an IM glucosamine every two weeks and MSM daily and that seems to be keeping him comfortable in his current level of activity.
He’s happy and healthy and even though it’s hard to not be working toward new things, I’ve been trying instead to improve the quality of all the work he already knows. Which is a lot-the key is just doing those things with quality. I’m still firmly convinced that if I had continued with more aggressive joint injections we could do more and longer duration schooling but that I would probably end up with a broken pony in the end, that might be irreversibly unsound. Just my opinion, but I am convinced that when older horses need more and more aggressive maintenance that it is a sign to back things down.
Anyway, the old man is happy and healthy. He loves all the ground training and target training and has become a HUGE fan of clicker training. And of course he is the sweetest most wonderful old guy ever.
There's nothing wrong with your decision to ease up on the workload instead of increasing the meds to compensate treating him for it. I feel the same- if you have to go in injecting everything- that should tell you there's a bigger problem and things are getting worse, not better.
ReplyDeleteIt's why I don't start any of mine until they are at least 3 and they still only work 3 days a week, maybe 4 if I can fit it in. I would rather take my time all along and have them around and sound for years to come, rather than rush things and blow them out at an early age leaving them ruined into their 'golden years' at the age of 10....
Exactly. I have nothing against maintenance but with an older horse if you're starting to inject everything time to change things up.
DeleteI love what you are doing with him. I agree-it is important to back off as they age but not necessarily stop.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'd like to be able to ride him for a long time and it is totally worth it to back off the workload a bit.
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