18/ DECEMBER 2020 THE RIDER
Pro and Non-Pro Reiner Article Series Insiders Guide: What to do with your horse over the winter
Pro and Non-Pro articles written by Jen Jonas of Jonas Performance Horses (Pro) and Sharon Jones of Be A Better You (Non-Pro). Together, they are J&J Reining Inc.
Both Jen and Sharon are believers
in continual
learning – if you’re not learning you’re not grow- ing.
Should I give my horse time off over the winter?
Sharon:As a non-pro, I al- ways have the same ques- tions every winter. Should I give my horse time off? How much time do I give my horse off? What do I do with them in the meantime? How and when should I start to bring them back into work for show season in the new year? What should I con- sider when making these deci- sions? etc... Over the years I’ve heard and done different things. This year, I asked Jen for her thoughts, and here’s what she said.
Show season has ended and you say now what?
Jen: It used to be said, the best
way to keep your show horse in good mind for the next year was to give them two months off after the show season. Now, what ex- actly does ‘giving your horse two months off mean?’ To one per- son, it might be turnout, perhaps lunging a couple times a week; maybe some trail riding or a few light rides with no reining ma- noeuvres. To another, it means pulling the horse’s shoes; chuck-
ing them out in the field and wav- ing at them from a distance for two months.
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It really comes down to
each horse and their preference and needs. Just like us, they are all individual with different per- sonalities, and they are all at dif- ferent
stages of their
development. I take all of this into account when considering what would make them the hap- piest.
Some horse do well on just
straight turnout with nothing else, and others really enjoy the routine of some type of light work. A happy, content equine partner is what we strive for! Something else to consider
would be if your horse is an easy keeper and will gain weight read- ily without a balance of work. For those horses I would suggest a light work schedule, this will make it easier to fit them up when the time comes. Doing that is much better then dealing with an overweight horse struggling to get fit! I believe it is also better on the joints for the horse not to be carrying extra weight to begin with.
If a horse is a hard keeper
or a younger horse (say a 3-year old) that has shown this season, I feel it’s beneficial to let them have turnout with little to no rid- ing. Typically, the following year these horses come back to work more refreshed mentally and physically stronger. Which defi- nitely improves their response to training! If this is the case, I slowly
start to bring them back to work at the end of December /begin- ning of January. I’ll add more light rides and build work-load and training from there.
Sharon: Thanks Jen, that’s great. I have two horses who are quite opposite – a 4 year-old who is quite feisty, she’s athletic and very fit. Sounds like I can scale back my riding over the winter, keep her doing some form of job otherwise she’ll get bored, then ramp it up again in January. My other horse is a 7-year-old chill gelding who gains weight just by looking at a bag of grain. Sounds like he too would benefit from light riding over the winter. He’ll
like trail riding. Jen: Another factor to consider is whether to blanket your horses when the colder weather sets in. If you are planning on riding them lightly over the winter or want to give them time off and start back again in January, it’s a good idea to blanket them, to keep their hair coat down to a minimum so when you do start to work and sweat them, cooling them out does not take as long as it would with a really furry horse.
Sharon: I know about that – I bought an un-blanketed horse in December a few years back, she
was like a woolly mammoth – too late to put the winter blanket on and cooling her off after a ride took for ever!
Jen:Giving your show horse the time off after show season (or lighter exercise) works well for those who also have young horses. It is a perfect time to con- centrate on developing the young horse with no rushed agenda. I know I look forward to this time of year working with the young stock and also planning for the season next year!
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