# Too much training?



## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

As long as the fences are safe and there's water available, they'll be perfectly fine alone for that long.

Are they just walking on the exerciser? I don't really see a problem with that...probably keeps them fit.


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## horserider1 (Apr 24, 2011)

bubba13 said:


> As long as the fences are safe and there's water available, they'll be perfectly fine alone for that long.
> 
> Are they just walking on the exerciser? I don't really see a problem with that...probably keeps them fit.


Its not just a walker, it does 5 Minute walk, 15 minute trot in both direction, and 15 minute canter in both directions, then 5 minute cool down. Its insane! I think its too much. The horses come out of it in the morning looking like there going to faint!


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## Beau Baby (Oct 28, 2008)

Leaving them alone is fine. Most barn put horses out from 8-4 anyways and there's not always people at barns. As for the exersicor thing. Well do his horses look well cared for, are they fit, does he place on them? If they are fit, well cared for, have no problems I honestly don't see the problem. If he is a grand prix rider he obviously has a lot of experiance and worked hard on his training and knows what his horses need.


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## CecilliaB (Jan 21, 2010)

If thats what his horses are conditioned to do I don't see why they would have a problem. 

Sounds like a very typical routine for any athlete. 

My horses are in their paddock 24/7.


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

I'm in a lot of trouble if leaving them out in the field for that long unattended is a problem. My boys are out 24/7 in electric fence and on work days we are gone for 10-12 hours depending on the day. They've survived for 6 years with this set-up. They will be fine.

As to the exercise, I assume his horses have been at this level for a while now? If so, they are fit for it and it should be fine. It looks like he has the work-out times well broken out through the day and they are probably better for it. People really don't use horses like they used to and many horses sit out in fields and are under worked and unfit as a result. 

Now if you took one of our unfit horses and tried that the horse would probably drop. But a horse that has been worked up to that level and maintained there, it is perfectly fine.


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## IslandWave (Nov 25, 2009)

I would do what he says to a "T." Afterall, they are his horses  You should voice your concerns to him. 
As for the amount of exercise, as long as the horses are fit, it doesn't sound terrible to me.
Most horses I know are happiest and healthiest when turned out 24/7. However, I'm sure you could stay longer to monitor the horses if you are that worried about leaving them unattended. I'm sure with all the exercise, all that they will want to do is chill out and eat grass, not try to barge through fences.


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## mistyorbit (Apr 23, 2011)

Sounds like he's very attentive to his horses and I hope he's paying you enough for the work. But, yes, they are his horses and unless he was asking you to do some satanic ritual on them, you probably should just respect his wishes. What if you came on here and a dozen people said they didn't agree? Would you talk him out of his routine? I doubt it. You'd just lose the gig. 

He could read this forum you know.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I see nothing wrong with what he is asking you to do. 

Do you have experience handling stallions?


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

If he rides Grand Prix, then these horses are high level atheletes who need to be kept in top condition.
This exercise probably just maintains their fitness level, I am sure in the month before a big event they train even harder.
As for the turnout, of course it is ok. If a fluke accident is going to happen, it would probably happen too fast for you to stop it, even if you were standing out there watching them. I don't understand why people think they have to be home in order for their horses to be out.
I am somewhat alarmed that this quality of horses are being left in the care of someone with limited experience. 
And OP, that is not an attack at you. I have worked with horses for 20 odd years, but rarely stallions, and certainly not grand prix horses. I don't think I would feel comfortable being responsible for all that unless I had spent some time learning exactly how he wanted things done. And then I would follow his instructions to the letter.
Do you have any help?


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## Lisa Marie (Apr 26, 2011)

I am 30 years old and have been around horses my whole life. Stallions are scary. If someone asked me to care for their stallion for a WEEKEND, I would say so no. Especially if there are mares around. 

Stallions have an inborn desire to dominate both horse and human. They have to be handled and maintained and trained on a consistent basis to respect people. If not they become aggressive. Because of this stallions should ONLY be handled by someone with plenty of horse experience. 

Unless you are well experienced and VERY confident I would highly advise backing out of this deal. If this stallion is in a breeding environment he will more than likely challenge you, especially if his owner is gone and he knows it. 

Stallions also act differently than mares or geldings because they play different roles in the herd. A stallion's role in the herd is to *attack* predators. Which means unlike most horses, whose instinct is to just run away, stallions are way more likely to bite, kick, and outright attack you. 

I recommend seriously evaluating your horsemanship abilities and don't be afraid of backing out. You could always say something came up. Good luck.


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## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

I am curious, how old are you? Have you ever worked for this guy before? If you are an experienced rider, then you should know that those horses are in top conditon and need to have the same routine without someone changing it because of inexperience. Horses thrive on routine and being in top physical condition especially after being gone for two weeks will only happen if you follow his instructions perfectly, not changing things because you think its too much exercise.
I find it hard to believe a top level rider with these kinds of facilities at his home can just leave for 2 weeks and leave the "neighbor" to take care of these horses, including a stallion.He has no help otherwise? Did he leave numbers for a vet on call in case of emergencies?
To me this sounds weird.


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## back in the crosby again (Feb 4, 2009)

wyominggrandma said:


> I am curious, how old are you? Have you ever worked for this guy before? If you are an experienced rider, then you should know that those horses are in top conditon and need to have the same routine without someone changing it because of inexperience. Horses thrive on routine and being in top physical condition especially after being gone for two weeks will only happen if you follow his instructions perfectly, not changing things because you think its too much exercise.
> I find it hard to believe a top level rider with these kinds of facilities at his home can just leave for 2 weeks and leave the "neighbor" to take care of these horses, including a stallion.He has no help otherwise? Did he leave numbers for a vet on call in case of emergencies?
> To me this sounds weird.


That is what I am thinking too. Personally, I do not know a single rider at that level that would trust anyone other then their trainer to ride their horses. In fact even if I was riding at the same level as the horses I would not feel comfortable just riding for someone else who has not worked with me on their horses. 
Just from your question about the turnout, I would think you would not have enough experience to do this level of work. 

I am a working student for my trainer (a grand prix rider as well) and she leaves me for week a so on occasion with the barn in my care. I am also a certified equine facility manager and worked under her for a while before I was given this type of responsibility. 

This seems very out of the ordinary for this level of rider.


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## haleylvsshammy (Jun 29, 2010)

I agree with everyone. There seems to be no problem from the schedule. The horses are only getting about 2 and 1/2 hours of work and although that may sound like "a lot" if they are top horses in peak physical condition it is nothing. I'm sure it's okay to leave the horses alone considering most people leave them unattended for hours a day. How do people think they managed to survive being in the wild for so long if they think they can't last for 5 hours without human supervision? Especially considering they don't have predators to worry about and have nice lush green grass...


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