It depends on the work your horse does. As a rough guide: every 6 to 12 weeks for horses in regular or competition work, more often during injury rehabilitation, and as needed for lightly worked horses. There is no one-size schedule, and a sound horse in light work does not need treatment on a clock.
"My physio says every six to eight weeks. Is that normal, or just a way to keep charging me?" It is a fair question, and the answer depends on the work your horse does.
A rough guide by workload
- Competition and hard-working horses: a check every 6 to 8 weeks helps catch the small bits of unevenness that build up under heavy work, before they affect performance or soundness.
- Horses in regular work: every 8 to 12 weeks is often plenty to keep things ticking over.
- Happy hackers and lightly worked horses: usually as needed, when you notice a change, plus the occasional MOT.
- Horses in rehabilitation: more frequent visits at first, tapering as the horse rebuilds.
Why maintenance intervals exist (and when they do not)
Issues rarely appear overnight. With work, small compensations and areas of tension build gradually, and a horse will mask them until they become a real problem. A maintenance check exists to catch those early, which is genuinely cheaper and kinder than treating the injury they can become. That said, it is a guide, not a rule. If your horse is sound, comfortable and in light work, it does not need treatment on a schedule, and Grace will say so.
"But he looks fine now"
After an injury, looking sound and being recovered are not the same thing. The structures that failed still need rebuilding, which is why rehabilitation is usually a short series of visits rather than one. Once your horse is back to full strength, you move to a maintenance interval that suits its work, or to no schedule at all.
Want a recommendation for your horse?
Grace will suggest an interval based on your horse and its work, nothing more.