  We investigate the microwave spin excitations of the cubic chiral magnet
Fe$_{0.75}$Co$_{0.25}$Si as driven by the thermal modulation of magnetic
interactions via laser heating and probed by time-resolved measurements of the
magneto-optical Kerr effect. Focusing on the topologically nontrivial skyrmion
lattice state, the dynamic properties in thermodynamic equilibrium are compared
with those of a metastable state prepared by means of rapid field cooling. In
both cases, we find precessional and exponential contributions to the dynamic
response, characteristic of a breathing mode and energy dissipation,
respectively. When taking into account the universal scaling as a function of
temperature, the precession frequencies in the equilibrium and metastable
skyrmion state are in excellent quantitative agreement. This finding highlights
that skyrmion states far from thermal equilibrium promise great flexibility,
for instance with respect to temperature and field scales, both for possible
microwave applications and the study of fundamental properties.
