frankieduck
Well-Known Member
I've been gradually bringing my horse back into ‘full work’ over the past few weeks. We’re not starting from ground zero - he was kept ticking over through winter with a couple of flatwork sessions, a couple of hacks, and a quick lunge each week. I’ve been increasing his workload to build his fitness ready to get out to some competitions and to help him shed some winter flab. 
(That said, he’s not hugely overweight to the point where it affects his work, more that I’d like to shift the hay belly and get him a bit leaner).
I’ve been careful to build his workload gradually. He has always worked six days a week, but I’ve slowly increased the intensity of each session. Even so, I don’t feel like he’s doing an excessive amount- but by Sunday this last week (his sixth workday), he seems genuinely exhausted. He’s not a lazy horse, he’s usually very forward and sharp, and I would often prefer a little LESS energy… but obviously I do not want to work him into the ground, so when he starts backing off the leg and feeling “meh,” I take it as a clear sign that he’s had enough and call it a day.
I try to keep his work as varied as possible and I aim to balance strength and conditioning work with some easy, stretchy hacks. But this week, after two days of hacking (which I consider rest days), he still felt knackered on day three, when we were supposed to do canter work and I had to cut the session short because he was clearly tired and wasn’t going to produce any meaningful work.
I’d love some thoughts on his workload- does it sound reasonable, or should I be adjusting something? I know I need to include more canter work, but canter is his most challenging gait, and we’re working hard to improve it, so hammering away at him yesterday when he was knackered would have been counterproductive. Any advice?
To add - we don't have off-road hacking but I do normally try to box him somewhere for a canter once a week, but life has got in the way recently so we've been limited to cantering in the school - albeit we are lucky enough to have a 40 x 60 to work in so I'm not asking him to collect at all.
Last 2 weeks:
(That said, he’s not hugely overweight to the point where it affects his work, more that I’d like to shift the hay belly and get him a bit leaner).I’ve been careful to build his workload gradually. He has always worked six days a week, but I’ve slowly increased the intensity of each session. Even so, I don’t feel like he’s doing an excessive amount- but by Sunday this last week (his sixth workday), he seems genuinely exhausted. He’s not a lazy horse, he’s usually very forward and sharp, and I would often prefer a little LESS energy… but obviously I do not want to work him into the ground, so when he starts backing off the leg and feeling “meh,” I take it as a clear sign that he’s had enough and call it a day.
I try to keep his work as varied as possible and I aim to balance strength and conditioning work with some easy, stretchy hacks. But this week, after two days of hacking (which I consider rest days), he still felt knackered on day three, when we were supposed to do canter work and I had to cut the session short because he was clearly tired and wasn’t going to produce any meaningful work.
I’d love some thoughts on his workload- does it sound reasonable, or should I be adjusting something? I know I need to include more canter work, but canter is his most challenging gait, and we’re working hard to improve it, so hammering away at him yesterday when he was knackered would have been counterproductive. Any advice?
To add - we don't have off-road hacking but I do normally try to box him somewhere for a canter once a week, but life has got in the way recently so we've been limited to cantering in the school - albeit we are lucky enough to have a 40 x 60 to work in so I'm not asking him to collect at all.
Last 2 weeks:
- Monday - Warm up on the lunge in Equicore bands (10 mins walk, 4 mins trot) then 40 mins flatwork under saddle (with lots of walk breaks) – Equilab tracked 12 mins of trot and 4 mins canter for ridden work.
- Tuesday - 3 miles hack for 45 mins, brisk walk.
- Wednesday - 3 miles hack for 40 mins, mostly brisk walk with 5 mins of trotting up hills.
- Thursday – Day off
- Friday - 20 mins on Water Treadmill with incline (I should add, he's been going weekly for over a year and does not find this particularly hard any more)
- Saturday – 45 minute polework clinic, although only around 20 mins actually working over poles
- Sunday - 30 mins gridwork session – around 10 mins actual jumping plus warm up/cool down
- Monday – Day off
- Tuesday - Warm up on the lunge in Equicore bands (10 mins walk, 6 mins trot) & then 15 mins lunge (15 mins in trot, no gadgets, with 5 mins on each rein over trot poles)
- Wednesday – 20 mins on Water Treadmill with incline
- Thursday - Warm up on the lunge in Equicore bands (10 mins walk, 6 mins trot) then 45 mins flatwork under saddle (with lots of walk breaks) – Equilab tracked 12 mins of trot and 7 mins canter for ridden work – we only did so much as he was a keen bean and kept taking off with me so decided if he wanted to canter off with me, we would just work in canter then!
- Friday – 3 miles hack for 40 mins, mostly brisk walk with 5 mins of trotting up hills.
- Saturday – Relaxed hack in company, 5 miles taking 90 mins pretty much all walk.
- Sunday - 3 miles hack for 45 mins, mostly brisk walk, couple of short trots. Popped in the school when we got back for 15 mins but cut session short as horse seemed pooped!
40 mins to be fair is my tracked time which includes standing and waiting for cars to pass, and getting off back at the yard. His average speed in walk according to Equilab is 6.5mph.
