Eventer's weekly routine

[juliap]

Just wondering what everyone does routinely with their eventers.
In a typical week how many times would you do flat work, jumping, hacking, fast work etc.

I try to jump once or twice a week but that's because I need the practise not him.

 

[MillbrookSong]

Normally I wouldnt jump Song more than once every 2 weeks as i cant jump at home. But before the snow would jump most days to start to enjoy it again - only up to about 2ft 9 thou. (Was lucky that in the summer i would jump at least once a day on different horses so i got my practise in!)

Wouldnt do alot of "fast" work but would canter about twice a week, just steady canters for a few mins.

Would flat school a few times as well after hacking and the the other days hack out.

He was at Novice level

 

[mik]

Come on you eventers out there, share!!! Bump.

 

[smac]

Ours will school 3 times a week hackor track work twice a week and either lunge/ jump. normally we try and work it so that their day off coincides with day in field.(In summer not a problem but winter once the weather has turned they tend to only go out every other day weather dictating. Otherwise they go on walker and hand grazed for a bit The older horses dont always jump as a weekly thing, just as and when they need too and it would be swapped for a flat session but every horse is different!
Younger tend to jump a bit more often.

This time of year they do a lot less as they dont compete as much more hacking more less pressure stuff. or they are turned away

 

[MegaBeast]

During the season:

Monday: day off
Tuesday: lunge session
Wednesday: jump
Thursday: flat school
Friday: hack
Saturday: flat school
Sunday: compete or jump at home.

Will have to change next season as no longer a student so won't have daylight hours available during the week to hack out

I would quite often pop over some small jumps whilst doing a "flat" session even in my dressage saddle and would also incorporate a lot of raised canter poles into the faltwork to keep us both interested. Sometimes would hack twice a week rather than just once. I went through a phase of doing fast work/interval training but the jump sessions are pretty intensive so I felt it wasn't worthwhile as it didn't leave enough days in the week to lunge, school and hack so just make sure I do a lot of canter work in the day to day schooling. Never had a problem with fitness but she's a naturally fit type, would probably have a rethink if she was more stockily built.

 

[JDChaser]

I jump every week for fitness and of course for practice - jumping lessons during the season. Go on the gallops at least twice a week, school once or twice by way of a lesson with trainer and hack once or twice. And a day off a week All open to change though - haven't made it to the gallops or on a hack or 10 days because of the frost and so we've been schooling and jumping in the indoor only, with lunging and free schooling thrown in to keep the horses interested - my 2 hate too much schooling!

ETA: forgot to mention, BS jumping whenever I get a day off

 

[Sarah_Jane]

For my girl at Intermediate level I try and do fast work approx every 5 days. I used not to jump much once every 3 weeks or so but now have been told in order to keep her muscles toned and strong to jump a couple of times a week if poss (not big but athletic). I have no school at home so hack to the school up to 3 times a week and usually compete BSJA or BE every other week. Lessons as and when I can organise usually a couple a month.

The PN horse do one or two bits of fast work before their first event and then no more as the eventing at that levl should keep them fit. Probabaly otherwise as above schooling 3 times a week and hacking the rest. They may do more competition work as need experience a mixture of dressage, show jumping and eventing.

Whatever the horse always ease off work when ground firms up.

 

[Louise_88]

I school on the flat about 3/4times a week, one of those using raised poles. Jump once and go on small hacks about twice a week before or after the schooling sessions. One long hack and one day off. If im wanting the horse much fitter I will do interval training every 5th day.

 

[Hels_Bells]

My horse seems to get really wound up jumping at home but is fine off his own turf so I don't tend to jump a great deal except at lessons away from home and at actual events but our in season routine is probably: 2 or 3 hacks with fast work, 2 or 3 schooling sessions and an event, lesson or comp each week. So 5 or 6 days work per week and trying to vary it as much as possible.

Out of season pretty much the same but maybe not a as much fast work and usually less than 6 days a week, depending on weather and other commitments - haven't been out for nearyl 3 weeks since the big snow came!!!

 

[jumptoit]

Just doing PN atm but as she's only 14HH she needs to be as fit as possible so we try and get to the beach for fastwork midweek and on the weekend if we're not eventing, then school on the flat at least 5 times a week and a lesson. Jumping wise she does very little as her main issues with jumping are being solved by flatwork, so she jumps once a week if we're not competing. I try and keep things the same all year round, obviously weather dependant, apart from when she is having a little break where I drop the flatwork and we just do the fun stuff .

 

[diggerbez]

as a rough plan i would probably do something like this:

Mon- day off in field
Tues- flatwork
Weds- hack
Thurs-flatwork
Fri- Hack
Sat- jump
sun- comp

I try to not jump loads as don't want to make horse stale/ mess anything up at home but will often pop a fence at the end of a flat session. horse is a naturally fit type (a lot of TB) so doesn't need a lot of fittening work. my grey horse who i used to event had more irish in him and so needed more galloping work in the week so would often ride twice a day to get him fitter.

 

[ArcticFox]

Monday - leg stretch hack
Tues -Jump
Wed - fast work
Thurs - can't ride so day off
Fri - Flatwork - practice test
Sat - get ready
Sun - compete

My horse is at 90 level but is usually fit enough if I do gallop work one day a week, its never exhausting galloping work and sometimes I miss it, as I have to juggle between work.

Ideally I would ride 5 days + competition a week but that doesn't happen to me due to work so I ride 3 - 4 days then compete

 

[tigers_eye]

I work backwards from the main events I want to aim for. Gallop work takes priority, everything else has to fit in around that. He will gallop every 4 days, when I say gallop I actually don't usually open him up too much, I have certain hacks I do that I know get him fit enough. I try to have a jumping lesson once a fortnight, possibly in two consecutive weeks before a big event. In between jumping lessons he will probably pop a few fences in some shape or form (small grid/accuracy practise/similar) twice. I'd rather not jump than jump him on a poor quality surface. The rest of the time he does flatwork and hill work. Hill work is also in the forest, walking and trotting up and down hills usually on firm surfaces. I don't lunge, and he only gets a day off after competing or if I just don't have time. Apart from in winter he goes in the field every day. In winter I turn him out about every other day, mainly to save my field!

He had a break at the end of the season, has done every year since he was 4. He's been back in work about 6 weeks now, he did 10 days walking, 10 days with trot, then started adding in a little bit of canter and schooling. He hasn't jumped yet, although he has done some trotting poles.

 

[bigboyrocky]

In an average week i would school him 1-2 times, fast work 2 times, hack 3-4 times... dont jump him much at all, and if i do its either compeiting or PC rally

 

[juliap]

Thanks to all the reply's - good to have some ideas of what works. Spot is a fairly heavy ISH who takes lots of work to get / keep fit.

With the fast work - how long & where do people do it. We do have some access to bridleways / fields but not to gallops.

 

[jon1210]

In season for our novice horses its :
Mon- 1/2 day in field then just a little stretch (walk and trot)
Tues- field in morning then flatwork afternoon
Weds- field in morning then jump afternoon
Thurs- field in morning then flatwork afternoon
Fri- field in morning then jump afternoon
Sat- 1/2 day in field and light flatwork in the afternoon
sun- competition

After the season they get a 6 week break off work then they get brought back in slowly

Jon

 

[georgiegirl]

autumn wasnt strictly eventing last year but was prepped for byeh classes.....

I tended to do one jump session a week, x2 schooling sessions and x3 hacks with one of them being a bit quicker with canter hill work and then one day off.

I'll probably stick to much the same next season when were eventing proper.

 

[AnnieM&M]

Depends on horse but i try to always hack the most
I try to make it
Monday- Quiet hack
Tues- School/Passoa every few weeks
Wed- Jump/gridwork every few weeks
Thurs- Hack
Fri- Hack with some interval training/school in open field (swapping alternate weeks & depending on ground)
Weekend, what ever we need to brush up on before a show and compete

I always walk out before and after schooling / jumping anyway because my horsies much calmer that way
In William Fox Pitts schooling for success book he has his average regieme in