Fast/canter work...how far/how much?

[palo1]

I'm just interested to hear what others do in terms of regular canter/fast work as trying to get a perspective on my mare's fitness levels. She has a summer pollen allergy that results in respiratory symptoms so is managed and medicated seasonally! My vet has been really brilliant about getting Alw to be like a 'normal' horse (she's a Welshie...) and he advised really regular canter work to keep her fit and use her lungs. She is not competing so I am not especially measuring speed, but more distance, recovery and time.

Most weeks she is cantered between 1-2 miles 4 or 5 times a week: over upland tracks - mostly not really steep but uphill or on flattish ground. Today the naughty thing decided downhill at speed is fun too . On really warm days I reduce the ask but today was pretty muggy/warm and she was good for 1.8 miles. Recovery was good. How does that sound in terms of 'normal'? We popped a few jumps too but they are small lol! Thank you for any comparisons/perspectives: I mostly ride alone and whilst I know that when she is adrenalised she will work harder, I'd like a better sense of her daily/un-adrenalised fitness. I know it might seem tricky as all horses are different and in different levels and types of work too but if you don't ask...

 

[TheMule]

She should be pretty fit on that! I don’t have any places to canter out hacking so Nova canters once a week- either 4 runs up a short but steep hill or a longer beach canter- probably around 3 mins at steady pace and then a couple of shorter, sharper sprints. That's for low level eventing.

 

[First Frost]

I would say your horse will be pretty fit doing that much canter work.
My younger horse (8) dressages at elementary, just beginning to compete at medium, and also showjumps. He goes to the gallops once a week. When there he does 3 7/8 of a miles circuits . Each one separated with a circuit in walk and a little trot.
He also does 2 hacks of between 5 and 7 miles a week with plenty of trot and some canter. Plus 2 schooling sessions and a jumping session.

 

[ihatework]

Seems quite a lot to me!

 

[palo1]

She should be pretty fit on that! I don’t have any places to canter out hacking so Nova canters once a week- either 4 runs up a short but steep hill or a longer beach canter- probably around 3 mins at steady pace and then a couple of shorter, sharper sprints. That's for low level eventing.

Thank you I think she is pretty fit and usually really feels fab after the pollen and particular mould spore season is over but I would not ask her to go eventing tbh as some days are clearly less comfortable than others and on those days her energy is a bit less and her recovery slower. She has stormed round a very steep and rocky 18 miles this summer but due to terrain that was fairly steady. The regular fast work seems very helpful for her issues but I am careful to listen and not ask for too much. I am not sure what might be considered normal for hacking/all rounder fitness so it's interesting to hear other people's work!

 

[palo1]

Seems quite a lot to me!

Yes, it feels like that tbh. I have noticed that she is better with regular canter work than not. Some days she will do less than a mile - maybe steeper hills or she has less oomph. I tend to play it by ear but consider a decent level of energy and good recovery after anything over about 1.3-1.5 miles indicates we have her allergy well controlled. It's far more about symptom control and support than distance/speed et c and she has a day off after those fast work days unless she is being daft in which case she might be worked 2 days in a row! I would be happy to do less and in the winter she does not need to do that kind of work really so I can put less miles on her legs. Also, once she is fit at the end of summer, she can tick over a bit more in the easy (for her!) weather.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Caveat that I am over careful as I have a big 4yo, but I hack 5-7 miles once or twice a week with 3 uphill canters/gallops of mostly less than a minute each probably - it's just the hacking that we have.
He also schools once, potentially twice if I have a lesson.

 

[palo1]

Caveat that I am over careful as I have a big 4yo, but I hack 5-7 miles once or twice a week with 3 uphill canters/gallops of mostly less than a minute each probably - it's just the hacking that we have.
He also schools once, potentially twice if I have a lesson.

Yes, Alw's level of work wouldn't be appropriate for a growing 4y/o! My vet has encouraged me to see the fast/interval work as therapeutic, supportive rather than as a desirable training outcome.

 

[Caol Ila]

What canter? LOL. There are about three places in all of our hacking where you can reliably get about 30 seconds of canter. If it's dry on the grass (in other words, about one day per year if you're lucky), you can get a little bit more. Everything else is rocky, and then some more rocky.

 

[WrongLeg]

What canter? LOL. There are about three places in all of our hacking where you can reliably get about 30 seconds of canter. If it's dry on the grass (in other words, about one day per year if you're lucky), you can get a little bit more. Everything else is rocky, and then some more rocky.

My mare canters over the heather/ and jumps all the (mossy) rocks/ tree stumps.

I think appropriate work and fitness depends on type.
I am used to exercising sport horse/ light types. I now have a Highland (for easy keeping) and have discovered that a native or draught type needs to be much fitter to do the same amount of work.

 

[Lady Jane]

You're lucky you an canter anywnhere at the moment and I don't have anu long canters like that even when the ground is good.
What area of the country are you, I might move there!

 

[Caol Ila]

My mare canters over the heather/ and jumps all the (mossy) rocks/ tree stumps.

I think appropriate work and fitness depends on type.
I am used to exercising sport horse/ light types. I now have a Highland (for easy keeping) and have discovered that a native or draught type needs to be much fitter to do the same amount of work.

What heather?? It’s all just sharp rocks where I am. My feral Highland won’t do speed unless he thinks the footing isn’t stupid.

 

[palo1]

You're lucky you an canter anywnhere at the moment and I don't have anu long canters like that even when the ground is good.
What area of the country are you, I might move there!

We are in the Brecon Beacons There is good going and very tricky going available! I am reasonably cautious about canter work but know my local tracks very well. I don't generally canter for more than a mile at a time and that is on old, springy hill turf. I try to do intervals really to coincide with the better going. Today my naughty, wayward pony carted me downhill over some less than optimum going (down a steep rutted bank) but she is very practiced at finding the best track so rather than unbalance her, I sort of had to go with it...I was happy enough to feel her enthusiasm too . Maybe I am doing too much with her but this summer is the best she has been since she was diagnosed with a respiratory issue. I think the fast work is part of that but I do wonder about how much to do

 

[palo1]

What heather?? It’s all just sharp rocks where I am. My feral Highland won’t do speed unless he thinks the footing isn’t stupid.

Sharp rocks are the worst! Sensible pony.

 

[rara007]

Our ground is nowhere near suitable for a mile of canter at the moment! The max mine ever get in is 1km stretches or arena work but that’s usually more like a minute or two, not 4min solid, unless working on fitness but even then 4min solid reps is more than mine usually need. We usually do 1min reps.

 

[palo1]

My mare canters over the heather/ and jumps all the (mossy) rocks/ tree stumps.

I think appropriate work and fitness depends on type.
I am used to exercising sport horse/ light types. I now have a Highland (for easy keeping) and have discovered that a native or draught type needs to be much fitter to do the same amount of work.

Yes. We have 2 pb Arabs who would barely need any work for the same level of fitness as my native girl: I think that is definitely a factor, along with the good doer tendency, higher muscle mass and more slow twitch muscle! Also, she is very dark bay so stores heat. Poor thing, summer is rather trying for her but keeping her fit really does seem to help. It just takes more than it would a sport horse.

 

[WrongLeg]

What heather?? It’s all just sharp rocks where I am. My feral Highland won’t do speed unless he thinks the footing isn’t stupid.

I think your Highland has more sense than mine. As a foal at foot, she grew-up bog hopping on the west coast of Scotland so her policy is if in doubt, jump it.

My mare will go 1 1/2 miles at steady canter on a flat newly cut silage field in a two point seat, with no encouragement whatsoever. She will walk for 1/2 mile and repeat.

I need to canter her around a field before any schooling to get rid of some beans.

I would expect a thoroughbred X to go at least twice as far for longer at the same level of fitness.

 

[palo1]

Our ground is nowhere near suitable for a mile of canter at the moment! The max mine ever get in is 1km stretches or arena work but that’s usually more like a minute or two, not 4min solid, unless working on fitness but even then 4min solid reps is more than mine usually need. We usually do 1min reps.

Yes, 1 minute reps are good and might be better strategically. I like to canter until I can feel her taking deep breaths: that may take more than a minute - I dunno! But then we keep going over the nice ground and take a breather over the less good stuff. My vet said the deep breaths are good in terms of really getting a good emptying and re+ filling of her lungs. I have done some 1 minute uphill canter reps up to about 5 I think but she gets a bit bored, and then daft, and I definitely prefer to sail over the hill jumping the little gullies and so on!! Perhaps I should get more organized. Interesting. Sometimes she is quite zoomy, other times it's just a good strong canter. She definitely doesn't have the blistering speed of my Anglo but his legs shouldn't really be doing that speed over the hill either .

 

[palo1]

I think your Highland has more sense than mine. As a foal at foot, she grew-up bog hopping on the west coast of Scotland so her policy is if in doubt, jump it.

My mare will go 1 1/2 miles at steady canter on a flat newly cut silage field in a two point seat, with no encouragement whatsoever. She will walk for 1/2 mile and repeat.

I need to canter her around a field before any schooling to get rid of some beans.

I would expect a thoroughbred X to go at least twice as far for longer at the same level of fitness.

Thank you - this is a very helpful comparison of types.

 

[WrongLeg]

Cairngorms!
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I long for some hedges and a big brave hunter to clear them.

You're lucky you an canter anywnhere at the moment and I don't have anu long canters like that even when the ground is good.
What area of the country are you, I might move there.

 

[ihatework]

Yes. We have 2 pb Arabs who would barely need any work for the same level of fitness as my native girl: I think that is definitely a factor, along with the good doer tendency, higher muscle mass and more slow twitch muscle! Also, she is very dark bay so stores heat. Poor thing, summer is rather trying for her but keeping her fit really does seem to help. It just takes more than it would a sport horse.

Yes sometimes it is just that way.

My big eventer was half cob and had wind issues. To be competitive at N/2* he was doing canterwork akin to an advanced horse. It was one of the factors in me selling him, if I were to have stepped him up to Intermediate the fitness work he would have needed to have done may well have broken him down. So he is now happy as a schoolmaster at 100/1*

 

[Tarragon]

I am also in awe of all that canter work! Nowhere to canter. We have to use trotting up hills for fitness.

 

[SEL]

Also in awe! I have one decent field margin and even the microcob is down there in a flash.

Everywhere else goes from too boggy to too hard in about 5 days.

We have stubble fields now but the ground is so dry there are earthquake cracks in them and I don't fancy face planting or worse.

 

[WrongLeg]

I use trotting uphills for fitness: I think it’s more effective.

Some horses get frustrated when not allowed to blow the cob webs away with a canter.

I am also in awe of all that canter work! Nowhere to canter. We have to use trotting up hills for fitness.

 

[Tarragon]

I used to livery on a sheep farm that had a big hill you could ride up. The old farmer used to say that his daughters (now grown up and gone away) used to walk their horses to the top, and come back down, then trot them to the top, and come back down, then canter to the top and come back down, and that was it! Horse exercised.

 

[Follysmum]

I have a trotter x and did low level endurance 50 miles and less.

I hardly ever cantered as he couldn’t really very well . Most of our fitness was in walk up hills and trot and interval training .

Never had any leg and lame issues in 18 yrs and was very fit for the mileage he was doing.

Walking properly is very underrated.

 

[palo1]

I have a trotter x and did low level endurance 50 miles and less.

I hardly ever cantered as he couldn’t really very well . Most of our fitness was in walk up hills and trot and interval training .

Never had any leg and lame issues in 18 yrs and was very fit for the mileage he was doing.

Walking properly is very underrated.

I agree with this and was always told to walk until I was sick of it, then walk some more till I couldn't bear it,then walk some more! We do loads of walking on the hills and up and down them: it's brilliant.

 

[palo1]

Also in awe! I have one decent field margin and even the microcob is down there in a flash.

Everywhere else goes from too boggy to too hard in about 5 days.

We have stubble fields now but the ground is so dry there are earthquake cracks in them and I don't fancy face planting or worse.

We are fortunate that we have direct access to decent hill turf but that can also be too wet/slippy so I do what I can, when I can and it slightly mitigates having absolutely no other facilities or easy access to training folks. I used to adore sneaky verge cantering!!

 

[palo1]

I use trotting uphills for fitness: I think it’s more effective.

Some horses get frustrated when not allowed to blow the cob webs away with a canter.

Yes, it is interesting - trotting is good but when I was doing endurance events my vet always said he thought canter was less concussive, but obviously needed to be balanced over both leads. My vet has advised faster work for my mare's lungs: she needs that extra effort to really empty and refill them. He is happy with how she is doing this summer but obviously I am mindful of the ground and give plenty of rest. It has taken 2 years really to get her fit enough for the work we are doing too so very slowly progressed.

 

[palo1]

Yes sometimes it is just that way.

My big eventer was half cob and had wind issues. To be competitive at N/2* he was doing canterwork akin to an advanced horse. It was one of the factors in me selling him, if I were to have stepped him up to Intermediate the fitness work he would have needed to have done may well have broken him down. So he is now happy as a schoolmaster at 100/1*

Yes, this is something I am aware of...I feel a bit between a rock and a hard place: I don't think it's ok for my horse to lose her wind health in the pollen season - it must be miserable for her tbh so anything I can do to help, I will. But of course that in itself may cause an issue. Vet currently very happy with her progress: lungs are clear and respiration is normal in depth of breaths and respiratory rate. She is regularly trotted up too but that will not diagnose over-work.We think regular canter work is part of a good programme for her and she doesn't do the same level of fast work during the rest of the year. I think that horses break easily. She has an issue which might break her so the work is a sensible risk at the moment. I think she is the best she has been and I am very aware of finding a balance but...Maybe I should worry less about the 3-4 months where she is affected...I don't know! I do think that respiratory exercise has been demonstrated to help too.