First Endurance/Pleasure Ride & Training

mynutmeg

mynutmeg

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I'm doing my first endurance type ride next weekend - a 10 mile / 16km charity ride. Been working on fittening for my cob for the last couple of months as this has been the plan for a while but wanted opinions on whether she's fit enough (if she seems to struggle at all then we'll take our time, I'm not risking her getting injured for the sake of coming in on time or anything)
Currently we're doing 7-8km 3-4 times a week averaging about 7km an hour with alternating trot and walk. We trot until she's blowing then walk until shes recovered then trot again. We would be faster if she'd walk out like she can but as we're on our own she's being a spooky idiot at the moment. Unfortunately due to location we only have road work with the odd very short canter on verges. She's also schooling for maybe 1/2 an hour once or twice a week with my sharer. She's coming back from the hacks with plenty of petrol in the tank as it were, not particularly tired and feels as ready to go as she does when we set out.

does this sound like we're about where we need to be? Obviously we need to be faster for the rides but I'm being careful about how much trot we do on the roads and for our first few rides I'm happy to be too slow to count them if she struggles with going faster as her soundness is the most important thing to me.

Also any advice for managing an ulcery horse with long distance rides? She has hay up until we leave and a small chaff feed before we set off but if we're out for 2-3 hours is there anything I can do to help prevent her developing them again (she's asymptomatic at the moment but don't want them to come back)
Any any general advice for our first rides?
 
You should be absolutely fine for a 16k Pleasure. As to the ulcer, just make sure she has plenty of access to forage before you ride, and consider letting her grab a few mouthfuls of grass every once in a while along the ride. Of course one doesn't want a horse that dives into the verges at every opportunity, but if you're clear with her that it's your choice to let her eat, then it shouldn't develop into a bad habit.
 
Cool, thanks - she's quite adept at grabbing a mouthful from head height forage without breaking a step plus I have a command for her to eat in hand as she can be a strong bargy mare sometimes and we struggle to not get dragged over to lush grass sometimes
 
I'd be inclined to ring the Secretary of your local GB Endurance Group and ask them if you can "buddy up" with someone as this will be your first ride.

I don't do Endurance personally, simply because I lack transport :( - but know them to be a hugely helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable group of people who always welcome newcomers to their sport and they really are the best ones to give you advice re. fittening etc.
 
The one we're doing next week is being ran by the local rotary club and one of my friend's who's done a bit is taking us as I don't have my own transport. Not sure if we will go around cause my friends mare is an ex-hunter and gets rather hot whereas I'll be taking it steady.
Looks like we;re doing the ticknall ride as well in early august tho so shall see if we can be buddied up for that :-)
 
Good luck! have fun and post a ride report after! Endurance is awesome, so friendly.

I agree with the others - you'll be fine fitness wise, and it is indeed nice to buddy up with someone if you can. But you can do what you like, so if your friend's horse is too hot you can always split up and finish separately. And if you don't buddy up in advance, it's not remotely uncommon to make a friend somewhere on the ride and end up completing with them.

Have a great time! It's the best sport :-).
 
Morgan123 said:
Good luck! have fun and post a ride report after! Endurance is awesome, so friendly.

I agree with the others - you'll be fine fitness wise, and it is indeed nice to buddy up with someone if you can. But you can do what you like, so if your friend's horse is too hot you can always split up and finish separately. And if you don't buddy up in advance, it's not remotely uncommon to make a friend somewhere on the ride and end up completing with them.

Have a great time! It's the best sport :-).
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well yesterday we plaaned on doing about 10k, got slightly lost and ended up doing just shy of 15km. Did most of it in walk, but she was still fresh when we got back.
That was our plan, if lilly is too hot she can go on ahead and I'll hang back.
 
Further to what others have said, you will find the Endurance crowd one of the friendliest and helpful bunch of horse people you could ever wish to meet. I don't know if it's because you are not competing against each other, but since my daughter took it up last year we have met some great people, made loads of friends and look forward to every competition. Your ride secretary will almost certainly be able to find you someone to 'buddy up' with. Good luck :)
 
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