Fitness and hard ground!

[Brockles77]

Hi all,
any good ideas about improving fitness on this hard ground. My horse had two weeks off so it's not a huge dip but usually we would do very long trots and canters around the woods but the ground, as you know, is rock. We don't have much in the way of hills.
I have an arena and a lunge pen and access to very stony woods...

Tips for specific exercises would be great!

 

[Fieldlife]

Raised poles - even walk poles
Boxing out to better ground
Walking in water - sea / river

 

[ihatework]

You can achieve quite a lot by mileage out hacking in walk and then some structured canter work up gallops once a week.
Add in a session or two in the school and most horses would be fit enough for routine activities

 

[Follysmum]

Water treadmill
They were a god send for me keeping my endurance horse fit especially when ground hard

 

[spacefaer]

Do you mean cantering fitness?
Horses don't generally lose much fitness in two weeks
If you just want to tone up his wind, I'd hire some gallops for a couple of sessions.

 

[Brockles77]

Thanks. There’s not many gallops near me but I’ll look.
Thanks.