Fitness help please!

[nemlin]

Just a quickie, my boy has been off work for 5 weeks now due to myself having a nasty neck injury, before he was ridden 5/6 times a week and was fairly fit with the aim of going to our first hunter trials at the end of september. My question is IF I am fit enough to ride (looking doubtful at the mo

)do you think he would be? In the past 5 weeks he's been exercised maybe 3 times (lunging by my partner who doesn't ride), the course would only be a gentle 2'3 and I am praying to begin riding again next week, which would give us 5 weeks to get fit. Opinions please!

 

[samp]

This should be ok, I look at however long they have off it'll take they long to get them back up to that fitness level again. Obviously if they have a longer time off then I would start from beginning with walking for few weeks etc

 

[jesterfaerie]

Would it be possible to lunge him for a week - week and a half every day or every other day with some hacks out to improve his fittness but to also give your neck another weeks rest so you are starting to bring that back into light work so to speak.
I do think if you lunge for several sessions throughout the 5 weeks, increasing the work every week. Hacking out in the first week, schooling and hacking in the second, increased amount of schooling and longer hacks in the 3rd week then you can concentrate on the schooling and jumping in the last two weeks.
I think that he will be fit enough since he will not be totaly unfit and due to him having a high level of fittness before then he will be easier to fitten up.