Fittening program?

[Evil_Cookie]

Hi.. I'm relatively new

But I have a question allready...

I'm hoping to do some trec and endurance next year starting in about february. I want to fitten my tb mare up for then but don't know where to start.
She's relatively fit... well sort off, she's not fat or thin and only sweats excesivly when she's worked up by something mentally, rather than the physical exercise. I don't ride enough at the moment and I know that but she's quite happy to go on an hours hack with trots and won't sweat unless she sees something scary (like the rustling hedge monsters ie... cats

) So where do I start?

Any advice would be greatly apreciated...

EC

 

[Sooty]

No idea about fittening, but love your username!

 

[pottamus]

Hi and welcome...I started doing endurance this year with my Welsh D...it is fab but very addictive! I keep my boy ticking over during the winter doing 3-6 mile hacks 3-4 times a week and then boxing him somewhere every 2 weeks for a longer stretch of say 10 - 14 miles. I will do these mainly in trot with a bit of walking to warm up, cool down and for the down hill bits.
With endurance you need to be trotting most of the route to get round in the time allocations so you need to build up your horses stamina in this pace.
When Jan comes I will boost things up a bit and do mainly 6 milers during the week and at the weekend do at least one 12-16 miler again in trot. This will have him ready for some 16 - 20 mile endurance rides in March onwards.
If your horse is not yet at a reasonable level of fitness, then you need to do the obvious walking for 2 weeks and building up the time out and then introduce trotting for short bursts at a steady pace. I should think that you would have an advantage over me though having a tb...I have a cob who takes a fair bit of work to get him fit as he can be a lazy so and so and do a choppy trot rather than a nice steady action.
Have a look on www.endurancegb.co.uk and www.sportendurance.co.uk for hints and rides.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[Evil_Cookie]

[ QUOTE ]
I should think that you would have an advantage over me though having a tb...I have a cob who takes a fair bit of work to get him fit as he can be a lazy so and so and do a choppy trot rather than a nice steady action.

[/ QUOTE ]

But saying that... It can be a disadvatnage, she spends half her time spotting potential 'dangers' and the other half spooking at them.

Thanks for the advice... do you think the walking would be necasary? or just start building up the miles gradually, and build up the trot from where I am now? I also have to bear in mind she's barefoot, we do most of our work on the road because of this, it helps harden her feet.
We do have some bridlepaths nearby, so when should I start building in canter? And what about schooling?
Sorry for the Bombardment of questions

EC
oh and thanks sooty

 

[pottamus]

Well if she is already in work then you can just take off from where ever you are with the walk/trot work. You will have to see how things go in regards her feet, my horse is shod and I was getting through shoes every 4 weeks in the summer and they were like tin plate when the farrier came to take them off!!!
My horse was a nightmare for spooking at everything when I started this year, but he has seen so much en route and that has improved him no end and really got him a bit maturer in the head!
I don't have access to bridlepaths unless I box somewhere so do limited canter work really. Also I was trying to get him working in a steady trot pace this year too. But I will only really get to canter on the actual rides TBH. So any canter work you can do will all help!
Yes, if you have access to a school, that is always helpful! I don't so have to school en hack...this is what I will be doing during the winter as he has got into a few bad habits!!!
Once you have got her to a good fitness level...you don't have to keep up the miles if you are doing endurance rides most weeks...just keep her ticking over in between events.