Fittening tips on limited time.

tabithakat64

tabithakat64

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I need to get my horse fitter (he's currently hacked for around an hour 3 times a week, schooled for half an hour twice a week and lunged or walked in hand once a week). I would really struggle to spend more time than this as my pony who has just had laminitis still needs special care.
Any tips on how to get him fitter in the limited time I have would be much aprreciated
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Find some steep hills to hack up in trot and canter, if you jump do some grid work, increase the intensity of your schooling session (more transitions, more challenging movements, more time overall spent in faster paces).
 
Increase the intensity of the hacks- don't just pootle but do a proper wirking trot.

With that work load isn't your pony already pretty fit? Pip doesn't get as much as that and is eventing every other weekend and coming in from the marathons looking well.
 
There are no quick fixes to getting fit and it isn't something that should be rushed but there is hacking and there is hacking.....

Make sure he is working and marching out on a contact, no slopping along. Steady trots uphill, again on a contact ensuring he is working behind.

With the work you are doing though, is he not already fit? My own mare was intro eventing last year and wasn't doing as much. Also look at his management, how much grass and what/how much feed he is getting.

Make sure he also has plently of rest as that is when the muscles do their repair work. If you are doing lots of grids, lunging (especially with aids such as pessoa) and more challanging work, ensure he has breaks as it is extremely tiring.
 
He's turned out for 16 to 24 hours a day.
When schooling we do lots of transistions and lateral work and he works in an outline when hacking and doesn't slouch along.
I know I need to increase the amount of time spent trotting and cantering and introduce some more hill work.
He is fed hay and Baileys lo-cal with salt, that's all.
He tires easily on longer hacks and if I school for longer
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I'm aiming too get him fit enough to do some dressage tests (two per outing hopefully) and the odd ridden show or sponsored ride (5 or 6 miles only).
 
I should think he is more than fit enough TBH. Ours aren't fed, out 24/7 and get worked less time, and with less strenuous work than yours. Ours get about half an hour schooling most days, ususally ridden just doing simple prelim level dressage stuff. Then a longer workout just trotting in the fields (not engaging from behind but going at a good pace).

They are all comepeting driven eventing(counts as intense work along with racing and endurance by feed companies) and doing well.
 
he does sound fit enough for what you want, however it may be that the problem is not fitness more that he is running out of petrol, so to speak, on the longer sessions so it could be that perhaps he is not getting enough calories for these longer sessions.
 
Not the answer you want, but there are no short cuts to fitness.

You don't say how old he is - if he is young or hasn't ever been really fit it could be a strength issue - that just takes time (and lots of long, slow work).

Is he the same all year round? Could be feeling the heat and humidity a bit. Some horses need to be clipped all year round to work properly (depends on their coat and how much fast work they are doing).

On the work you are doing I would have thought he would cope with a couple of dressage tests though.
 
I don't really want a short cut, he's been doing this amount of work for four months, but my RI says needs needs to be even fitter than he is to cope with the schooling I'm doing.
He is 10 years old and a cob type.
What I'm looking for is things to introduce into the time I have to increase his level of fitness over the couple of months.
 
He sounds fit enought already IMO!

If you want to improve fitness (and balance) I find lots of uphill/downhill really helped my HW cob.
 
If you want more schooling fitness (for dressage/shows), could you increase the schooling you're doing a little, and decrease the hacking - perhaps doing 2 or 3x45mins schooling sessions a week instead of your usually 2x30 mins, or finding a flat bit of grass to school on for 20-30mins while out on one of your hacks to keep him interested.
 
Try adding some oil to his feed - it will give you the slow release calories you want; or Bailey's outshine. You'll find he's fit enough with the stamina for what you want.
 
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