From a hunting newbie - are we fit enough..?

[diddy]

Hi all,

This is my very first post in the hunting forum as we had our very first hunting experience yesterday

We had a fab time - my boy was a complete superstar & I'm thinking about going to some more meets over the winter. However, I was wondering if we'll be fit enough..? Once the clocks change, I'll be able to ride maybe 2 days during the week as well as Saturday and Sunday. Would this keep his fitness level up enough to manage hunting say once a month..?

I'm so chuffed about the whole thing as it's something I've always wanted to try & we both had a great day yesterday. However, even though it was quite sedate compared to what we might expect come October, I still ache all over So I don't want to get too ambitious if we're not up to it!

What d'you hunting types reckon..? And thank you for letting me share

Diddy. x

 

[JenHunt]

Well done for having a go, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I would say it depends on the horse...
Ron is 18 this year, and once he's more or less at hunting fitness he goes hunting twice a week, and gets one or two other hacks during the week. He is also out 12hours a day
Tom is also 18 this year, and he will need riding at least 3 times a week besides hunting. He is also out 12hours a day.

They are just different - Ron keeps his fitness well, where Tom doesn't.

does your horse loose fitness quickly if you give him time off (say a week while you're on holiday), or can you pick up just a little back from where you left off?

 

[ester]

I think it also depends on how long you intend to stay out too . F isn't the easiest to get fit and I can only manage 2 days in the week in the winter (ride in morning light and into work a bit late ) but essentially I only ever kept him out as long as I thought he could manage on that.

 

[L&M]

Depends also a lot on your country - we have lots of woodland and tracks so rarely have to gallop long stretches.

Mine are hunted once a week and hacked out 2-3 times a week with a couple of short canters. However they also do a lot of autumn hunting and fun rides at this time of year, so start off the season quite fit.

I tend to hunt short days, and will usually be back at the lorry no later than 3pm, and both cope fine.