Getting a horse fit without hacking

[Jesstickle]

How?? I can only hack at weekends now as it is dark all the hours I am not at work. I can really only ride in the school. Is there anyway to get a horse reasonably fit without leaving the school much and without driving it mad through boredom?!

 

[Sags_Deer]

How big is your school, what about some canter work round the school with you out of the saddle. Ive been known to do that canter maybe 3 circuits, trot 3, canter 3 etc.

 

[SavingGrace]

Interested in replies to this too

 

[tabithakat64]

It depends on how 'fit' you want the horse to be a what you want the horse to be fit for.

I wouldn't have thought it possible to get an eventer or hunter fit without hacking or at least going to the gallops to do fast work.

To the original poster, I would have thought a combination of schooling, jumping/polework, lunging/longreining through the week combined with hacking at weekends would be enough to get or keep your horse reasonably fit.

 

[Jesstickle]

Sorry, fell asleep. I have rashly said I'll go hunting in December and BH probably isn't really fit enough. He isn't unfit but he isn't that fit either!