Getting fit for hunting

[mamahedgepig]

My 12hh 8 yr old exmoor mare has been in irregular (sometimes a few times a week, sometimes, once a week, sometimes once a fortnight) work for the last 12-18 months in her previous home.

I'd like to join our local hunt for a few meets but I am not sure of the level of fitness she will need.

How do I test her fitness to see where she is at now and what level will she need to hunt?

Also, do I need to plait her? Being a native I would have assumed not...?

Thanks
Mamahedgepig
x

 

[be positive]

I would take your time to get her properly fit for the season as she is not likely to be very fit at all with so little exercise in the last year or so.
It is the perfect time with the long days to get her as fit as you can, start by walking her actively, up hills if you have them making sure she is really working, build up over a few weeks until you are doing a good hour each time, the more often you ride the better so if possible 5 or 6 days a week, then introduce short periods of trot gradually increasing until you are hacking for up to 2 hours, longer if you can, with half the time being trot work, after a further month or so start doing canter work using the same plan of gradually increasing the distance.
If you take 2 -3 months to get her really fit you will find that once she is at that level she will remain there even if you then cut back and ride less, to hunt properly they need to have a good base fitness, a pony of her size will be working harder to keep up with the bigger horses so needs to be as fit as possible.
There is no need to plait just turn her out smartly.

 

[mamahedgepig]

Great, thanks for the quick and helpful reply.

 

[Orangehorse]

If you have followed the above you can aim to do some hunter trials and cross country events in the summer and autumn, if the ground isn't too hard, and that will help with fitness too.

There are plenty of books around (maybe from the library if you don't want to buy) that will tell you how to get a horse fit. Getting them fit is harder than keeping them fit and ticking over. Build up gradually, like any exercise programme you are gradully deveoping strength and endurance.