Getting horse fit

[hebs]

My horse has been in work now for 6 weeks having had a 2 month lay off. He doesnt seem very fit. I've been doing 1½ hours 5 times a week hacking with lots of hillwork. So I was wondering what am I doing wrong? How do you measure fitness? We do have access to a field but I havent been using that thinking that hacking would get him fitter and also harden his legs.

 

[Walder]

in what way doesnt he seem fit?

 

[Paint it Lucky]

How much trot and canter do you do and how gradually have you built up to this? Was he off because of injury?

Although he wasn't off long he was off long enough to loose quite a lot of fitness (does he live out or in? would stay fitter if he'd been out during lay off). I wonder if you may have brought him back into work too quickly without giving him time to get fit again so as a result he is tired and struggling with the workload, it all depends on how gradually you've built up to this. Personally i would avoid hills and stick to mainly walk for atleast the first two weeks of a fittening programme, overwise you're likely to be asking too much of him. Also unless you school whilst hacking/get him to work from behind and on the bit or trot and canter everywhere! then it's alot less strenuous then schooling so he wont build up as much fitness. How much do you trot or canter out hacking?

 

[hebs]

Hi I dont do much canter, there arent many canter paths here. He had a corn. He was stabled no turnout. I did a week of 30 min hacks and in the last two weeks have been doing 1 hour hacks. Trouble is here you cant avoid hillwork. Im fed up of roadwork now!