Heavy native fitness training suggestions

[tanira]

Hi all,

I have a lovely heavy hairy native. She is a super lovely pony who is forward but seriously struggles with stamina. I wondered if anyone had any fitness training suggestions for this type of pony. There are lots of training plans for eventers/tbs but I'm not sure if there is something more suited to a heavier breed (or if I'm just over complicating it). She doesn't need to be Eventing fit but I'd like to work her up to being able to sustain a period of canter in the school so I can work on improving her canter. At the moment, we are just trying to canter to keep the canter.

She currently hacks 2/3 times a week for at least 1+ hours mainly walking but I've started to get more trot work in over all types of terrain. Then schools/lunges 1/2 a week. Averages out to be ridden 4/5 times a week.

 

[Red-1]

I would definitely do most of my work out hacking. Heavy horses are not really made for sustained periods of speed, especially whilst circling.

I would do plenty of hill work. Once she is able to comfortably canter up hill, I would do most of my canter work in an open space too, so you can start 'schooling' in a large area, and only gradually bring the size of circles down as she gets fitter.

I have not seen your horse but, although some heavy types can cope with canter school work, others really are built for comfort rather than speed. Of course, you can train them to be better, but if they are not built for it, and carrying themselves correctly, then it risks injury.

 

[tanira]

Thanks Red, I try to only school once a week for this reason. Plus our hacking is amazing so I try to take advantage. She is definitely built more for comfort but I'd like to get her fitter to make the schooling easier for her. I was wondering if there was a fitness plan like week 1 do x week two do y or interval type training which is more built for a heavier horse. As I said I may well be over complicating it and maybe a tb one is suitable.

 

[alibali]

Basically exactly what Red said, though I would also add I find native/heavy/colder blood types also take much longer to gain speed and endurance fitness. So I wouldn't necessarily expect them to be able to keep up with a fitness program designed for eventers which would normally have a higher proportion of hot blood. They have muscles built more for strength than speed and endurance, a bit like asking Geoff Capes to run 10km! (realise I'm showing my age here ?) It is possible and there are Highlands and other heavier types doing endurance at least at lower levels but I think the initial fitness probably takes longer. Keep with increasing the trotting and the overall length of hacks, as Red said hills are great for increasing fitness without increasing speed so reducing injury risk, I'm sure you'll get there.

 

[milliepops]

I'd agree with the above broadly, hacking and hills especially is ideal. however for my stocky native a lot of the issue with cantering in the school for her was about strength and confidence rather than aerobic type of fitness. She could canter in straight lines out hacking but found it difficult to manage in a smaller area as that requires a degree of balance and muscular control that she didn't believe she had. The only way I could develop that with her, was to do more of it - in short bursts so it was good quality work rather than lots of flailing about.

Therefore I'd consider doing more than one day in the school per week, because I think the practice will be useful for her, but consider keeping sessions short and productive, perhaps 15 or 20 mins after a warm up hack to make sure she's getting enough work in the day but not needing to over drill the school work.

 

[Goldenstar]

I used to event on event types and now only have three ID’s and getting them fit is very different .
First thing ,weight ,trying to do fast work on a overweight heavier type horse only ends up with a lame one .
So you must give a lot of consideration to diet as you fitten them .
I do lots of walking up very steep slopes ( in my case it’s an old quarry ) getting them to use their backs and this really gets them huffing and puffing without the risking the forelimbs .
I do all out and about cantering up slopes not steep ones at first and increase difficulty gently it’s all about getting them huffing with minimum leg work .
I also canter them in my riding paddock where the going is very good .
It very similar to what I did with my sporty types but they would find it all easy while the draughts don’t.
With my sporty types weight would naturally drop as they came into work and if you had to diet them it was not hard work, the draughts hang onto their fat .
People would be horrified if they saw where I keep them even I can’t look at the paddock .
I find you have to restrict the flat training to keep them fresh they find it hard and get sick if you bang on to much .

 

[tristar]

i do this for initiating, improving canter in school, good trot, into canter down down one long side let horse return to trot as it wants, work on something else, large circle in trot into canter down long side, when trot circles improve balance, canter down long side continue if poss round short side, allow horse to trot as it tires or if the canter is not good better to return to trot, i do this with the newly backed at the start of schooling, i use my voice a lot `canter` gets them fired up a bit so they know whats coming, rather than too strong leg aids.

hacking is the thing for forwardness without which i would not try schooling

 

[tanira]

I used to event on event types and now only have three ID’s and getting them fit is very different .
First thing ,weight ,trying to do fast work on a overweight heavier type horse only ends up with a lame one .
So you must give a lot of consideration to diet as you fitten them .
I do lots of walking up very steep slopes ( in my case it’s an old quarry ) getting them to use their backs and this really gets them huffing and puffing without the risking the forelimbs .
I do all out and about cantering up slopes not steep ones at first and increase difficulty gently it’s all about getting them huffing with minimum leg work .
I also canter them in my riding paddock where the going is very good .
It very similar to what I did with my sporty types but they would find it all easy while the draughts don’t.
With my sporty types weight would naturally drop as they came into work and if you had to diet them it was not hard work, the draughts hang onto their fat .
People would be horrified if they saw where I keep them even I can’t look at the paddock .
I find you have to restrict the flat training to keep them fresh they find it hard and get sick if you bang on to much .

Yes they live on thin air, I think this year I've done the best job keeping her as trim as I can. I've got hills I think I just need more consistency and up the trot canter work when out. Usually we got for a nice mainly walking hack with the odd trot and canter. Think I need to just up that to get her puffing.

 

[doodle]

More work out hacking. Find a hill and canter up it. I had to get a cob fit for eventing. We did a lot of canter, a lot! The only way to get her fit for cantering was to canter. Seems simple. So probably if anyone watching would think all we did was canter about which was probably true but it worked. She would happily go be90. However she very quickly lost fitness again so important to keep the faster work up.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

What is the weight of your native like OP?? If she's carrying any extra weight then she will struggle if you're trying to fitten her without addressing weight loss if she needs to.

Have you weight-taped and/or condition-scored her? I would do this before instigating any fittening regime as both diet and exercise together is the most effective solution.

My mare is currently on a veterinary-prescribed diet of 1% forage of her bodyweight over a 24 hr period; normally for a "reducing" diet I believe it is 1.5% to 2% max. Please note that you are ONLY supposed to do the 1% diet on veterinary recommendation.

 

[Orangehorse]

They are probably trotters rather than gallopers, so much happier to trot for a long time - think of carriage driving. That doesn't mean that they can't canter but it isn't really their natural pace. I would start with short bursts when out hacking and then try to increase the distance, rather than try to canter on a circle in a school. Overall, as they get fitter they will be more able to keep going in the school environment.

My horse fitness vet book deals with eventers but says that a horse has to do the fittening work in the pace that you need. So doing lots of trotting won't make it fit for cantering, it will be fit for trotting. The way to increase fitness is to increase the heart rate, gradually.

For example, a famous eventer went out with a racehorse from a trainer. On hacking, the eventer could trot for ages, the racehorse struggled. Get to the gallops and the racehorse left the eventer miles behind, and from that moment the eventer followed a fitness regime more like the racehorse.

 

[tanira]

Thanks guys, so I'd say her weight is OK, I've managed to keep on top of it this summer. I wouldn't say she's as lean as she could be but I'd say on a condition score she's a 5.5/6. Not perfect but also not as much as previous years and I'm keeping on top of it too.

I think you guys are right, I just need to build it up out hacking, it's funny because she can trot in the school for ages yet finds it tough to trot for as long on a hack. Probably the terrain is different.

She is much better in trot, that is her natural pace, my other one is far better in canter. Thanks for all your advice, I'll build her up slowly. I also agree, she'll loose it quickly but hoping when she finds canter easier it will come back quicker than building this up now (maybe that's wishful thinking).