How do you get your horses fit???

[05kitty93]

Hi,

I have a section D mare who I would like to get a bit fitter....for summer shows and fit enough to have an hours lesson once a week - flat work and jumping etc.

I mainly hack out and do quite a bit of hill work, however, I work shifts 4 on and 4 off. Unfortunately I can only manage to ride on my four days off.

I realise there are different levels of fitness but would like to know how others get their equine friends fit.

Thanks
Ruth

 

[pocket]

When I was getting Ralph fit for his first season showing, I did a bit of everything to keep his interest going. Starting with some hacking out, walking, trotting and then canter work. Once he was quiet fit then I'd add in some lateral work in the woods, transitions and short gallops.

I work shifts as well and find that if I'm on a late shift, I lunge for 20 mins or sometimes I'll have a lesson in the morning, my instructor never does more than 40mins. After a lesson or schooling session, I hack out to cool off and stretch out. We also have a large jumping paddock where we can do some gallops along the long side and bring back to a collected canter.

I think you just need to build it up slowly and keep it fun. Great believer in schooling whilst out though. Good luck, I'm not competing this year due to an injury, so will be watching on the side lines when my instructor or cousin takes my boy to shows.......need to keep him ticking over

 

[pottamus]

I have a Welsh D too and he is a devil to get fit...takes ages! I do pleasure rides of up to 20 miles in the summer and have no schooling facilites. So I hack, hack, hack. We have hills too so I start off with a local loop of 3 miles in walk and gradually add trots and build the trot work up over a few weeks so that we join all the walk loops together and eventually he is able to trot the entire loop apart from the down hills. I then take him further a field and do the same thing but starting with lot's of trot. I am currently just about getting out 4 days a week but will be out 6 days when the light is better.