How fit for 6miles?

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coen

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I had planned to take my mare on a 6mile sponsored ride this weekend, but I have only ridden a couple of times a week for the past 1-2months due to weather and work commitments so I am wondering if it is still ok to take her or if I should give it a miss until she is in more consistent work?
I have never been on a sponsored ride so I am not too sure what to expect.
 
6 miles isn't far. Take is slowly, let her walk as much as she needs. Don't go galloping off all over the place. Make sure she has plenty of time to catch her breath and she should be fine.
 
If you pal up on the ride with someone else who wants to go steady it will reduce the temptation to let her try and keep up with ones that might be passing. 6 miles is nothing though, if you aren't rushing along.
 
I can walk 6 miles and I'm pretty ancient and fit only for the glue factory. If the horse is getting daily turnout it can do 6 miles without a problem but I wouldn't be galloping about too much.
 
Ok great, can you let me know how long a 6mile ride would take to complete?

She is quite a wizzy little mare so I may need to keep her trotting for a while as she gets wound up if you bring her back too often. I am planning to go with a couple of friends so hopefully that will help but if anyone comes flying past me I think I will be a goner regardless.
 
6 miles would take 11/2 hours if you walked all the way add in a trot and some cantering it will be no more than an hour, basically a normal exercise hack.
 
That should be fine then thanks for your help.
Is there anything I should be aware of when going or does anyone have any tips for taking a young horse?
I am not sure what intervals they set people off at or how likely you are to bump into other riders
 
My 30 year old pony with the arthritic hip can do 10 miles straight from the field. Unless you've been keeping her in 24hrs a day forever and feeding her ad lib mars bars, she'll be fine.
 
coen said:
That should be fine then thanks for your help.
Is there anything I should be aware of when going or does anyone have any tips for taking a young horse?
I am not sure what intervals they set people off at or how likely you are to bump into other riders
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At our local rides you set off when you are ready, so you can end up with lots of people clumped together or noone for ages. It also depends how fast you are going and how fast others are going as to how many people either catch you up or you catch up. I have noticed that you tend to get a clump of people at first horses, then another clump about an hour and a half later on, then a final lot leaving just before last horses, so try to time to leave about an hour after the start.

If it is the first time out for your horse pop a green ribbon in his tail, this will tell others he is inexperienced and may be unpredictable and they should give you more space. However be aware that not everyone knows or will respect this! I had someone use my green ribboned horse as a brake (I was at a walk and they flat out galloped into the back of me in a huge field) earlier this year so as a result I now red ribbon her even though she isn't a kicker more people seem to respect the red than the green.

Don't be afraid to ask people to pass you slowly, most people will ask if it is ok to pass you before doing so. Likewise if you are passing someone do ask them first.

Mine are quite forward and I try to give them a good trot shortly after starting as this usually settles them down. Most importantly have fun!
 
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