How fit is your horse and how much work do you do?

[Emilieu]

According to a vet book I have, to get a horse fitter you have to get the heart rate increasing. So if you do a lot of trotting the horse will be fit enough for trotting. To get fitter you need to introduce short bursts of canter, gradually increasing, but you need to let them blow a bit without over doing it. Gradually is the word.

This is really interesting. My horse is fit for trotting, she will trot effortlessly all day, but one burst of canter has her huffing and puffing. We have been gradually increasing canter work over the last couple of months so looks like I am on the right track for fittening her up.

 

[palo1]

I used to fitten/train with HR monitors and with quite a strict plan which is interesting and I think can be very helpful. These days I tend to use a slightly more holistic/less tech based approach but obviously have the benefit of previous knowledge with the horses we have in work currently. I do check heart rates and if need be gut sounds on all 4 quadrants after a hard days work though thankfully there is usually nothing untoward to consider! Only once have I had to monitor that aspect after an unexpectedly long and hard day but the horse in question, though very tired, was showing almost all normal signs immediately thankfully - just looking tired which I was quite upset about. I suspect that he had, at that point, some other possibly viral issue which never came to anything in the end. With my young horse (Welsh D) I suspect that fittening will be a longer process and maintaining fitness for trail hunting/long rides will need more work than the older horses who are generally much easier to get and keep fit. I still think though (I could be wrong) that she won't need more than 4 days work a week although each of those sessions will probably need to be harder/more focussed/contain more interval training than the more sporty models get lol!!

 

[palo1]

This is really interesting. My horse is fit for trotting, she will trot effortlessly all day, but one burst of canter has her huffing and puffing. We have been gradually increasing canter work over the last couple of months so looks like I am on the right track for fittening her up.

This is the trick I think - you have to do what they need to do, whatever that is!! I used to notice that even when my horse was 40 mile fit for endurance, a 40 minute schooling session with a trainer would tire him out in a different way.

 

[Cocorules]

Not fit. She is ridden six days a week, but just hacking slowly between three and five miles. She lives out. I think most people on here do a lot more than I do though.

 

[Annagain]

Charlie's not in particularly hard work compared to a lot on here but he's as fit as I need him to be as I don't have the time to do any more with him anyway. At the moment, with the light as it is, he's hacked for about 2 hours on each weekend day - a mixture of walk and trot and a bit of canter where we can as we're relatively limited for canter spots round by us. We would normally try to box up and hack somewhere with more opportunity to canter one day at the weekend but are about to go into lockdown again in Wales so will have to make do with local hacking for now.

He's then worked in the school - either lunged or ridden - three evenings a week for 30-45 minutes at a time. In the summer he'll hack more and school less. My instructor rode him last night, for no particular reason other than to get a feel for him, and I've never seen him sweat so much so (he needs clipping but even so, he was really sweaty) I'm obviously not insisting that he works hard enough! He's still out 24/7 at the moment and will be for at least another month hopefully.

At the moment, it can take up to half an hour to find him and get him in as just to get to the bottom field gate from the yard takes 5 minutes and then they have 18 acres across 6 fields to roam. Finding him at 6pm when it's starting to get dark and it's raining, knowing you'll have to take him back down in the pitch black isn't very appealing all the time so it's maybe not always 3 evenings a week! It's a mixed blessing as they stay down on the bottom fields until they start coming in overnight. While I hate going down there in the dark, I much prefer them to be out all the time.

Now that I'm working from home, when the clocks go back, I'm going to try riding in the morning and starting work a bit later. Once they're in this will be even easier as even though he'll go out at 6am, the gate to the winter field is only 30 seconds from the yard and he'll only have 7 acres to hide in. So I can get there for 7.30, be riding by 8 and home to start work by 9-9.15.

 

[scruffyponies]

I would say mine aren't very fit at all - their situation is closer to retirement than work. They get pulled out of a field at the weekends for a bit of hacking around, albeit usually about 10-15 miles and most of that at trot/canter/gallop.

What I have found though, is that being out on 12 acres of rough ground (which includes boggy bits and rivers) in which they're constantly moving around foraging, keeps them fitter than many horses in more regular 'work'.
Not surprising, as on the odd occasion I have to go right across the field to catch them I can really feel it in my legs.

 

[Widgeon]

What I have found though, is that being out on 12 acres of rough ground (which includes boggy bits and rivers) in which they're constantly moving around foraging, keeps them fitter than many horses in more regular 'work'.

This is a really good point, mine is out in a small flat paddock and despite my best efforts to do as much trotting and cantering uphill as I can (I do get him puffing at least four times a weeks at the moment and it's slowly working), I'm sure he'd be fitter if he was out on a nice scrubby hill. He's also very fat at the moment, and that must be making things hard for him. I reckon he's dropped an inch off his girth over the last three weeks though, I'm so happy!

 

[pansymouse]

I would say Mads is pretty fit for her age (27), we hack four times a week in the summer and twice in the winter. Our hacks are never less than five miles (classed as a quick round the block) and often over 10. We mainly trot but always have one or two canters. I do need to take her for a good gallop at least every couple of weeks or she gets tetchy and won't focus. We're immensely lucky to ride on Salisbury Plain where there are miles and miles of beautiful off-road hacking and limitless opportunities for good long canters. She also lives out in an 11 acre field and can take herd for a bomb round when the spirit moves her (it often does!).

 

[Hallo2012]

schools twice a week, plus a pole or jump plus a hack.

hacking is 1.5-2 hours normally with about 18 min of canter in 4.5 minute bursts and they are plenty pulling still at the end of each canter and ready for more at the end of the ride, i would class him as very fit.

 

[AutumnDays]

Erm.... mine is as fit as me.... so not very! Changed to working staggered shifts, and with the days being shorter, I'm not getting much done in the spare hours of daylight I have compared to spring/summer. She's fit for purpose, which is helping me destress, so a 6+mile walk once/twice a week in hand with the dog (who can't be let off the lead, so we all march!), or a free school session which works up a sweat with her gymnastics! Not riding at the moment due to a health issue of mine. She also lives out 24/7 on a rough, sloped paddock, and everything is well spaced out, so she has to move quite a bit without encouragement. Feeling very lazy compared to some of these regimes though! Chwarae teg (fair play)!

 

[dorsetladette]

Mines not very fit. He's 17 and been on the back burner for a couple of years for various reasons (not his fault). but now I intend to fitten him back up over winter and do some low level dressage and showing in the spring. He's currently hacked twice a week for about 45mins and schooled twice a week for half an hour. He lives out 24/7 with hay and water given at opposite ends of the field.

 

[palo1]

schools twice a week, plus a pole or jump plus a hack.

hacking is 1.5-2 hours normally with about 18 min of canter in 4.5 minute bursts and they are plenty pulling still at the end of each canter and ready for more at the end of the ride, i would class him as very fit.

See this sounds perfect to me! Plenty of rest and recovery time, good variety of things and enough work to be fit for the job in hand

 

[Damnation]

One is retired, the other is an ornament that I ride once to twice a year to say I have.

The short answer, not fit in the slightest. Same goes for the owner!

 

[ThreeWBs]

My 6yo is probably in light work, but seems somewhat fit!

He works 5 days a week.

x1 Lunge pole work or stretching session
x2 Schooling sessions. W, T, C and some lateral work. Occasionally mix it up with some jumping.
x2 Hacking of 5+ miles each. Mainly walk and trot as canter places are unfortunately limited.

Once my horsebox is fixed, he will be going out to do some hillwork and beach rides.

 

[scats]

Mine is in light work but she is fit enough to cope well with 2-3 school sessions a week, a lot of it in canter and 2-3 hacks around our farm, involving trot, long stretches of decent canter and a gallop somewhere.
She goes on a farm ride every few weeks and do 4-6 miles in mostly trot and canter and still be bouncing at the end.

 

[Hallo2012]

See this sounds perfect to me! Plenty of rest and recovery time, good variety of things and enough work to be fit for the job in hand

yep always try and do day on/day off etc and never in the school more than twice as he thrives on a mix of work......im getting back in to jumping a bit now so looking for some winter SJ clinics!

 

[scats]

yep always try and do day on/day off etc and never in the school more than twice as he thrives on a mix of work......im getting back in to jumping a bit now so looking for some winter SJ clinics!

I never do 2 days in the school on the run and tend to only do 2-3 days riding in a row before a day off. So we might go out and have a lesson one day, have a quiet hack the next day, then either a day off or a leg stretch on the lunge day 3. Works well for Millie.
It’s definitely a case of finding what works for your own horse (and you!)

 

[ThreeWBs]

I never do 2 days in the school on the run and tend to only do 2-3 days riding in a row before a day off. So we might go out and have a lesson one day, have a quiet hack the next day, then either a day off or a leg stretch on the lunge day 3. Works well for Millie.
It’s definitely a case of finding what works for your own horse (and you!)

Exactly the same as me!

 

[Tarragon]

It does make you realise what is meant by light, medium and hard work!
I keep my two native ponies on a farm with a friend who has two Arabs, one yearling and one used for Endurance. Both my two are kept reasonably fit but we only really hack. I ride everyday, weather depending, so take one or the other and sometimes ride and lead. Everywhere we hack involves hills. I am a believer on trotting on, though, and tend to trot everywhere except downhill. So both fit enough for a decent 12 mile pleasure ride at a reasonable speed, but they would come back tired.
The point i wanted to make is how my friend's Arab horses are much more proactive in keeping themselves fit. They are forever cantering around the 10 acre field for just for the fun of it! My two have brains that naturally err on not wasting energy

 

[Neddie123]

I get up very early! I work for myself so I can do my work late at night. I guess I am lucky that I have easy horses, so riding 1 and leading 2 is easily do-able. And they are on half livery, so no boxes etc.

Horses are in paddock dawn to dusk, except when working. Sometimes out overnight, but this depends on reasonable weather and no crazy mosquitos! This was not many days this year. Generally I do 40 to 50 minutes riding for each in the morning, lots of transitions and turns. This takes about 3 to 3.5 hours in the morning, plus 1 hour for preparing feeds / general faffing. Afternoon is easier. If I have time each gets 30 mins lunge or loose school, but more often I ride 1 and lead the others for an hour. I am lucky that all are sane and sensible, so usually the afternoon just involves a headcollar and no saddle. I am very organised about the horses, I prepare feeds for 3 days and they are given by the grooms, If I am really rushed morning training is also without saddle except for my relatively new boy. It is a lot, but when you get into a system it isn't difficult, and the huge bonus is that I don't have to worry too much about what I feed!

You must have very sensible horses if you can ride one and lead two. Im quite impressed!

 

[Winters100]

You must have very sensible horses if you can ride one and lead two. Im quite impressed!

Yes, they are great. And I sometimes take extra ones in hand too if our YO wants a couple of his moving. I don't like to take more than 4 in hand if riding in canter, and if I have extras I always use a saddle and bridle, but I see other (better riders than me) take more without problem. For me I find that when they are in a good level of work they are sensible, only silly if they have been off work. Also ours are not huge horses, which I think helps.

 

[palo1]

Yes, they are great. And I sometimes take extra ones in hand too if our YO wants a couple of his moving. I don't like to take more than 4 in hand if riding in canter, and if I have extras I always use a saddle and bridle, but I see other (better riders than me) take more without problem. For me I find that when they are in a good level of work they are sensible, only silly if they have been off work. Also ours are not huge horses, which I think helps.

Polo is just...different to other equine disciplines and I love how polo ponies tend to be completely cool about being ponied in canter!! Love it.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Mine is in light work.

At this time of year he's hacked 2-3 times a week mainly around 3-8 miles a time (longer rides aren't uncommon but not weekly). I mix up my hacking with interval style training of short wall/trot and sometimes canter sections, longer trot/canters and walking whilst we chat. It also depends who we hack with/weather/time allowance as to what we do.

He's schooled 3-4 times a week - mixture of long lining/groundwork/in-hand work, flatwork and small jumping and fortnightly lessons.

In the Summer he does more hacking and less schooling.

He does live out on a track system which I think makes a difference for fitness. He's fit enough for what I want him to do and still loosing weight so happy with where we are at the moment

 

[spotty_pony]

My Appy is 21 now and is reasonably fit. He hacks out roughly three times per week for up to 2 hours at a time with a variety of walk/trot/canter. My ISH is not very fit as he is coming back from DDFT tear injuries innthe hooves. He is currently ridden at walk 1-2 times per week.

 

[SOS]

Medium work but fit for the job.

Recent routine has been autumn hunting 2 days a week, staying out for 3-4ish hours. A day off in the field after each of these. A jump at home one day and the rest hacking. Hacking involving 75% trot and the rest canter bar a warm up and down and steep hills.