How to Improve Fitness for Hunting?

[3Beasties]

My 12hh Section A (Millie) will hopefully be hunting for the first time this season. She has been ridden about 5 times a week all summer, a mixture of Hacking, schooling and jumping. I though she was relatively fit but we took her XC schooling yesterday and she tired pretty quickly as she wasn't used to the long cantering stretches.

At the moment we don't have many places to have a good canter but this should change over the next couple of weeks as we will have stubble fields to ride in.

What can I do to improve her fitness before then?

She will be getting ridden less now as Little Jockey is back at school so I though I could Lunge her every day and then a few times a week she would get ridden as well.

Would lunging her on a sloped field be better for her fitness or should I just stick to the school? Any ideas?


Also in NL

 

[j17bow]

Is there any chance you could get her out cubbing? This would be ideal as it would be a bit like interval training, with trots, then gallops then trots and breaks etc.

 

[3Beasties]

Yes sorry, forgot to say she will hopefully go cubbing soon. We hope to get her out at least a couple of times before the proper hunting starts.

 

[posie_honey]

i used lunging on a slight incline to improve fittness of my mare - but - it's not the endurance fittness you get from the length of time in saddle if that makes sense? but will only help still