how to increase hack length

[icelandic]

atm she only does 30 mins of work a day, she walks, trots, tolts and canters during the 30 mins. eventually id like to be able to ride her for hacks up to 1 and a half hours. she is good with hacks so thats not a problem, i am just wondering how to safely increase the length of our rides?

 

[I'm Dun]

just increase them. Obviously dont suddenly go out for 3 hours galloping, but you could easily up the length and/or intensity, and keep upping it every few days till you get to the level you want.

 

[icelandic]

just increase them. Obviously dont suddenly go out for 3 hours galloping, but you could easily up the length and/or intensity, and keep upping it every few days till you get to the level you want.

but like how much more each time? and how long should i go each time before increasing it

 

[Cortez]

Umm, just go out for longer? It's quite simple. I fear you may be over-thinking it, if you gradually increase the length of your hacks things will happen naturally. 30 mins in the school is probably long enough - I used to train advanced dressage horses and never did more than 40 mins.

 

[Fjord]

Maybe go out for 10 mins longer each ride?

 

[paddy555]

but like how much more each time? and how long should i go each time before increasing it

ask your horse. If you can hack for 30 minutes then I would go out for an hour and see how she is. Speed kills not distance. Cut back to just walking and some tolting. If she is fine then do that for a week or so and then increase t he tolting. Then ride for 90 minutes and reduce the speed and then 90 minutes increasing the speed ride.

if she starts sweating, blowing and is getting tired cut back. If she is really up for it and keen then press on. The art of getting a horse fit and increasing distance and speed lies in listening to the horse. If you go too far and you think she is really tired then get off and either lead her for a while or let her stop and eat grass for a rest.

Unless she has a medical problem you haven't told us then 90 minutes exercise for a horse walking trotting and cantering is absolutely nothing.

As Cortez says don't over think it. Just listen to your mare.

 

[icelandic]

ask your horse. If you can hack for 30 minutes then I would go out for an hour and see how she is. Speed kills not distance. Cut back to just walking and some tolting. If she is fine then do that for a week or so and then increase t he tolting. Then ride for 90 minutes and reduce the speed and then 90 minutes increasing the speed ride.

if she starts sweating, blowing and is getting tired cut back. If she is really up for it and keen then press on. The art of getting a horse fit and increasing distance and speed lies in listening to the horse. If you go too far and you think she is really tired then get off and either lead her for a while or let her stop and eat grass for a rest.

Unless she has a medical problem you haven't told us then 90 minutes exercise for a horse walking trotting and cantering is absolutely nothing.

As Cortez says don't over think it. Just listen to your mare.

thank you so much! v helpful

i also wanted to ask, atm she is only on haylage. i am assuming i will have to start feeding more when she’s doing 1/2 hours a day?

 

[AmyMay]

thank you so much! v helpful

i also wanted to ask, atm she is only on haylage. i am assuming i will have to start feeding more when she’s doing 1/2 hours a day?

Not at the moment. Just see how it goes.

 

[Cortez]

thank you so much! v helpful

i also wanted to ask, atm she is only on haylage. i am assuming i will have to start feeding more when she’s doing 1/2 hours a day?

Probably not. Icelandic horses are inclined to being overweight. Obviously if she starts to lose weight (as opposed to tightening up due to getting fit), then more feed may be required. Most/many horses in the UK are seriously overweight (and therefore overfed).

 

[icelandic]

thank you all loads! i feel much better about increasing our hack length now

 

[paddy555]

thank you so much! v helpful

i also wanted to ask, atm she is only on haylage. i am assuming i will have to start feeding more when she’s doing 1/2 hours a day?

I would have thought she could have done 90minutes hacking on haylage alone. Again look at your horse. Is she starting to need more energy, losing weight rather than just getting fit. Get a weigh tape and weigh her, take some pics and you will see how she is changing shape as she does more work.

Don't worry too much, you have a lovely breed, enjoy her.

 

[Orangehorse]

Some horses hunt on very little more than hay.

 

[Widgeon]

i also wanted to ask, atm she is only on haylage. i am assuming i will have to start feeding more when she’s doing 1/2 hours a day?

No, most likely not - it's hard to keep an Icelandic in good shape (i.e. slim enough) on the kind of grazing most of us have in the UK. If you think about how much they move in herds in Iceland - they don't eat much up there.

 

[Orangehorse]

I remember reading an article in Horse and Hound about a very successful driving cob. This cob was going out to shows at weekends, maybe not every weekend but fairly regularly, being driven at home to keep fit and schooled, ridden round the farm and hunted in the winter.

The hard feed it was given was miniscule, I could hardly believe how little it was given. I was carrying enough weight, so it was getting enough nutrition from whatever it was getting.

I had a very feisty TBx Cleveland Bay mare, she was a bit of a handful. I put her at livery to keep her fit while I went on holiday and so she would be ready for an event after I returned.

He said that if she belonged to him, he would let her live out in the field and eat grass, and nothing else until she needed it. It was wise advice.

 

[sport horse]

I read a very interesting article many years ago from a high level event rider who fed his horses nothing except top quality hay (remember the word top) until they reached advanced level eventing and then added hard feed if they needed it. I now breed and produce top level show jumpers and at the moment nothing gets more than a few horse nuts and good hay/haylage. All my youngsters have made up to between 16 and 17 hands and all are sound and competing regularly.

There is more harm done in this country by overfeeding and over rugging causing over weight horses than the other end of the spectrum. So many ailments are caused by obesity.

 

[Cortez]

I read a very interesting article many years ago from a high level event rider who fed his horses nothing except top quality hay (remember the word top) until they reached advanced level eventing and then added hard feed if they needed it. I now breed and produce top level show jumpers and at the moment nothing gets more than a few horse nuts and good hay/haylage. All my youngsters have made up to between 16 and 17 hands and all are sound and competing regularly.

There is more harm done in this country by overfeeding and over rugging causing over weight horses than the other end of the spectrum. So many ailments are caused by obesity.

I cannot like this post enough. I haven't fed hard feed for more than 20 years . I have good doing breeds (Spanish and Friesians), in medium work.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Most horses can do quite hard work on just hay quite happily and keep a good weight.

I would rather increase hay than feed a bucket feed my 2 only get a small feed to carry supplements in.