Hunter exercise.

[Chamfrom]

Hi!
I bought a horse who had hunted hard with the Cheshires all last season. I have turned him away for the last few weeks giving him a bit of a holiday, but am trying to figure out when to bring him back into work for autumn hunting and get him hunting fit the good old fashioned way of 6-8 week hunter exercise - so, when would you bring him back in? I am thinking that AH should kick off early September? so perhaps bring him back in early July? Am I right or is that a bit too late?
Any advice and also what schedule to run to with his hunter exercise, as I say, I want to do this right and get him fit properly and correctly - I have struggled to find a schedule to work too if that makes sense - how long to walk for in means of work per day and also how many days of before bringing in the trot etc... I know you guys will know - help please!

 

[be positive]

2 months should be plenty of time as long as he has not got too fat, 3-4 weeks walking starting with 20 mins or so, increasing daily up to 11/2 hours, or longer if you can, then introduce short trots again increase the time each day, use hills as much as you can to build muscle, open the airways and so they work harder with less concussion on the limbs.
A couple of canter sessions in the last week or two and you should be fine, once AH the fitness will continue to improve so that he should be super fit for the opening meet.

 

[huntley]

We used to do a week's walking for every month they have had off. Early July is about right to start them off - they do not need to be too fit for Autumn Hunting. I do lots of proper walking, ie on the bit and marching for a week or two and then add some trotting preferably uphill and not too much on the roads. About four weeks in I would start to do a bit of cantering etc.
It all depends on the individual horse - how old, how fat etc.

 

[Chamfrom]

Brill - thank you both! He has not put too much on thank goodness and is still really muscled up from last season - I really want to get it right and be correct - so really appreciate your comments - that gives me enough to get on with I want hard legs! x

 

[huntingsox]

Our hunt horses and now my current hunter come back into work in early July.

They all tend to get around 3 months off at the end of the season, just turned out in the field to relax.

They all get 4 weeks walk work building up from 20 mins to around 2 hours by the end of the four weeks.

They then start trot work with just small amounts of trot to begin with before working up to longer trots, hills are brilliant to use if you are lucky enough to have some big long hills near you, our horse were always able to trot all the way up a steep longish hill by the end of 4 weeks walking and 3-4 weeks trot work.

We then would start canter work and possibly give them a jump before going out AH.

If you want hard legs keep up the road work all season. My last season working for the hunt the vet was amazed how great our horses legs were at the end of the season. And 80%+ of their work was all road work!

 

[pinklilly]

The hunters at my last hunt job started walking early July, they'd generally do a couple of weeks on the walker and a week on the roads and I started my job around the third week in the month to start Autumn hunting the end of August. The first hunt I worked at started the horse the first of August when I started work to start hunting around mid September.