I need a training plan...

Ambers Echo

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Does this sort of things exist for horse riders?? I am very happy with my separate dressage and jumping instructors but I feel like it would be useful to have a plan that pulls it all together and includes fitness and schooling in between the lessons. I can only afford lessons once a month or so in each discipline so most of the time I am just bumbling along fairly cluelessly.

When I was doing a lot of triathlons I used to just swim/bike/run whenever in a fairly haphazard way but for one year when I was wanting to do an ironman I used an online coach who structured my training for me and gave me feedback on each session and told me what competitions to use as training/warm up comps to prepare for the event and what strength training I needed to add in etc. He identifuied my weaknesses and focused the training around those. The improvement by adding in some structure and focus was astonishing even though I did not really train that many more hours a week. And it did not cost much either as it was just a weekly email with the following week's plan attached and very occasionally a phone call.

Does such a thing exist for riders? Do you think it would help? If so, can anyone recommend anyone? My jumping and dressage lessons are private so I can work on what I want to work on in them. TIA x
 

Littlebear

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When you train to be a coach, bhs or ukcc (but more ukcc now there is a lot of emphasis on this, goals, training plans etc etc so most well qualified trainers will have had to go through training in that area so should be able to help you here, you might just have to ask!
I have personally found that the event trainers are more goal and plan orientated so maybe looking up your local ukcc level 3 event coach could help? (Not that others cant its just the route I would go in your shoes).
 

be positive

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I have no idea if what you are thinking of exists but you can set a plan up for yourself easily enough, we always had an end of season goal and a mid season one and based entries around them, a SJ outing or two to prep for an event, some dressage to try and improve the scores are built in at appropriate times, plans still ended up being changed due to weather, injury, a poor performance etc but you can still have the fitness and training in place even if the comps move about a bit.

I think for a trainer to advise by email is a bit tricky if they don't know you because there are 2 athletes to consider with 3 phases to work on as well as the fitness, a lot could be lost if the rider or trainer interprets in different ways, at the lower levels of BE the range of ability, fitness and competence is so variable I think it would take a very brave trainer to offer this service although I can see the appeal for some riders who may struggle to afford regular training.
 

Ambers Echo

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My jumping instructor is an eventer. Perhaps I'll talk to her and see if she would also structure the training more generally.
 

milliepops

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My jumping instructor is an eventer. Perhaps I'll talk to her and see if she would also structure the training more generally.
that sounds like a good plan, as she already knows you well. I think there are so many variables when you have 3 phases to get right, each horse and rider combination probably needs a bespoke plan.
 

daffy44

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I think virtually all trainers of any discipline will help with a training plan, talk to your instructors who know you and the horse well, and see what they can devise for you.
 

flying_high

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I think you have to put it together yourself, in combination with you and your horse's support team, and your own knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses.

So for you feedback from doctor / health issues / physio / sports massage / riding trainers any gym or classes e.g. pilates trainers, and observations etc.

For horse - combination of feedback from what you think is lacking / feedback from trainers / from others doing the level of competition you want to be doing (so if professionals recommend galloping twice a month for Novice eventing etc.) / feedback from physio / equine bodyworker and suggested exercises.

So for example one of my horses lacks connection and core strength (having been unsound for a period). He does some work over raised poles, and in the equicore and some hill work to try and improve this.

I have asthma, and have to work on my aerobic fitness for it not to limit my riding. So I run and swim weekly. I have weak core and am stiff and tight, so I do pilates and yoga 2-4 times a week.

As anything improves / or new issues develop I would tailor.
 

Neversaydie

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If you are already competing in events shouldn’t you have had a plan already in place?? I always though a fitness plan was a basic for fittening a horse for the season and there fore a lessons/improvement plan was the next step once areas of weakness had been indentified?

Or maybe is that too much of a common sense style of thinking?? I’m very surprised that your instructors haven’t been giving you homework and informing you of any weaknesses that need rectifying.

Have a look at any available decent eventers blog, they usually have breakdowns of the events and what they and the horses need to work on to improve. Should give you an idea of where to start. I know Phoebe Buckley does as I have followed her and she’s very plain talking.
 

milliepops

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I think a long term training plan is a bit different to just the homework you have from lessons, it's not something I have particularly for my horses at the moment but I'm now only doing a single discipline, when i was eventing I definitely had a more structured plan - if nothing else, just to make sure I did enough of each thing, rather than just the stuff I liked doing best or was easiest to make happen! It would include some fitness top-ups if we had a 3DE in the calendar... in order to do that, other things had to be shunted around to give enough time for interval training, trips to gallops etc. There's common sense, yes, but there's also room for a little analysis and thinking around your proposed calendar etc to make sure you are as prepared as can be e.g. if stepping up a level during the season etc.
 

Ambers Echo

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When i was eventing I definitely had a more structured plan - if nothing else, just to make sure I did enough of each thing, rather than just the stuff I liked doing best or was easiest to make happen!

Yes this exactly. I could try and do a plan myself but I don't think I am very good at structuring a plan or sticking to it. As I said in the OP, having someone structure my triathlon training better was fantastic. If nothing else it made me accountable to someone else so was also often a kick up the backside I needed to train consistently through the winter.
 

Ambers Echo

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So I am re-visiting this thread... my current trainers don't offer this but I still think I need one. In fact I need 3! I have done a DIY version... how does this sound:

Amber:
1 hack, 1 jumping lesson (SJ or XC), 1 lunge and 2-3 schooling sessions/dressage lesson a week. I can't hack more than once. PLUS 1 ODE a month.

Jenny & Dolly
1 hack, 1 lunge, 2 flatwork, 1 jumping lesson a week. PLUS weekend competing about 2 or 3 times a month. Either SJ or HT or AE. Only ever in 1 or 2 classes.

Enough? Too much?? balance ok???

They are all ridden 5-6 times a week. Ponies are out 8-6 ish and ridden in the evening. Amber is out 10-6ish and ridden first thing.

TIA x
 

TPO

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I didn't see this thread when it was originally posted but going back to the original question I *think* that service was offered by a user in here. I think her user name was her actual name and she was possibly Polish, something like Wiola. The "company" (don't know if that's the right term) is Aspire Equestrian. I'm off to Google but I'm sure she offered an online service and tailored plans.

Having read your most recent post I think I might be barking up the wrong tree. I read the OP as being more goal orientated e.g. want to compete at BE100, get 65%+ dressage test and a structured plan to work towards achieving that. If it's a more general plan for riding/fitness then the cross country book by Ginny Leng, if memory serves me right, has some really good fitness/"activity" schedules.
 

be positive

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That seems reasonable but I think I would want to be competing Amber in some sj or dressage between events if you really want to make progress, lessons are obviously useful but getting the miles in at competitions will also be required as much for the rider as the horse.
I would drop the lunging unless it is really helpful and do a polework or serious canter based session, in a field if possible, maybe alternate weeks to break things up as you are not hacking much, I would be hacking and doing hillwork at least 3 times a week maybe more if one was a short hack before or after some school work.

The ponies are a bit different as they are not eventing so fitness is less of an issue.
 

Otherwise

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Ingrid and Reiner Klimkes books are good for this, basic training of the young horse gives a 12 month plan for the first year of work from backing to novice level dressage and the equivalent jumping, it will probably be too basic for you but the important part was each month had an aim, building on previous aims and working towards a goal. Cavalleti for dressage and jumping has a programme for horses in their second year of training, a 4-6 week basic plan and then a 4-6 week dressage or jumping plan that follows. Each week has an aim and each day has a plan such as:
Monday- day off
Tuesday- loosening up session with cavalleti in rising trot on straight lines, canter work in a light seat, a few exercises to improve responses to the aids, cool off.

Problem with horses is they don't really care about plans so it's helpful having an aim that you're working towards for the week or month and being flexible on any daily plans you have.
 

ihatework

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So I am re-visiting this thread... my current trainers don't offer this but I still think I need one. In fact I need 3! I have done a DIY version... how does this sound:

Amber:
1 hack, 1 jumping lesson (SJ or XC), 1 lunge and 2-3 schooling sessions/dressage lesson a week. I can't hack more than once. PLUS 1 ODE a month.

Jenny & Dolly
1 hack, 1 lunge, 2 flatwork, 1 jumping lesson a week. PLUS weekend competing about 2 or 3 times a month. Either SJ or HT or AE. Only ever in 1 or 2 classes.

Enough? Too much?? balance ok???

They are all ridden 5-6 times a week. Ponies are out 8-6 ish and ridden in the evening. Amber is out 10-6ish and ridden first thing.

TIA x

Whilst what you are suggesting isn’t wrong, it might be useful to think about what you are trying to achieve.

It rarely works to say you are going to to XY&Z per week, it generally works better if you plan over a 2-3 week cycle.

Also it’s useful to have short term goals, maybe pick one or two areas of weakness you want to focus on and use exercises in all your work sessions to help improve that.

Is there a reason you can only hack once a week? A little bit more non-school work is quite beneficial if you are primarily geared towards Eventing. Do you have access to any decent fields? Nothing to stop you doing bits of interval training after a schooling session etc, or a short hack etc.

Mine goes in the school 4-5 times a week, but sometimes only for 20-30 mins of concentrated work. He will hack for 20 mins to warm up and then will often go for a canter in the field after.
 

Ambers Echo

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Thanks for the replies. I really REALLY hate hacking so have to make myself do it. Once a week is about as much as I can cope with! I might be able to find someone who would hack her for me though I guess.

The training plan has just kind of evolved based on what's available near me - so a jumping lesson once a week because I share that now with others - same for the kids. Lunging on the advice of the physio - raised pole work or pro core trainer work for Amber as she is still not that even behind - and German String for the ponies again on advice. Comps when they come up. And schooling the rest of the time. Plus camps and clinics. It feels varied and manageable. I was just checking out people don;t think I am over-jumping the ponies or over focusingf on one area at the expense of another. I think I probably over school without enough of a plan f ehat I am trying to achieve in the school. I will think about the hacking and will see if I can structure schooling a bit better.

There is a field but for some reason all the horses go nuts in there. Even the Saintly Jenny. It is very weird. I walk Amber across it to get from A to B but I never let her trot, let alone canter. There are SO many accidents down there. But I could cool off in walk down there if that is useful.
 

Leo Walker

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Could you box out somewhere for interval work? And/or find a local gallops? Its hard if you hate hacking, but its going to be hard to event if you cant get your horse fit enough and that really does come from hacking much easier than school work.
 

Ambers Echo

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She seems fit as a flea. She did the 90 at Aston le Walls, pulled like a train all the way through the XC and was not even blowing at the end. Fab Feb paid off!!
 

ihatework

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She seems fit as a flea. She did the 90 at Aston le Walls, pulled like a train all the way through the XC and was not even blowing at the end. Fab Feb paid off!!


With Ambers type you will completely ‘get away’ without hacking and canter work for what you are doing - she is that naturally fit & forwards type.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. But in your case, ‘pulling like a train’, might be one of your aims this season. Or not pulling like a train!

To be effective Xc you need to be able to control and balance your horse and there are plenty of things you can be working on at home to improve this, which will in turn help all 3 phases.

Out of interest, what is it about hacking you really hate?
 

Ambers Echo

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It's too uncontrolled. I had a near miss on a fab hacking pony about 10 years ago. We were hacking on Boxing Day and passed a shoot. He was fine with guns, dogs and cars but a dog in a car barked and 'barking cars' blew his mind and he bolted. For about half a mile I worried he would slip as it was icy. Then I realised we were nearing the junction. I steered him onto the grass verge and took my feet out of the stirrups, preparing to bail as I decided if he was running blindly straight into a main road he was doing it alone. Luckily I managed to pull up about 100 yards from the junction. I've hated hacking ever since! He was a safe pony and we were on a quiet lane but weird things happen and horses have the wrong priorities for modern life! They do things like spook away from a painted line on a the road into the path of a recycling lorry!

On a XC course you choose what to do and if a horse does run there is a limit to where they can go. They aren't going to run into barbed wire or roads or dead ends and there is always space to circle. So yeah I am not a fan and even though I can cope with the fear I am on edge the whole time we are out.
 

Leo Walker

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Definitely look into the gallops then, and maybe hire a XC course but dont jump. Just use it to do interval training and work on your XC canter, so its hacking but you wont think of it as hacking if that makes sense?
 

milliepops

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i used to use our local gallops a bit for fitness work/practicing keeping xc pace. They had quite a good hill and then a longer flatter stretch, you normally had to return via the road each time but they'd let me know when I had sole use and was allowed to canter back down again... good for developing balance,self carriage & adjustability ;)
I'd agree that this looks like the bit that's missing.
 

Lammy

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I’d second the gallops too, a great way for them to really open to their lungs without you feeling like it’s too risky for you. There’s some great ones near us and they’re only £10/£12 a time. Take a friend if you can and have some fun!
 

PaddyMonty

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I used to create my own plan which was mainly around improving the horse which also meant me.
First thing I do is decided what I wanted to achieve. If you don't know where you want to be then it's a difficult job to create a map on how to get there. For example do I want to complete a BE event, make top 10 or win. Simple one for me, if you are competing then you are in it to win it.
Then comes the 'where am I starting from' and here you need to be brutally honest. None of that I got a 1% improvement in my dressage score over last outing. If that 1% dropped you further down the leader board than last time then it was simply the variation in judging not an improvement against the competition.
So lets say you looked at performance and note that you normally have a 65% test (35 penalties), 50/50 roll a pole in SJ (5 penalties) and have a stop or run out xc once every 6 outings (20 penalties). Normally make the time within a few seconds. (3 penalties) Note: this is just an example, yours will be different.
So what is hurting the most in the above example? The XC! To compensate for that you would need to do a 85% test. Step one becomes sorting out the xc, To do this you need to analyse why the stops happen? Unusual fence, poor setup (chasing time), rider fatigue? Find the real reason then you can work with instructor to fix it. It might be you need to slow down or visit a lot of different courses and jump them as though you were at an event, not wander around picking fences then having the perfect set up.
Now we have XC sorted as you feel you can go clear 99% of the time what next.
That 1:2 chance of rolling a pole. To make up for that pole you need to up your dressage score 5%. Now we all know how difficult it is to move a test from 65% to 70%.
Just as XC, analyse what causes the pole to roll, speed, lack of impulsion, rider fiddling, green horse, rider nerves. The list can be endless but in my experience of teaching there is normally a root cause. Find it and fix it but don't let the xc slide doing so. If you are getting your horse more and more back on its hocks to fix the SJ issue then be aware this may impact xc time as you will tend to set up too much xc.
Got the xc and the SJ sorted? Good, now analyse where you throw away marks in dressage, circles not round, transitions lack lustre, accuracy. Again be brutally honest and use you test sheets as a guide. Now go fix them.
All sorted now then? NO! go back to start of process and do it all again. The issues will be smaller and harder to fix but you will have moved and keep moving up the leader board.
In all of this analysis you will find there are rider issues that come out. Nerves, fitness, mental agility (you need to think on your feet sometimes). So analyse which is causing the most harm and work on that.
Far too many people try to fix a whole host of issues at the same time and as a result see little improvement. So tackle the big stuff before sweating the small stuff.
I can't give you a plan as I don't know your riding your horse or your real issues. Only you or a very good instructor will be able to do that.
That said if you want to discuss what goes wrong then PM me but you have to be totally honest in the answers you give to questions.
 

ihatework

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It's too uncontrolled. I had a near miss on a fab hacking pony about 10 years ago. We were hacking on Boxing Day and passed a shoot. He was fine with guns, dogs and cars but a dog in a car barked and 'barking cars' blew his mind and he bolted. For about half a mile I worried he would slip as it was icy. Then I realised we were nearing the junction. I steered him onto the grass verge and took my feet out of the stirrups, preparing to bail as I decided if he was running blindly straight into a main road he was doing it alone. Luckily I managed to pull up about 100 yards from the junction. I've hated hacking ever since! He was a safe pony and we were on a quiet lane but weird things happen and horses have the wrong priorities for modern life! They do things like spook away from a painted line on a the road into the path of a recycling lorry!

On a XC course you choose what to do and if a horse does run there is a limit to where they can go. They aren't going to run into barbed wire or roads or dead ends and there is always space to circle. So yeah I am not a fan and even though I can cope with the fear I am on edge the whole time we are out.

This is interesting and understandable. I might be way off mark but I would float the idea, from what I have seen, that the underlying ‘need’ to be in control actually quite heavily influences all phases for you - obviously to a greater or lesser extent. It could be one of your training aims for the season, to shift your mindset and responses to how you achieve that control (which is obviously important!).

I’d agree so sessions on a gallop might be useful for you - more psychologically - you will be in a controlled environment. I wouldn’t however use them for structured fitness training or having a blast as a primary purpose - I’d use them to find different ways for you to influence Amber at different speeds using your seat, legs & body position. With the ultimate aim that you are more confident you can trust, adjust, control her without feeling like you need to overwork the front end. This type of work will also help with the sj in particular!

Obviously I might be way off course from limited knowledge if your set up - but from what I have seen you have a scopey bold quick horse who, if you can tweak a few things, I would put money in being top 10 in BE100’s, with you, within a couple of years.
 
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