Improving a horse's fitness

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I have owned Grace for just over 9 months now, and she is getting quite fit and building muscle up nicely...

October 2006
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May 2007 at her first BD competition (before the change in feed)
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She is not very good to hack, and at the moment there is no one for me to take her out on the roads with (she is very spooky with motorbikes and larger vehicles) regularly, so I am waiting until I can really make a go of it before I start getting her out more often.

Therefore, until then I cannot really use hacking to further imrprove her fitness.

She is ridden 5 days a week (6 if competed which is most weekends) for 45 mins to an hour mostly at trot and canter. I have been increasing the amount of canter work she does in her sessions, and now she is pretty good at keeping enough energy until the end.

However, when I take her out to do two tests, by the end of the second one she is starting tire and I was wondering how I could improve her fitness without the stress of hacking out. She is fed 2 full stubbs scoops of Endurance Mix a day (gradually increasing it at the moment).

Any comments on condition are also welcome... I struggled to keep weight on her over the winter, but she is doing really well and eating all her feed now morning and night which was unheard of previously.
 
She's looking gorgeous! Do you do any pole work or jumping as part of your schooling? It's really helped my mare's fitness levels, as well as building up the bum nicely.
 
Could it just be that the excitement of competing tires her out? I know with my horse its like taking a kid to a birthday party and they get so excited and hysterical but when you take them home they are asleep on the back seat! I give mine a vitamin B supplement like Vita-Max, or something like Propell Plus. Dad also occasionally buys him some Guiness. Cannot suggest much re. hacking out as you say you are waiting for a hacking companion. How many feeds do you give her a day?
 
I think she looks just lovely.

So, two things spring to mind as obviously you need to do more stamina type work with her.

1. Can a friend ride Hannah with you to keep you company on the roads?
2. Box her up and hire out some gallops - you need to get her heart rate up for increased lengths of time - and this could just do the trick. Basically interval training.
 
I would love to hire a gallops, that is one of the things that is on my 'to do' list when I get the time
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Hannah is not in work at the moment, and I would not let anyone get on her hacking out because although she is very good in traffic she is a complete prat in other situations and has frightened a few people as she takes off if you don't catch her just in time... in fact, Hannah should just carry on being a brood mare from what I have just said
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She's found something she is good at
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Hopefully, there will be someone to hack out with soon as the horse is coming back into work after a bout of laminitis...

Fairhill - I am starting to do some pole and jumping work with her at the moment. It is just having someone there with me to put jumps up and sort them out if she crashes through
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Prittstick - She has two feeds a day at the moment. Both the same size, consisting of Alfa A, Endurance Mix and garlic.
 
Yes, but remember it's light until quite late - so after work could also be an option to go 'a visiting'.
 
As you know i jump Archie once a week - and i can honestly say hes exhausted by the end of it!! Not only is it really good for thier brains, but its also really good fittening work. Combined with his jumping i do 5mins of cantering at a fast pace around the school in a forward seat. I change the rein (with change of leg through trot) frequently and get mum to time us! Its great for fitness if you cant hack them out. Pole work and jumping will also help her to loosen up and improve the trot work - its definately improved Archie's trot.
 
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It is just having someone there with me to put jumps up and sort them out if she crashes through

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I know that feeling well ... having said that getting on and off will improve your fitness as well...
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Hmmm... it could well be him
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My hubby can usually help out but he has slipped a disc (it's better now) so don't want him lifting heavy poles.

P_G... our surface is woodchip so the fast canter is not an option
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I was thinking exactly the same thing (about the guy not the horse) Lucky girl!!

I would agree with the jumping, low cavaletti pole type work if your not keen on going too far above the ground! Its fab and adds a nice dimension to their work
 
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