Improving canter fitness - help!

[chestnut cob]

I'd really appreciate some tips for getting a horse fit in the canter.

He's fine in trot but since having 2 months off over summer he really hasn't done much fast work. He's working better than ever on the flat but just isn't used to really having to use himself in the canter so he finds it hard. It's improving but I have a similar problem jumping. I'm increasing the amount of jumping he does so he builds up his fitness for that.

Did some SJing last weekend and the first round was great but half way round the second he ran out of stamina and had to have a trot!

Is it just a case of slowly increasing the amount he's doing, then pushing a bit further when he starts to tire (I know that's how I would get myself fit, push a bit harder each time til it's easy and I can go further/do more)?

All ideas/advice welcome. Last year he was doing a lot more fast work so was fitter. Will be hunting soon and I need to get him fit!

 

[eohippus]

I assume by what you have said that your horse is sound and in good health.
If you have been doing lots of walk and trot then the progresssion to canter work can be gradually increased. so for example, in a training time of 45 mins after 10 mins walk and trot warm up, start off with one minutes canter work to every two minutes trot and three minutes walk, pay attention to recovery times, never continue cantering if breathing is laboured or fatigue sets in as this will cause respiratory distress and possible muscular damage. always warm down for 10 mins at end of session. After a week of this canter for two minutes to every one minute trot and two minutes walk, build this up gradually each week so that you can do three minutes canter, one minutes trot, one minutes walk. Work on a good working canter, include inclines towards the end of the regime then introduce short bursts of fast canter. this will all help to develop stamina. In the school you can do lots of work on trot/canter transitions to help build up hind quarter muscles and balance and obedience, also using canter poles.
By the end of the regime, introduce grid work in canter to help with anerobic fitness capacity and technique ect. Use your discretion on gradually building up his level of fitness so that he is not fatigued. This should take about five weeks. The reason that your horse is finding it hard to compete in jumping is that he is not fit enough so you need to build on his stamina first then concentrate on the jumping. If that makes sense. .
Hope this helps
Dawn

 

[chestnut cob]

That's great, thanks

Yep, he's sound and in good health. He's finding trot work easy, just need to improve the canter.

I know he's finding jumping more difficult because of the lack of fitness. He enjoys his jumping, I just want him to be fitter so he finds it easier (if that makes sense?).

How many days a work would you do interval training like this? Also, is it something I would only do out in the field or something I could do in the school (we have a big school, 40x60m I think) sometimes as well? Although I have access to plenty of off road riding, none of it is flat.

Because I've never wanted him to do this much fast work (I've never been aiming for so much jumping and for the quality of flat work I want before) I've never really had to look at getting him v fit. Now i'm around more and want to do more with him, it's something I really need to take seriously.

 

[eohippus]

Hi
It sounds like you have some good facilities that should make it easier for you.
As your off road is not flat you may need to develop his trot work uphill first, unless you are already doing this. If he is finding this easy then gradually introduce canter work, but, depending on the rise of the incline, keep it to say cantering for short bursts up hill, bring back to trot and ask again for a short burst, gradually building up so that he can canter up easily. give plenty of recovery time before attempting the next, use the declines to build up pectoral muscles, which will be used for the landing when jumping. so gently build up controlled speed going downhill as well. Because you have a lot of inclines you may need to take it easier at first but this will develop strength as well as stamina.
As a rule of thumb, I usually do one day of off road, one day of schooling followed by an easy day to allow the body to recover its energy levels and allow muscle repair. So say, two days fittening off road work, two days schooling and two days either light work (say walk lateral work in school or a easy road work hack or easy lunge work that allows the horse to stretch long and low in a slow relaxed gait and a day off, (not necesarilly in that order).
It is far easier to establish a good working canter rhythm whilst out of the school, and use the school to develop better leg aids, balance and engagement of the hind legs.
Because of the level you are already at you can work on shool work as well to develop suppleness and balance as well as building stamina through the off road work.
Once you start grid work you can incoperate this into each schooling session, even doing trot or canter pole work as part of a flat work lesson will get the correct muscles working.
The key is to progress everything gradually and take note of anything he finds particularly hard, either physiologically or psychologically.
I can only give you a guide as I do not know all the info, but by what you have said this is a good way to acheive a level of fitness for low level jumping, dressage and some cross country. The regime is aimed at developing a fitness and ability level suitable for all three. Obviously if you wanted to just concentrate on one discipline in particular, later fitness and training would have to be suited for that, but for now this would be sufficient. the more fitter he gets the better he will utilize his energy and increase the time to the onset of fatigue. By gradually progressing the level of work you will minimise the risk of injury.
Hope this helps
Dawn

 

[chestnut cob]

Thanks so much for all the guidance, it's really helpful and much appreciated.

Yes, I have been working on the trot work uphill anyway. Being a Sec D he finds trot much easier than canter and would always rather trot. I have access to several large fields for fittening work, it would take about 45 mins to walk around them all. So far i've been doing mostly walk and trot work with short bursts of canter. He will happily trot well most of it (not all in one go) with some walk and canter. The length of time he's happy cantering for is slowly increasing too; same can be said for in the school. Two weeks ago he found it hard to maintain a full circle in a reasonable canter in the school, yesterday we managed 3 circles and a full circuit of the arena so he is improving slowly.

I am going to write myself a plan for his fittening work! Thanks again