Interval training - explain....

[Neptune]

So interval training for the event horse to get them fit.

How do you do this? How do you keep the timings?

Interval training in an arena, do you just keep going round and round the outside of the school? Obviously ideal to be doing it out hacking,
but not much hope of that with all this rain!

Any advise or helpful info you have would be great!

Thank you

 

[ArcticFox]

I work out my training plan, then ride it in the arena, around the outside changing rein to make it more interesting, throwing in serpentines etc just to break up the boredum!


basically it takes a minute to walk the circuit of the arena, 30 seconds to trot it and a bit quicker to canter so I tend to count circuits as my clock doesn't work often enough.

start off with 5 mins walk, then 2 min trot, 1 min walk, 2 min trot etc etc build up to longer trot/canter sessions. Although when I get totally bored, I tend to school for the time of the trot work - eg - 5 mins trot, so I trot round a couple of circuits, change the rein, then serpentine, then half 10m circle, half 10m circle etc. in the canter work, I do a few canter circuits, then change the rein and leg lead, then extend on the long side, shorten up the other side, do some circles, counter canter etc etc then to finish I do two circuits of forward canter. I just get a bit bored otherwise but at least we are concentrating on fitness and schooling at the same time! (I do use a timer when I start to do schooling sessions though)

hope that helps - not sure if it does!

 

[Chocy]

I use the timer on my phone & have it in my pocket so can easily b stopped & reset.
I mainly do canter interval training. Yes its boring in school but I just make sure I do lots if diff sized circles, straight lines not against fence &sending canter forwards & bringing back etc.
Also for ure self good 2 do forward seat, shorter stirrups etc really working u & horse

 

[TableDancer]

Strictly speaking, interval training refers to periods of "hard" work interspersed with rest periods - the science behind it is (roughly speaking) that you push the horse hard, fitness-wise, then in the rest period tey don't have a cance to quite fully recover, so the next work period pushes the boundaries a bit. That's my understanding, anyway! So the exact timings are quite important to get the balance right, and trotting doesn't really belong in true interval training - which is not to say that the type of work Arcticfox is doing isn't a perfectly valid way if fittening a horse... It's been around a while now, the first person in eventing that I remember using it was Lucinda Green.

You can do it in a school but of course the bigger the better, because lots of corners put more strain on the legs. You can't go too fast in a school but I try to keep up a reasonably energetic SJ canter which probably equates to 375-380 mpm. The easiest thing to do is time yourself cantering round the school in the right sort of canter and see how long a circuit takes, then you can plan your work in circuits rather than minutes so you don't always have to wear a stopwatch.

I use 2 minute rest periods, some people use 3 minutes. Obviously the shorter the rest period, the more intense the work session. A horse that hasn't been doing any canter work but is schooling and jumping fit, as it were, I'd probably do one 3 minutes canter 2 minutes rest 3 minutes canter 2 minutes rest 3 minutes canter (3/2/3/2/3) session and assess it: many horses which were fit last year and carry their fitness can start 4/2/4/2/4 straightaway, but if it is young, unfit, fat etc you might need to do 2 or three 3 minute sessions first. You should do fitness sessions every four days roughly, by the way, and we use a mixture of interval training, hillwork and later on trips to the gallops.

A horse doing 4/2/4/2/4 easily should be able to go straight out to most 100 level events imo, and even an easy short flat Novice like Aston. My rule of thumb is that to be "standard" Novice fit they need to be doing 5/2/5/2/5s and Intermediates 6/2/6/2/6 - if I am fittening for a three day event we will go up from there, depending on level, length and terrain of target event. I think the Badminton horses at Waterstock used to be doing 12s but that was a long time ago in steeplechase days...

Hope that helps. Can you tell that I am procrastinating about going out again to ride in this weather

 

[Neptune]

Thanks for the info all.

Table Dancer that was interesting to read. thank you.

Looks as though I am going to be timing myself on one lap of the school in each pace.

 

[naza]

A horse doing 4/2/4/2/4

So glad this thread has been started as I'm missing the canter work our hacking!

However I have a question.. if I did this 4/2/4/2/4, is that all you do so then the horse only does 15-20 minutes work??

 

[be positive]

So glad this thread has been started as I'm missing the canter work our hacking!

However I have a question.. if I did this 4/2/4/2/4, is that all you do so then the horse only does 15-20 minutes work??

As TD has gone I will answer, the horse needs to warm up properly before starting the canter work and cool down afterwards, so in total it will do considerably more than 15-20 mins, a short hack before or after can be beneficial if you want to extend the riding time further.

 

[ArcticFox]

I should have perhaps added that I use a heart rate monitor too to make sure HR is up and not fully recovered. I did get my boy fit enough for Novice BE last season but that really wasn't in an arena. I probably got him BE90 fit in the arena. then gallops etc got him up a bit.

TD is right though about interval training, I just varied it with the HR monitor.

 

[TableDancer]

As TD has gone I will answer, the horse needs to warm up properly before starting the canter work and cool down afterwards, so in total it will do considerably more than 15-20 mins, a short hack before or after can be beneficial if you want to extend the riding time further.

Absolutely right - thank you bep

 

[TarrSteps]

We used to do 2 x 7 min trot sets before starting canters, usually with extra short stirrups and some work standing. In the days of long format (i am that old!) we did 15 min straight. I would die now but it's a good way of getting riders fit, too.

The whole uses with HRs has to do with percentages and keeping track of how high it goes during certain works to gauge fitness. It's interesting to do - I had a horse who always seemed to drag galloping and feel very unfit but his HR stayed ridiculously low. He always proved to be very fit in competition so eventually I just figured he couldn't be asked at home and kicked harder.

Was there not a study recently about raised working heart rates as early indicators of injury? Monitors seem to have largely gone out of fashion (or maybe they were never in fashion here) but that would be an interesting use for them.

 

[tinap]

Sorry to hijack op but was wondering from those that replied, how many times per week would you do the above & how they fit in with the rest of the weeks training? Thanks! x

 

[be positive]

Sorry to hijack op but was wondering from those that replied, how many times per week would you do the above & how they fit in with the rest of the weeks training? Thanks! x

Pre season I would try and do 3 sets in 2 weeks, depending on the horse, once fit and competing once a week should be plenty along with everything else they do, possibly only once a fortnight with a horse that is easy to keep fit. It can be fitted into a hacking day if required, ideal if you can work in a field half way round a hack or it can be done at the end of a light schooling session, one of mine often schools then lobs round for a few minutes on each rein almost as a reward for going well on the flat, it helps keep him sweet.

 

[tinap]

Pre season I would try and do 3 sets in 2 weeks, depending on the horse, once fit and competing once a week should be plenty along with everything else they do, possibly only once a fortnight with a horse that is easy to keep fit. It can be fitted into a hacking day if required, ideal if you can work in a field half way round a hack or it can be done at the end of a light schooling session, one of mine often schools then lobs round for a few minutes on each rein almost as a reward for going well on the flat, it helps keep him sweet.

Fab thanks BP out hacking is impossible as we have no off road (just the odd cheeky canter on a few short grass verges). Daughters been doing once a week for the last few weeks as we weren't quite sure if more often was too much x

 

[Gamebird]

Our racehorses and pointers always started with long slow canters round stubble field before they started on the gallops (which is what racehorses do instead of intervals), and I always thought this was invaluable - like putting the time in doing roadwork. They'd build up to 15 or 20 minutes slow steady cantering, then start on the 'intervals' when they had a good base of fitness.

 

[kassieg]

God this topic makes me want the ground to dry up & also makes me wish we had all weather gallops

I need to start doing some structured interval training so this topic is v.useful & has made me realise I need to get my arse in gear !

 

[TarrSteps]

I think it's also very useful for riders to train themselves to know how far they are traveling and how much time is passing. Many people overestimate the time they are spending in each gait schooling (and therefore their own fitness) and are quite surprised when they find out what cantering for that sort of length of time feels like when they start.

 

[only_me]

See we would do a fair bit of interval training, usually in 4 sets of 4/5/6/7 cantering for minutes in arena. Normally rest bits are 1 min unless horse just starting interval training where 2 mins walk is best.
i havent ever done a trot interval training as normally by the time they are interval training they have done 3-4 weeks roadwork!

Traditional instructor is of opinion that any more than 7 min is excessive and should decrease rest breaks if want to further fittness. Plus we do it all on a long rein as our arena is on small side.

But we use stopwatches so we always know time taken. Plus often we do it without stirrups to increase our own fittness too

We only have roads to hack on so only walk and trot for us there. Usually would do interval training once a week pre season or try to do it every 4 days, but not always possible

 

[Brandy77]

Those of you that use heart rate monitors, what heart rates are your horses working at when doing your IT?

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Our racehorses and pointers always started with long slow canters round stubble field before they started on the gallops (which is what racehorses do instead of intervals), and I always thought this was invaluable - like putting the time in doing roadwork. They'd build up to 15 or 20 minutes slow steady cantering, then start on the 'intervals' when they had a good base of fitness.

Yes we usually asked that horse had six weeks roadwork if they had been off all summer.
That 's my background too, I was amazed that people could even consider getting a horse fit using an arena, to me one needs to do hill work.
We used to do some flat circuits when building up fitness, but then once they could do 8 furlongs at the trot uphill they were ready to interval train by cantering seven furlongs, once, then twice then three times.
We used to get eventers come to use our gallops, which must have been quite an expense, but I think they were aspiring olympians.

 

[tinap]

How we would love to have just one hill to work on it's a nightmare trying to get something fit with only flat as a fart roadwork!!

 

[TarrSteps]

Good basic articles:
http://www.distanceriding.org/php/articles/condition/MonitoringFitness.pdf
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/training/all-about-interval-training/#
http://horsetalk.co.nz/features/heartrate.shtml#axzz2s7J61Akp

 

[Cragrat]

How we would love to have just one hill to work on it's a nightmare trying to get something fit with only flat as a fart roadwork!!

Swap you!
We have nothing but hills, and it's a nightmare finding somewhere flat to school we box to an instructors once a week, but can't practice inbetween.

Hacking is ride down a hill for a mile and an half, (boring) and then trot back up the other side(horse then Knackered!).

'Interval training' is canter up a suitable verge(or field once dry), walk back down, canter up again. Therefore the time spent walking is longer than the time spent cantering yes, I do canter down slopes, occasionally, but these are at least 1:5 hills.

So you can have some of our hills in return for a flat bit!

 

[tinap]

Swap you!
We have nothing but hills, and it's a nightmare finding somewhere flat to school we box to an instructors once a week, but can't practice inbetween.

Hacking is ride down a hill for a mile and an half, (boring) and then trot back up the other side(horse then Knackered!).

'Interval training' is canter up a suitable verge(or field once dry), walk back down, canter up again. Therefore the time spent walking is longer than the time spent cantering yes, I do canter down slopes, occasionally, but these are at least 1:5 hills.

So you can have some of our hills in return for a flat bit!

Haha!! Why is it we are never happy lol!!

 

[Kokopelli]

Out of interest (not that I'd ever event Louie as he's a bit pathetic) can you do the interval training up hill? We don't have many flat places we can canter on so we tend to get the ponies fit by hill work (we have loads of them around) into the woods and even the woods are either up or down hill there's not many flat bits.

 

[zaminda]

HR as an indicator of an injury can be useful, but you need to know your horse. For instance my mare at a ride (she mainly does endurance) will always have a high HR starting off, which will then get lower as the ride progresses and she is less buzzy. If however, she gets in off a loop and it won't come down it is generally a sign of pain, as would an excessive (for her) HR at any other time. Very useful with a horse who has been known to trot up sound with a hole in her tendon, and work herself through a bruised foot!

 

[pearcider]

We are a big fan of intervals at our yard they are obviously good for horses fitness and a really good fitness guide if you are going 1 star or above.
For riders I also think they are good. I say to my students you must be able to stay in half seat non stop for 5 mins to go xc at 80/90.
I won't list how we change the intervals. But things to factor in:
Age of horse
Breed of horse (tbs get fitter quicker)
Current work load
Level of fitness required
Ground conditions of area doing intervals

If your doing any fast work the horse needs 6 days (or that's the guide I've always been told!) between each session.
Interval training does not always have to include fast work though.

I always wear a watch with a big display (baby G is a good make for this!)
Remember to cool down correctly after and ideally give your horse electrolytes.

 

[TableDancer]

If your doing any fast work the horse needs 6 days (or that's the guide I've always been told!) between each session.
Interval training does not always have to include fast work though.
.

Interesting, isn't it, how different people learn/get told/teach different approaches? I was always taught that less than 4 days led to risk of increased strain/injury, more meant horses' fitness didn't increase properly - a bit like leaving it too long between sessions at the gym for us. The racehorse trainers generally have two "work" days a week, so a 3 day and a 4 day gap, these are for fast work, with the horses doing normal canter work on the intervening days and one day off.

I'm not suggesting my way is "right" and yours is "wrong" by any means, I am simply interested in hearing all the different views...

ETA: I also agree that interval training does not need to, and frequently doesn't, involve any fast work. But I plan our "fitness" sessions on a four day cycle then vary the content of the fitness session within that cycle, sometimes interval training, sometimes intense hillwork and sometimes fast work.

 

[pearcider]

But I plan our "fitness" sessions on a four day cycle then vary the content of the fitness session within that cycle, sometimes interval training, sometimes intense hillwork and sometimes fast work.

I agree it's interesting to hear how different people do things. I think a lot comes down to ePersonal experience and who has taught you along the way.
Our training patterns depend a lot on the horses. We have a big white board where I write weekly routines for the horses. I also time every bit of exercise our do even when they are just starting out my liveries and clients laugh at this as I'm slightly obsessive. But I can tell you how long each of the horses in my yard can canter for xc!!

I think the BE or similar should put together a loose guide for horse and rider fitness. I see so many unfit horses running. And as I say you wouldn't run the marathon without training...