Interval Training - in the arena?

Saratoga

Saratoga

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I didn't have the inclination to school Walber last night, and didn't want to lunge or give him a day off so decided to do some canter interval training in the school.

We did 3 x 3 mins, with 3 mins walking, and he was fab. Started off very wild and forward, and really didn't get the concept of balancing for the corners, but ultimately i think it did him good as he HAD to steady, and he HAD to listen. By the third lot he was lovely and settled, and between hand and leg and just cantering underneath me. I even did some longer strides down the long side and brought him back in the corners.

My question is....doing this in the school once a week...will it put more pressure on his joints/legs over doing it in bigger field? The smaller space and him having to balance and listen really did him good, especially considering him coming back to me, listening and turning is our downfall on the xc, but i don't want to cause him any injuries by doing it in a confined space?
 
It is good as an exercise occasionally but doesn't really do the job for fittening. It is difficult to get them to blow enough as you can't open up and keep the stride open. I also don't think it does their joints any good when you are motoring on in a small space.
 
erm.. i'm going to sound like a bit of an idiot.. but what is interval training?
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I used to do it in a 60x20m right up to 60 x 80m ... Anything in short bursts wouldnt do too much damage.

Interval training is something used alot with human athletes - say run 100m walk 50m and you have a set distance or time. You'd do it in repetitions aka reps.
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OHHHHHHH remember helen bell training troubleshooter for badminton all pre work indoors and when we had a proper 3 day (long format) as they like to call it dont underestimate interval training works wonders
 
personally i don't think you will be able to get up a big enough stride for it to have much benefit. i would also question whether as you set up and balance the horse on the short sides, whether the horse is truly set up on its hindlegs or whether it is just learning to adapt and 'motorbike' comfortably round the corners?

i wouldn't have thought you would put undue pressure on the joints, as i can't see you being able to get up enough speed.
 
I used this method almost entirely to get Carthorse fit for Blair last year. Harvest was late so there were very few stubbles, the ground was hard and, barring some long slow canters uphill on grass road verges
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, this was all we did. Built up to 3x8mins with 3min walking inbetween.
Horse ended up excessively, almost unrideably fit and I'll be doing less this year!

Beware - it'll end up driving you absolutely crazy. 8 mins is an eternity cantering round in circles. I tried to keep sane by changing the rein with a flying change across the long diagonal every 5 laps but even this wasn't quite enough to stop me going absolutely stark raving bonkers. It also KILLED my knees and lower back and my horse now grinds to a halt every time my mobile phone bleeps as he thinks it's the timer signalling that the 8mins is up.

Wear good boots all round if you intend to do this!
 
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Beware - it'll end up driving you absolutely crazy. 8 mins is an eternity cantering round in circles. I tried to keep sane by changing the rein with a flying change across the long diagonal every 5 laps but even this wasn't quite enough to stop me going absolutely stark raving bonkers. It also KILLED my knees and lower back and my horse now grinds to a halt every time my mobile phone bleeps as he thinks it's the timer signalling that the 8mins is up.

Wear good boots all round if you intend to do this!

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I had to laugh - this is how I got mine fit enough to start at Aldon at Novice last season....and had exactly the same issues barring the excessively fit horse. Insanely boring, horse believes mobile phone making a sound is a signal to halt and change direction and back/legs in agony!

There are basically two ways to get a horse fit - long slows and short sprints - either can be used in interval training. I learnt all about it on the BE CDT workshop where they advised that sprints are less likely to cause problems for the horse, but if an arena is all you've got, long slows are fine. So for PN you either do 2 sprints of 5-6 furlongs at 450m/min or you do 3x3 minute canters. I've got all the work required to go from time off to Advanced written down from the advice they gave us, and what to do to move up from one level to the next.
 
Interesting responses, and different opinions it seems!! SpottedCat, i would love a copy of your notes! :-) Did they say whether the 3x3mins canter for PN was ok to do in arena?

I'm not sure he was just learning to 'motorbike comfortably round the corners' as he is 17hh and a big boy, and when leaning or not balancing properly he becomes very heavy and strong in my hand, which he wasn't after he had settled?

He did seem to cope with the 3x3s very well, and felt like after a few more times i could increase this if suitable to do him in a arena? I am hoping to get him out on a field to be able to open him up a bit more as much as poss, but at the moment it might be arena or nothing?
 
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personally i don't think you will be able to get up a big enough stride for it to have much benefit. i would also question whether as you set up and balance the horse on the short sides, whether the horse is truly set up on its hindlegs or whether it is just learning to adapt and 'motorbike' comfortably round the corners?

i wouldn't have thought you would put undue pressure on the joints, as i can't see you being able to get up enough speed.

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I'm sure it was in Blyth Tait's book that he used the expression "speed kills" when referring to fittening work, and he was more in favour of longer, steadier periods than short bursts.

I've always done interval training as we're short of hills, good going and decent all-weather gallops locally. I have a 60 x 30 arena with a waxed surface which I do it in, but when I was at livery at Keysoe I used to do it around their big outdoor. Last Christmas I got a heart rate monitor (who needs designer handbags or new breeches eh?
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), so I can now see how hard the horses are working, how quickly they recover and how much fitter they are from week to week.
 
I do it in our 50x50 school, and it was fine, and like gamebird taught my horse flying changes whilst doing the canter work!! However, I only did PN/N type fitness. Wouldnt do it in a small school tbh, (20x40) but prob because of the fatigue on my joints!
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New yard hasnt got a "standard" shaped school, its got a 20x60 with a jumping bit tagged onto the end, so will prob do all the work on the fields, but there are a few good places to do fitness work so we will be very lucky!!
 
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