Interval training vs. continuous...

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monica987

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When getting your horse fit, do you do interval training (canter for mins, walk for 3 mins, or whatever) or do you go out and trot/canter for longer periods of time?
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What are the benefits for each and the down falls?
 
A mixture. For times sake interval training is more convenient.
It's good to do long stamina building hacks too but it's hard to canter enough when the ground is hard
 
For Aldon I did a mixture - if i cantered in our field i did interval or if i want to my dads farm or the farm next door i cantered for longer.

My concerns are the ground though - I only started to canter this year, as opposed to in a schooling and hacking and this year was the first time she got a splint. So im going to try really hard this year to strike the balance between fitness and her legs.

Gallops are the best I would think - hopefully might be able to go up these next year - was allowed for Aldon but ran out of time to get there - by just before aldon i ended up cantering/exercising as it was getting dark - not nice!
 
Yes - the ground is a serious concern. I have the whole of Cirencester Park which I used to get Sparky fit. He never got anything from it, but then again he was a New Forest pony and could stand pretty much anything - Haddy is much more fragile
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Cna you do interval training in a 20 * 60 school?
 
Okey dokey - I don't get back from school until nearly 4, so by the time I ma tacked up it is nearly dark and am definitely not cantering in the dark !! I want to start getting him really fit so we can start as we mean to carry on
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Remember that a horse cant maintain a hig level of fitness for a particularly long period of time, Maybe get him half fit and then wack it up to 3/4 when you need to event again
 
Oh right! Never knew that - Thanks!
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I want to get him fit enough that I don't have to worry when I go out hacking etc as he was REALLY unfit when I got him - we couldn't go round the school many times before he had to have a little break.
 
I tend to use interval training for horses fitness as it gives you a good idea as to how fit they are. Often as the horse is usually schooling at home with a fair amount of canter work and hill work out hacking before satarting fast work. (i'm very fortunate to have lots of nice hills!!) I'll alway warm up prior to starting IT then I start off with:
1 min canter,2mins walk,2mins canter,2mins walk,2mins canter. equates to 12222 (always do 2mins walk at the intervals, canter is at 3/4 pace)
and then up it a minute a week to:
22222
22223
22323
32323
I do it about twice a week depending on when the horse runs etc.
I have found that over the years that doing 32323 is often plenty to do for BE novice.
This season we did a long format 3DE equvilant to CCI1* and I up'ed it to 42424 which prooved ample. but i guess it depends on each individual horse and available hacking terrain etc inbetween. I also do pip openers prior to a run at the end of the last canter. This system has always worked for me and it is a gradual process.
 
I wouldn't be worrying too much TBH hunting and stuff and longer hacks on the weekend etc as well as being ridden everyday will surely be getting him pretty fit? I know it gets ours pretty fit.
 
Oh i forgot to say, do it in a big field too, and i only tend to do IT prior to eventing season and during, but up the mins/down the mins according to when the horse is running!!
 
I don't think you need to do any now, especially as your hunting so hes quite fit already.
But I do both and I do interval training in my 20x40 school when the ground is too wet/hard but only with my older horse, and generally around 1/2min intervals.
Big long hacks with hills are the best though as you need core fitness before canter fitness IMO
 
What are you planning to get him fit for?
Personally I think that lots of long, long fast walk outs are the best things, especially to keep them sound.

A fast march out for 1/12 hours a day, with a few long slow trots is brilliant. The more walking out you can do the better, and throw in a few hills. walking on the road, and trots on the grass. The yards that do this seem to have the soundest horses. Even people like Paul Nicholls do more walking out on the roads rather than anything else and his horses are winning all the races year in year out.

Would only start cantering/interval training work if they were eventing at above Novice level unless the horse had a very thick wind. The long hacks out combined with schooling/jumping a few times a week is enough to keep a horse fit for Novice level, IMO.

Then for a CCI* I would prob start with doing something like 4 times 4 mins canters ( in intervals, with a good hill) then build up to longer over time. ( cant remember the exact figures, its been so long for me now )
 
Sorry, OB - not OJ
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. Bit stressed as we have decorators here at the mo and am wishing they'd finish and go away although they are nice people
 
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Then for a CCI* I would prob start with doing something like 4 times 4 mins canters ( in intervals, with a good hill) then build up to longer over time. ( cant remember the exact figures, its been so long for me now )

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I built up to 8 mins cantering and 3 mins walking x3 for Blair. When I got there and they announced the optimum time was 10mins I was pleased I'd done all that work
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. Most of mine was in the school as there was nowhere pre-harvest that you could canter uninterrupted for 8 mins. I nearly lost the will to live at times but it was worth it. A 10min XC with serious hills is a fair ask! (I made sure I did some shorter canters up hills as well).

Interestingly the pointers I have been riding do 2 laps of a 120 acre stubble at a moderate canter (NOT gallop!) which takes about 20mins. They won't run until late Jan/Feb so will do some specific shorter galloping sessions leading up to that. The idea at the mo is just building up stamina first.
 
That sounds about right Gamebird, although I think my horse was built up to doing 4 x 6 min canters before Weston/Vejer and he was way too fit and positively boiled over, that was before they abolished the steeplechase and roads and tracks! In fact I think my horse could have gone round the whole lot again.

I suppose it depends on the horse. Mine was 1/2 ID 1/4 Trak 1/4 TB but just had bottomless stamina.

Re the pointers- that sounds as par course as the pointers I've galloped, but Paul Nicholls' horses do 1 and 1/2 hours to 2 hours walking every day out on the road with lots of hills and only one 7 min canter up a sharp hill. Just before a big race they may do a bit more, but thats about all they get on a day to day basis. And they all stay sound every year.
 
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Yes - the ground is a serious concern. I have the whole of Cirencester Park which I used to get Sparky fit. He never got anything from it, but then again he was a New Forest pony and could stand pretty much anything - Haddy is much more fragile
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Cna you do interval training in a 20 * 60 school?

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I love ciren park too! but my mum will never drive me there
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so when i go (went twice this year) I end up hacking and its over 5 miles there and 5 back and usually takes a good 3 hours for the round trip!
 
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