Recommended Fitness Program

[Thesnowbones]

My new 12year old ISH has just come back to work and has lost a lot of muscle tone. Can anyone recommend a good fitness program? I am thinking light work to begin with. He doesn't work in an outline but that will be what I'm aiming towards x

 

[Tash88]

How long has he been off for and why - was it just a break over winter or was he injured/unsound?

If your hacking is good and he's safe enough then start with that (preferably in safe company if he's likely to be overexcited), ideally 5 days a week. Start in walk for a couple of weeks and don't worry so much about an outline at this stage, just make sure he is forward-thinking and responding to your aids. Try to include some hill-work to build muscle tone.

 

[Red-1]

I am bringing one back into work, Sidney, we have just finished week 6.

Prior to being turned away he was fit and healthy, and young too (now rising 6), plus he was on 24/7 turnout on a hill in company, so all the pointers are good.

We did 2 weeks of just walking (other than a couple of lunges and one school session to make sure he was polite and safe) starting with 1/2 hour and building up from there.

Next 2 weeks was as the first, but included 10 minutes in the school before we rode out every other day or so, most of which was in walk, but included changes of rein and a trot. Near the end of the 2 weeks we would have a canter, but it was not sustained.

The last two weeks we have been including trot in our hacks, had one short canter, and schooling is up to 20 minutes once every 3 days or so. We have included canter, and on 3 occasions have popped a few (6 in total) small X poles as a rhythm exercise. On 3 occasions we travelled out in the box to a school for our 20 minutes, just to recondition him to travelling. No jumping as yet though.

I am also bringing my horse Jay back into work. He is a different kettle of fish. He is rising 11, and has been off for a year with a suspensory injury. Over winter he has been mainly stabled, out in the daytime for 6 hours on the sand school.

Jay will have a different schedule of work than Sidney, as he is starting from a far more vulnerable place. He is only on week 2. So far we have done minimum on the school, just enough to ensure sanity, and have hacked the 1/2 hour ride every day. I plan on 2 more weeks of this 1/2 hour ride. After that I plan on 2 more months of mainly hacking, mainly in walk. I hope to build the hacking up to around 3 hours (but not that distance every day) whilst still being mainly in walk, but introducing trotting and a canter on grass where the ground is good enough.

So, same person, same facilities, but vastly different programs as the horses are totally different in their starting points and needs.

I wish we had hills, but we are in the flatlands. Sidney will be fine to mix short hacks with schooling, whereas Jay Man will need to box out to find better hacking, so he can be fitter before school work increases.