Talk to me about your eventing Welsh Cobs?

[tootsietoo]

So, I've got a lovely Welsh Cob. Bought him to hunt, but he is so easy and keen that I've had a go at a few BE80s. He does a lovely dressage test! He's been terribly spooky at the SJ and XC as he's never done it before but I'm doing lots of schooling and it's getting better. But it does seem to be quite hard work getting him fit. And he doesn't go very fast. I did a speed test round the stubble the other day and managed to get up to nearly 500 mpm, which I think would probably need to be our "between fences" speed, as obviously slowing down for fences, hills etc will bring the average speed down to around 435 mpm, and it feels very fast for him!

Just wondered what others do for fitness and speed work on their Welshies, and I'd love to hear some good stories about successful eventing Welsh Cobs. I noticed that one of this year's Pony Team ponies was a pure bred section D!

 

[FfionWinnie]

My friend has one she does hunter trials and endurance with. She also show jumps him very successfully. He's not on paper the fastest, nor does he act the fittest (puffs his way up hills despite being very fit) but he is very reliable and cool headed. She manages amazing jump off turns and often wins against much faster horses. She's had loads of success this year over solid fences.

I also have a welsh D and she's just at the very start of her (hopeful!) career but she loves to jump and has bags of stamina (she's not I would say typical for a Welsh D in that way, her canter is also stronger than her trot at the moment which is unusual).

My previous welsh D was coming on beautifully and showing great promise over SJs when she died of EGS - she didn't have great stamina but she was 100kgs over weight when I bought her so she was improving and it was all coming together when tragedy struck.

I also have a DxB (who is a C) and she has the heart of a lion and stamina to burn.

Fitness and plenty of schooling over the things he doesn't like would be my plan.

Oh, we've also found feeding a low dose of oats daily and a larger amount the day before and day of competitions definitely helps pep them up to have enough energy to go faster than they may do in training.

 

[Morgan123]

Hello,
while this isn't about eventing, I might be able to comment on the fitness - have a Welsh D and have done lots of endurance with him and struggled with fitness!! He has a cracking jump so would have been a good eventer but he's so spooky he finds jumping v stressful so we only do fun ride type jumping now. But anyway -
It took me a LONG time to build up his fitness - there are lots of threads about cobs doing endurance, have a look at those as they will help. I found I really had to focus on the basics to get him fit; lots of long walking and slow work. You can't hurry that bit, and hills are invaluable. However, once done, the fast work (prolonged cantering or work on the gallops) was what really topped it off.

I found buying a stethoscope (£5 on ebay) massively helpful as I could track his fitness - I'd just take note of his usual heart rate and then do the same when I finished schooling or jumping or whatever. Also, I would do things like timing myself - e.g. five mins of trot, then time how long I think it takes him to return to normal breathing etc. I just made notes on my iphone.

Be warned you'll get lots of extra spooking when his fitness improves ;-). Good old spooky welshies!!

 

[tootsietoo]

So helpful, thank you Ffion and Morgan (what good welsh names!) Monitoring is a great idea. I will buy a stethoscope. We are quite flat where we are but I did box him over to a good hill last Thursday and will try to do that once a week. I do the roadwork walking for hunting fitness but I suspect I need to increase the number of days a week I do it, as at the moment it's only about 3 days a week. My plan will be to try another 80 in the spring after the hunting season, in the hope that he will be at peak fitness by then. Oats are a good idea. He can be very buzzy out hunting so I have not felt the need to give him much high energy food, but he doesn't find ODEs at all exciting and becomes a lazy spooky cob! Hmmm, I did wonder if the spooking at flags and fence decorations was less to do with the fact he hadn't seen them before and more to do with his Welsh personality!

So sorry to hear about your previous horse Ffion.

 

[taraj]

I too find it hard to get my d fit, he can be a bit lazy and make me do all the work! Hills and canter work are great if they are pretty fit all ready. Even when he is really fit he always huffs and puffs going up hill, but recovers quickly. He was a used at stud for a while and cut at 6 so has a fairly short chunky neck I think this makes him huffy puffy.
I also found my d would just get spookier not more forward going if I put him on a competition mix/oats but I have found slow release energy feeds such as endurance mix/cubes helpful.
He does tend to spook at jump judges/scary trees ect so just a welshy "thing".

 

[Pixie88]

I have a welsh x and the fitter he gets the spookier he gets (especially at x country jumps - They eat ginger ponies!!) But... He holds his fitness. I had him off work for 2 weeks and apart from the grass belly I am now trying to get rid off he has kept his fitness.

I try to do lots of transition work with him, and then trotting up hills ect. Not that we have many!! Only the field we ride round!

 

[tootsietoo]

Great, thanks. Gonna need some legs on for the plastic flowers for a while then! And a lot more trotting up hills and cantering along with measuring his recovery time.

Mine was also cut late and has a huge neck.

 

[Pixie88]

Great, thanks. Gonna need some legs on for the plastic flowers for a while then! And a lot more trotting up hills and cantering along with measuring his recovery time.

Mine was also cut late and has a huge neck.

We think mine was to... We are hoping to do out first ODE (just a mini one) this year, as I want to show my boy next year. But do a bit of everything.

Got any pics of your boy? This is mine..

 

[rara007]

I don't event but have a 7/8th section C who I've never had problems getting fit. Earlier in the year I took my pure D to a camp where we did XC and though he didn't struggle it really surprised me how sweated up he got. He runs a bit on nervous energy but my 7/8ths wouldn't have found it any bother considering the work level he was in before! I'm sure it is possible to get them eventing fit (a pure D was on the pony eventing team) but I think the canter takes more work. Loads of driving ponies are pure D and have good endurance but do put the miles in in training.

 

[FfionWinnie]

With ours we didn't up the feed till all the schooling was done and they were confident in their jobs. Probably not a good idea to over feed while still at the training stage lol.

 

[Madali]

I have evented my full Welsh up to BE Novice. I have found it easy to keep her fit and have always found she is one of the fastest across country.
I think this is because I hunted her as a 4 year old which made her bold and clever. Once out of the start box she regulates her own speed and because she has a pony stride she is great when the courses are twisty.
Try lots of fast work out hacking and just enjoy it all.
When walking the course work out economical lines and make sure you land and quickly get away from fences
I have more problems in SJ because of her short striding through doubles and related distances.

 

[tootsietoo]

Wow Madali, novice is quite some size these days. This is a good time of year for squeezing in extra fast work out hacking as there is so much stubble around and the ground isn't too wet.

Pixie88 yours has a much finer head than mine, almost like a section B head on a D body! Very beautiful. Here is a pic of mine. He had just clocked the fence covered in flowers about 10 strides away, that is why I am sitting well down! (I also know he's carrying a bit too much condition in that pic to be properly fit, I did take it very steady!)

 

[Sprat]

Following this with interest - I have just taken my D cross to his first ODE and did take it steady to begin with but he isn't the fastest xc.

I'm reluctant to start feeding anything different as we are coming to the end of the season and I don't think I'll get out hunting much this year. So anyone with any tips to keep going over winter ready for next season, I could do with a rocket up his bum!

 

[Nicnac]

Contact Star on here (look at her reports). Her Welsh/TB cross is competing Advanced Medium dressage and qualified for Badminton grassroots for the third year running. Think he'll be going BE Novice next year.

 

[Pixie88]

Tootsietoo - I think that is the Arab in him! And the fact that he is a poser!!! He doesn't look that pretty normally. I know the sitting deep!! Especially when my boy spots a jump and wants to go over it... Oddly enough he is a total monkey at home in the 'jumping field' but as soon as he is in a show situation he the perfect pony.

I love the concentration on your boy, he looks lovely! I love my Welshie/cross they have so much personality.

He doesn't look so fine here. He is a lot fitter not then he was there, although he still has a nice grass belly! Struggling to get rid of that at the moment. We spent an hour schooling the other night the majority of it in trot / canter a

 

[tootsietoo]

I will look at Star's reports, fab, thanks. Sprat, hunting is the ONLY thing that keeps me going over winter, both with horse fitness and mentally. I don't think I could do the winter drudge without a bit of fun for all my effort! You could always try finding a local centre that does some sort of winter points combined training competition - that might keep you motivated. V nice Pixie88!