trotting...

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Hemirjtm

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Can you over-do the trotting on hacks?

I took Hemir out today, and he was rather excited (a mixture of cows and rain, and possibly spring grass
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), So instead of him taking the mick, I decided I would trot most of the hack, I didn;t go out for long as it was gone 7 by the time i got out! Where i went was quite hilly, but Hemir just trots down the hills as comfortably as he trots up them, I keep i balanced seat, and he is fine. We did have a little canter but not for long and i was in full control of speed
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, but that was right at the end! He normally comes home a little sweaty (and tbh possibly hasn't done enough - normally out for an hour atm...but i think he needs to be doing more like 2hrs a day??) but tonight i felt as though he had done loads...and he was really quite sweaty, but not 'puffing' that much...

I was just wondering if i had over-done it with the trotting, wether this was ok...I think we were out for about 30 mins (and possibly 20 of those was spent trotting
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) Or wether i should be doing more with him?

thanks
Lauren
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I'm a bit unsure with my mare if Im sometimes doing too much, shes full of energy always though so even though I work her quite hard and she gets pretty sweaty I think she would slow down a bit if she was totally knackered !? I don't think you can do too much harm with a bit of hard work as long as you build up to the longer periods.

I was told little and often goes for fittening too not just feeding !?

Im steadily increasing my mares work, adding 10-15 mins usually with each ride, sometimes more, sometimes less, depends on time and where Im exploring next.

I expect someone might tell me thats wrong now lol ...!!!
 
Oh and I read somewhere recently that you should be eventually doing some galloping for proper fitness. Hill work you probably know anyway, my mare seems to want to trot up all hills anyway! Its great having a forward going horse, I couldn't stand having to be pushing on all the time with something more laid back.
 
Trotting is fine...hardens the legs....

i always trot all mine..beit 4 yr olds or 14yr olds...


5/10 mins at a time...
 
thanks, thats my problem with him, I feel as though i'm not doing enough as he's always full of energy!! but after today I felt as though i had done just about enough...the other problem with him is that he used to be an endurance horse, so it's hard to tell when he's really tired, and when i've done enough
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Oh and I read somewhere recently that you should be eventually doing some galloping for proper fitness. Hill work you probably know anyway, my mare seems to want to trot up all hills anyway! Its great having a forward going horse, I couldn't stand having to be pushing on all the time with something more laid back.

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LOL! My mum's mare needs some encouragment sometimes, but then others she seems to just fly off the leg! I definatly couldn't have a horse that was laid back...I would get bored too quickly
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although sometimes it's nice to know that you have breaks at the end of a track when you need them
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LOL! mine is much better now we have thr ight bit though!!
 
You read contradicting advice about trotting on hard surfaces... my vet has told me not to hammer her on the roads, but then again she is mid remedial shoeing as fairly bad sandcrack/grasscracks when I bought her and they still growing out.

It doesn't harden human legs does it though? so I wonder if it really hardens horses legs ? Although this "hardening up the tendons" is an old known horse saying I remember from years back, so which one is correct ?

Do splints come from too much hard surface ?
 
You have the exact same view as me on my horse lol !! For a minute I looked and thought I'd posted a pic by mistake!

I showed an non horsey friend a picture just like that and she laughed and said she thought it was a yorkshire terrier lolol !!! You can see what she means sort of
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[ QUOTE ]
You have the exact same view as me on my horse lol !! For a minute I looked and thought I'd posted a pic by mistake!

I showed an non horsey friend a picture just like that and she laughed and said she thought it was a yorkshire terrier lolol !!! You can see what she means sort of
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LOL! I can understand *must remember to sort his mane out
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* It grows the way it wants to!! lol!

What breed is your horse?
 
[ QUOTE ]
You read contradicting advice about trotting on hard surfaces... my vet has told me not to hammer her on the roads, but then again she is mid remedial shoeing as fairly bad sandcrack/grasscracks when I bought her and they still growing out.

It doesn't harden human legs does it though? so I wonder if it really hardens horses legs ? Although this "hardening up the tendons" is an old known horse saying I remember from years back, so which one is correct ?

Do splints come from too much hard surface ?

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i don't "hammer" any of mine...we just trot...a nice slow, collected trot.

i've had 2yr olds throw splints stood in a field.....
 
Depends how hard the tracks are. I think to myself at least with the road there's no uneveness, then again I have a TB with shallow feet to worry about.

My mare will get carried away anywhere if I let her, extended trot with what seems a moment of suspension sometimes ! I've been schooling her quite well out on hacks though, we have several different gears in trot it seems lol !! I think that's meant to be good for my upcoming private lessons down the road at the riding school.

Back to the tracks thing, I also ride on some half stoney half soily tracks, so I do medium speeds, ie fast trot, slow canter and I think they're not so bad as at least the stones have some mud to squodge into, giving a little less impact on the soles etc.. My mare would canter on tarmac quite enthusiastically if she were allowed lol !!
 
Yes well I did nearly say to the vet I wouldn't "hammer" my horse on the road like some of these gypos with trotters, but I must look like someone who gallops on grass verges or something lol !!
 
I have a trotter
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at the moment the tracks are very nice gowing...not hard, not stoney (except one that i walk along!). Hemir has a really big trotter stride if i let him get away from me...doesn't happen very often though! He would also canter on tarmac given half a chance!

I can understand about the evenness of roads, but my farrier has told me to keep him off them as much as possible, as his feet don't grow quickly at all...

thanks for the replies everyone
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I think that is absolutely fine to trot your hack on those tracks, but just to add, be slightly careful he doesn't expect it all the time - similar to always cantering at the same place.

(I haven't read all the replies so sorry if I have repeated!)
 
Jack loves trotting fast on the roads, he would canter if I let him. He does an extended trot with a moment of suspension sometimes too.
Now, I need to keep him fit, as he can get fat, and trotting is very effective for doing that, but I worry about the concussion aspect. Therefore I try to keep it too about five /ten mins total trotting on the roads out on an hours hack.
The alternative of trotting on woodland tracks raises a different problem as they are often stony and uneven, or gravelly so I wonder which is more harmful?
 
Ravenwood - I try and varie every ride now
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as in the last place we used to always canter on one track (so green and lush...couldn't help not cantering on it
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) thanks for replying
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katenjack - valid point, I hadn't thought about that
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would like to see the replies of others on that point!

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