using hills for fitness & strengthening

[angelish]

hi please be nice i haven't posted in here in ages

iv'e recently moved yards and we have loads of hills on the road and on grass , some very steep some less so
some may remember that i evented my horse (just BE90) in 2010-2011 and at the beginning of 2011 he ruptured his SDFT , he has had stem cell treatment, months of box rest and nearly two years off and now he's back in work and raring to go

iv'e only ever really used interval training on the beach to get him fit but am a little frightened to do this again as that is when/how he broke down last time
i'm only aiming to do an 80 (hutton in the forest) to get him going again with the possibility of doing skipton 90 the week after that if all go'es well in the SJ

he is a big middle weight and not at all built for speed so i feel he needs to be a little fitter than the tb types to get around so

how do i use these lovely hills to my advantage ?
i used to do interval training every four days with the idea that after the forth day the fitness is still there but any minor wear and tear has had time to heal/rest , would it be the same with the hill work ie only every fourth day ?

schooling wise he could do with more on his hind Q's and he struggles with lengthening strides , do i simply trot up the hills in a long low outline to build this up ?
any ideas , tips etc will be much appreciated as iv'e never had hills to use so its all new to me

just to add he has done all the boring road work (18 months ) so he is now ready to start harder work , he's ridden 7 days a week (will be 6 when he's out everyday) he has two easy days just a walk hack , goes sj once a week , schools twice and hacks the rest up the hills in walk or trot (or gallop if there are any of these orange monsters about )
photo for your enjoyment

 

[KatB]

Lots of walking and trotting slowly up hills long and low will be plenty. I wouldnt be doing interval trianig at intro level, as its just not necessary! Slow and regular hill work with cantering in schooling/jumping practise will have any horse fit enough for an intro I'm also just starting long reining up and down hills, for my fitness as well as the mares!

 

[Mel85]

I agree - hacking and walking/trotting up the hills will be plenty.

Last season I ran one of mine at Aldon one star and had done nothing other than lots of trotting up hills, he went inside the time and finished full of running, and it was commented that he recovered better than most.

It is not necessary to do any sort of specific "fitness work" at Intro level you can do more than enough just through your day to day hacking with hills involved.

 

[anna22]

Agree with KatB, long and low up the hills if you can... will get him using his quarters and back nicely without being too exuberant. Walking and steady trotting will really get him stretching through himself and slowly building the muscles in the right places without too much strain.

 

[angelish]

ok thanks

 

[ajf]

Getting him to work into a contact, over his back and really march (and I mean go!!!) in walk will do no end of help. If he isn't puffing like crazy you haven't made him march enough (though don't do too much to start with as you'll make him sore, build up slowly)!

Think about how much hard work it is for you to really march up a steepish hill and then run up it. You'll realise the walking is much harder!

 

[angelish]

Getting him to work into a contact, over his back and really march (and I mean go!!!) in walk will do no end of help. If he isn't puffing like crazy you haven't made him march enough (though don't do too much to start with as you'll make him sore, build up slowly)!

Think about how much hard work it is for you to really march up a steepish hill and then run up it. You'll realise the walking is much harder!

thanks he is a real "captain slow" he starts puffing just looking at the hill ,i have been walking up the one on the road but he keeps trying to naff off at a gallop up the one on the grass ,maybe because its easier
as i tried to explain earlier he is quite a big heavy lazy sod (i love him really) so i feel he needs to be that bit fitter than , say a TB or sports horse because galloping doesn't come naturally to him he has to work at it hence the interval training last time to help his fitness

he copes better even in the dressage when he is fitter as he is difficult to keep in front of the leg so i find the fitter he is the better he goes in general
he is a good doer and can easily get quite fat too , he just isn't really built for the job but tries his best and gets round
i do understand a TB or more bussy up for it sort of horse wouldn't need to work on fitness quite so much as him

 

[dominobrown]

Getting him to work into a contact, over his back and really march (and I mean go!!!) in walk will do no end of help. If he isn't puffing like crazy you haven't made him march enough (though don't do too much to start with as you'll make him sore, build up slowly)!

Think about how much hard work it is for you to really march up a steepish hill and then run up it. You'll realise the walking is much harder!

About to say this, walking up hills is often harder work, and some horses will try to jig jog. I did a lot of walking up really steep hills with my horse, though it was quite a steep hill. To get him fit to event I would say for instance walk up it 5x, trot up it 3x and canter up 2x etc etc building up as he got fitter/ stronger.

 

[gunnergundog]

i have been walking up the one on the road but he keeps trying to naff off at a gallop up the one on the grass ,maybe because its easier

Hills are great for fittening but only work if you insist that they use themselves correctly by propelling themselves up by using their butts and not pulling themselves up with their shoulders! I say this as from what you said above your boy is obviously looking for the easy option! Be warned!

 

[dafthoss]

Well mine has no TB blood in and needs to gallop regularly to be eventing fit, we have no hills any where near me (joys of the fens!) so its all done on flat grass. He alternates between long fast cantering and short bursts of gallop for his fitness work and it really makes a difference to him.

 

[angelish]

About to say this, walking up hills is often harder work, and some horses will try to jig jog. I did a lot of walking up really steep hills with my horse, though it was quite a steep hill. To get him fit to event I would say for instance walk up it 5x, trot up it 3x and canter up 2x etc etc building up as he got fitter/ stronger.

thanks he does try to jig jog on the road but has learned that is not an option as he just has to turn around and start again if he jogs

Hills are great for fittening but only work if you insist that they use themselves correctly by propelling themselves up by using their butts and not pulling themselves up with their shoulders! I say this as from what you said above your boy is obviously looking for the easy option! Be warned!

oh yes the easier the better , he'll argue at the bottom and basically either rear or want to go full speed , he will not walk atm on the grass hill but were working on it he will give up before me he always does
would draw reins help ? i sometimes resort to draw reins if he gets dangerous with the rearing/leaping for safetys sake but will they be a help or a hinderence in making him work correctly ?

 

[angelish]

Well mine has no TB blood in and needs to gallop regularly to be eventing fit, we have no hills any where near me (joys of the fens!) so its all done on flat grass. He alternates between long fast cantering and short bursts of gallop for his fitness work and it really makes a difference to him.

hi yes thats what i had to do with mine before i moved yards , we had no hills at all
it is harder work with one that isn't built for speed mine has no TB blood either or at least not as far as i know as i have no idea how he is bred

 

[ajf]

thanks he is a real "captain slow" he starts puffing just looking at the hill ,i have been walking up the one on the road but he keeps trying to naff off at a gallop up the one on the grass ,maybe because its easier
as i tried to explain earlier he is quite a big heavy lazy sod (i love him really) so i feel he needs to be that bit fitter than , say a TB or sports horse because galloping doesn't come naturally to him he has to work at it hence the interval training last time to help his fitness

he copes better even in the dressage when he is fitter as he is difficult to keep in front of the leg so i find the fitter he is the better he goes in general
he is a good doer and can easily get quite fat too , he just isn't really built for the job but tries his best and gets round
i do understand a TB or more bussy up for it sort of horse wouldn't need to work on fitness quite so much as him

Hmm he's sounds suprisingly like me big fat lump He also gets to the hill and kinda goes really? Are u really sure? Lazy git

Also like urs the fitter I can get him the better his paces and dressage becomes, so poor boy has to work on his waistline!

 

[angelish]

yes he sounds very like yours
its such hard work when there so lazy , mine can be as sharp as a knife at the same time so your plodding along kicking away to keep him in walk and within the next second i'm facing the opposite direction hanging round his neck because he's spun like a 12"2 then reared because he's seen a cow/lamb in an orange coat/tractor/blade of yellow grass its such fun

 

[Goldenstar]

This is main way i get them fit I am very very lucky to have acess to an amazing corner of a friends farm it is a 200 acre field , old pasture with a very old quarry in one corner it's now a grassed slope steep with a burn at the bottom at the far end piles of old spoil grassed over ( think lots various sized derby banks )
We walk up the quarry side round the edge and down a milder slope and then play in the burn then back up again we walk off their back heads low and long they do jog until they learn we walk mostly but also trot and canter you can contine at the top to canter around the field we also canter down the slopes as they get more experianced and balanced it's just fantasic you could not build it better.
Ps we always do this work in a least a pair as unless they are very forward they are much happier with company .