What discipline+level do you compete at, and how do you train?

[Morgan123]

Hi all. I would be interested to compare training regimes for the different disciplines, would you share yours?

I do endurance with my welshie, we compete at 30kms at the moment, moving up to 40kms by the end of next month, then doing the Golden Horseshoe 40km (very excited :-D) and hopefully 50kms by June and - if we can - one 60km by the end of the season.

At the moment each week we aim for:

1 long (at LEAST 10 miles but ideally more like 20) ride per week at mainly trot
1 medium length and faster hack (e.g. seven miles including galloping)
1 lungeing session working on forwardness
1 flatwork lesson or proper schooling session
1 school strength/fitness session (working on forwardness and strength e.g. canter serpentines etc)
Then one other day of work, probably a second fast hack now the evenings are lighter, but it has been another schooling session or bit of jumping if we feel like it.

What do you do with yours (and how do you fit it around work?! I'm knackered !)

 

[dianchi]

This could end up being a bit of a long one...............
So we compete RC comps, Dressage (novice/elem level) and play Horseball (National League)
Weekly training will all depend on time of year and what comp is coming up next.
As standard I try and lunge twice a week, and ride 4 times, and give her Mondays off.
This week has been mostly schooling and lunging as we have a dressage comp on Sunday, Tonight will be schooling in the double bridle.
Next week I am jumping on the Sunday, so will have a little pop at home during the week. Plus usual schooling/Lunging.
On top of all this Horseball season is just starting so I am training once a week with the team plus try and do one “horseball schooling” a week, which includes practising pick ups, line outs and canter turn backs.
I do try and hack once a week as well but as you say it’s hard to fit everything into one week! Definitely can’t say that she doesn’t have a variety of work tho!!

 

[HBBambee]

I compete BD Novice & Elementary on my 14.2hh Pony

This winter we have done a few outings and been very consistent and in the top 3 placings.
We don't have any facilities at home just hacking, I ride at weekends only during the winter. This is normally a hack for 1 hour or schooling in a field dry enough or competing.

When the longer nights arrive I will be back to schooling 4 days in a row 1 hacking day then a day off.
Our aim this summer is to go Medium - fingers crossed.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

Competing small tour (PSG/Inter1) and schooling GP (dressage)

schools 4 times a weeks and does one light seat canter session generally and has a couple of days off or a day off and a show.

he's a cold, idle, backward thinking horse so the light seat canter is generally done the day before a show to get his blood up and thinking forward. if he's being particularly nappy then he might do 2 canter sessions and is really encouraged to have a buck and play and a gallop-either in the arena in winter (35 x 55) or field in the summer. one session is always the day before a show to keep him fresh.

then he does one session incorporating more pi/pa, one session working on changes and canter piris, one more on lateral work and one on basic transitions etc.

i do have lights, and help on the yard, but equally i teach a lot and ride a few for other people so some days i might be on board for 5pm, some days i might be getting on at 8pm and he might be the 3rd horse that eve! some saturdays he's the 5th one of the day!

he doesnt hack much as he can be silly (rearing and broncing on the road) but he does occasionally go to the gallops for a blast.

he has qual PSG regionals and is being aimed at inter 1 regionals also, and then an inter 2 at the very end of 2014.

 

[SaffronWelshDragon]

And at the other end of the scale...!

Not sure if I count as we only play at competing at dressage, aiming to do some BD prelims this year. I have to fit this in around my day job, so ride in the evenings now it's lighter.

Monday: off
Tues: Flatwork
Weds: Flatwork
Thurs: Hack am 1/2 hour or so as before work (I'm rubbish at getting up in the morning!)
Fri: off
Sat: Flatwork, bit of a jump, lesson, filming a Dressage Anywhere test, depends what we fancy
Sun: Hack; working up to 1 - 1.5 hours

 

[PolarSkye]

Kal isn't affiliated at anything, but he does UA SJ, DR, hunter trials and ODEs. He's currently at Prelim for DR, but moving up to Novice, SJs at 1M plus when out, and (we hope - haven't been out this season since we found our amazing jump trainer) similar XC.

We try and vary his work as much as possible . . . a hack, schooling on the flat, jumping in the school, travelling to a jump clinic, a dressage lesson, time on the walker and a lunge lesson in any given week/two week period. He works 5 days a week, competes once a week and has one day off. We try and keep journeys to clinics/lessons/competitions to no more than an hour and a half MAX - usually more like an hour or under.

Some weeks he doesn't compete at all . . . but he still works six days a week. He loves his field time, but he does need to be kept busy. He doesn't particularly enjoy hacking alone, so we can be guilty of not hacking him as often as we would like, but we do try and get him out once a week - this week he's hacked twice (once in company, once alone).

I don't currently work, but his jockey works from home . . . so it's pretty easy to schedule schooling/training, etc. sessions around both our schedules, factoring in school runs, family time, etc.

P

 

[only_me]

Billy and i are currently competing aff novice and elementary dressage, but will get back to eventing at 1* in summer.

Currently his work is like this:
monday - off
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - school
thursday - off
Friday - either off/school/wash depending on my timetable
Sat - either show or ride
Sun- ride

So not a huge amount of riding but luckily he holds his fitness quite well thanks to his tb blood the days he is off is because i dont get home till 8 usually! Bring on the light nights

 

[khalswitz]

I'd LIKE to be out eventing but Geoff is taking longer to get the SJ right than I'd thought... So were competing unaff Prelim (with our BD debut next month), 60-70cm unaff SJ depending on behaviour, and got him entered for 70cm hunter trials and a 70cm arena event to test the water.

We do whatever he feels like he needs - usually hack twice a week, and school three times, with either a lesson or jumps as one, and compete probably three weekends out of four.

 

[palo1]

Novice endurance for us (young horse) at the moment. Weekly we tend to do: 1 longer hack - usually 15 miles or more or local fun ride if longer/nicer/we're bored at home; sticking to novice speed but with nice sneaky canters if we feel like it! 1 or 2 shorter rides - 7-10 miles a bit faster or with longer stretches of trot and trying to cover a variety of terrain. We have quite hilly local going so that's a given. 1 schooling hack where I work on working from behind, lateral work, transitions, canter changes (we have a crap school and horse prefers to go out) and 1 lunging session where I try to include something different; poles/jumps or anything I can think of. Usually at least 2 days off. We are only doing short distance novice rides though and looking to upgrade rather slooowwlly!! Sometimes, of course, it goes out of the window and we go for lovely long slow moochy rides where we explore new territory and practice our fastest galloping...hehe!!

 

[Follysmum]

Open Endurance horse

2 x hacks 2-3 hrs lots of walking up big hills with trotting and small canters

2 x longline lunge sessions for 20 mins

1 x shorter hack 1-2 hrs lots of interval work

1 x canter hill work every other week

 

[Kimchi]

Me and my mare do Dressage, we are looking forward to doing second level (elementry?) this year. Ideally (it doesn't always go according to plan with 2 jobs.)

Mon. School
Tues. Hill work
Wed. School
Thur. Lesson
Fri. Hack out
Sat. School/Jump
Sun. off

The goal is six days but I average 5 between every thing

 

[chestnut cob]

I'm pretty average really. Have our first BE80 coming up in a couple of weeks, then depending on how that goes we might do another 80 or move up to 90. Also do UA/RC DR, SJ, ODEs and HT.

I try to work him 6x per week. Usually does 2x flatwork, though I try to do 3 or also have a lesson/comp. Hack x2, jump x1 and either an in hand schooling or lungeing session if I haven't schooled x3.

 

[OwnedbyJoe]

Open endurance horse. Doing (but not up there with the fast ones) in 50 mile (80km) rides. Three rides a week! One long ride of 20-22 miles with an average pace of 7 - 8 miles an hour). One arena session of about an hour including warm up and cool down. One interval training session. But he is 24/7 in 100 acres with a mob of 5 others so he tops up his base fitness by himself almost.

 

[Nightmare before Christmas]

1.10-1.20 bsja

Varies week by week. Mix of flat hacking and gridwork.

 

[MS123]

My 6 year old is currently schooling elementary at home (we're just about to step up to Novice competing wise), but we jump/x-country too.

My week varies depending on work, but it's usually something like: 3-4x schooling (including a jump session and a flatwork lesson), 1x hacking, 1-2 full days off. This can be very varied though depending on my work, and if we're competing. On average though she's worked 4-5 days a week with a mixture of work.

 

[CIJ]

Eventing Novice BE. I work full time and have no facilities at home but we manage...........
Winter time - Dressage lesson every 2 weeks at instructors indoor arena, jumping lesson every week at instructors indoor arena, weekends either hacking doing roadwork/hills or go to the beach which is 10mins drive away, so has 3 or 4 days off a week.
When it starts getting light enough to ride before or after work - Dressage lesson every 2 weeks, jumping lesson every week and then 3 or 4 days I'll hack, go to the beach or go to an event and she'll get 1 or 2 days off depending on whats on.

 

[Walrus]

We barely qualify as comp riders but:

Native pony aiming at novice M&M Working Hunter classes this year

Attempt to exercise 5-6 times per week. Of these we usually compete every other week on average and have a flatwork lesson once a fortnight on a weeknight.

Over the winter we have mainly been flatwork in the school and once a week lunge during the week with one weekday off and then jumping / hacking / competing at the weekend.

Once the nights are lighter I will hopefully hack 1-2 times per week, lunge once, and school the rest with including 1 jumping session a week. I'd like to get to a point where we are going a gridwork session fairly regularly as well but we've only switched to workers this year so I'm still working out how much jump-schooling we need to incorporate. We also have the benefit of a large field with a 7 furlong stretch down one side which is directly opposite our yard and perfect for either a cool down stroll or some quick circuits on a summer evening.

Oh, and pony does 3x40min sessions on the walker every week.

I work full time with bits of travel thrown in but am fortunate to be on a great yard with a floodlit school and lunge arena, horsewalker and competent YO who will lunge / ride if I'm away.

 

[slumdog]

I'm only competing one of mine atm, we jump BS at 1.05 and I'm hoping to progress to 1.10 and then on to 1.20 this year. I'm a true amateur rider, my job has nothing to do with horses and juggling everything is hard. I generally ride 5 times a week and 6 times if we have a show with him getting the following day off. I rarely jump at home unless I do a bit of grid work because he doesn't need it. Having had no hacking for 12 months I've just moved to a lovely yard with some great off road hacking so I will be doing that probably 3 out of 5 times in the week work permitting.

 

[kassieg]

Eventing be80 then will move up to be90
She does
1 day off
1 day jumping, be it grid work. .. bounces ... course or lots of scary things& questions
2 days schooling
2 days hacking 1 being a long 1 of 1 hour 30 mins plus 1 being fittening & then gallop work
1 pole work day
Substitute the jumping or hacking for a show day if I'm competing

 

[GinaGeo]

Mine's working at BD Novice presently - in the process of qualifying for Summer regionals. He's not doing BE this season but will be doing some unaff ODE's and Milton Keynes 3DE.

His work plan at present involves interval work every fourth day. If it's wet this means 3x4minute canter's around the Outdoor school with 1min walk intervals.(School is 40mx60m) so plenty of space. If it's dry I go around the fields which presently involves 1x2km trot up and down hills. And 2x 1.5km canter/gallops with a 0.5km walk between. I hope to have increased this to 4 x canters by the time the 3DE is here and him be finding it easy. On the other days I aim to jump once. Do a Walk hillwork based hack once/twice. And school twice. I try and go into the school with an aim - tonight's was to play with the walk-canter transitions on both reins and to increase his awareness of the aids.

When he competes he schools the day before - we run through the tests. And the day before that he has off. Otherwise his weeks are relatively flexible, worked around his fitness work.

 

[AliceCrail]

I feel ashamed to admit how little I do!

I am just a RC level allrounder. We have a novice team chase coming up next weekend. My mare is 3/4 TB though so keeps her fitness very well. Probably exercised 3 - 4 times a week, mix of hacking, schooling, jumping and lunging for 30 - 45 minutes. The biggest difference to her fitness is being able to turn her out from 9 - 5 every day.