Geting fit (my horse not me!)

[gillybou]

I'd love some advice on getting my mare a bit fitter. She's a Normandy Cob from Avril - 15 years, 5 foals, and currently a belly full of grass. She lives out in Summer so I can't really stop the grass belly at this time of year, but it should reduce as we head into Winter. I'm very proud of her at the moment as, for the first time, I took her out in a trailer and rode her somewhere else with two horses she had never met before. She was very nervous but so well behaved. However, it did highlight that she was as little less fit than the other horses and I'm keen to do a little more over Winter. She is only usually ridden 3 times a week Fri-Sun, for about 1 1/2 hours so that may be the problem. Is it simply more riding time that is required or are there things I can do to make the most of the time she is ridden to get her fitter. I have been told that it takes longer to get a heavy horse fit than a lighter model! I'm looking for an increase in stamina in trot and canter and any help would be greatly appreciated.
I haven't told Coco yet that she might soon be working a little harder!

Gilly x

[anakin14]

Hiya Gilly

When I am trying to get my horses fitter, the two things I find the best are:

1. Brisk walking out hacking - and never letting them trot uphill (it is harder work for them to walk!!), I do a lot of it with Anakin, even if we are just popping around the block for 20 minutes, I make sure he really marches out for the whole way and is taking a contact.

2. Drill work in the school, eg working on a circle, 10 paces of walk, 20 paces of trot, 20 paces of canter, 10 paces of walk up and down through the transitions, I find it really gets them forward and working.

Also, I tend to find it better to ride for example 4 times for 20-30 mins, rather than 2 times a week for an hour each. I would never have time for it now but back when I was studying I used to ride my eventer morning and evening for 30 minutes a time (usually one schooling and one hacking) - I am not suggesting for one moment you do this!!!! But he was really fit.

I guess in a nut shell - It would prob help to have your rides more spaced out (if your schedule allows that I am not sure), say a midweek ride rather than all over 3 days? Or if you can manage it, decrease the time you are riding fri-sun and squeeze in another 30 min session during the week?

I am a massive advocate for using hacking and hillwork for fitness so try and do as much as the darker winter days will allow! But as I say drill work is fab and with Anakin I find it really helps him to engage especially if I do it on a circle.

I am sure you don't have to worry about a grass belly as winter is on its way and we will soon be wishing for more grass!!

Good luck, would be great to know how you get on

[gillybou]

Thank so much for taking the time to reply. it's very interesting. We have lots of hills so I need to use them well! I had started doing a bit of trop uphill as I had imagined that was good but happy to stick to a brisk walk. Coco's natural gait is trot so she probably does find walking harder work.

I did lots of transitions recently in the warm up before my lesson and ,as well as hopefully making her fitter, it did get her listening to me better than usual so the lesson was more productive. It also brought her back to me a bit with less tanking - that's just me needing to learn to ride better too! Getting her round and off the forehand is something I am working on, both in and out of the school. In my case, as a novice, I need to be sure I know when I've got it right - but I have lessons which helps.

Coco now gets ridden once in the week by my husband before I ride her on Friday, usually Wednesday to spread the work. it's probably a fairly ploddy ride but I guess better than nothing and I have asked him to keep her walking briskly on the last hill home. We should be able to keep this 4 times a week work up during Winter except when I'm away for January when she will be ridden but most likely twice a week. I do have access to a small indoor school which means, if I can escape from work, I can get a ride in some evenings. Hopefully that will all make a difference. If just 30 minutes is really worth doing, then a morning session might be possible sometimes too.

Coco and I did a mock hunt on Sunday which was almost 3 hours. She can't keep still when we go anywhere and this was no different. We always ended up at the back after each line but she was more active than I expected and very keen! We even jumped a hedge and some tyres - a first for us! There are a couple more of these hunts over Winter and I hope to see some progress on the stamina front!

Thanks so much again for your help - really appreciated.

Gilly

[anakin14]

Well it sounds like you already know what you are doing!! That is great that you are managing to squeeze in a midweek ride - honestly it will really make a difference. I rarely school for longer than 30 minutes anyway (although he is working constantly through that), so it is definitely worth doing!

The mock hunt sounds like fun! Nothing gets a horse fit like hunting and hill work!

Good luck, I am sure you will be seeing progress very soon.