Getting a Showing Horse 'Fit'

NuttySpaniel

NuttySpaniel

.Cob Fan.
Nov 18, 2007
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Surrey
Following on from NotPoodle thread.

Those of you with fit showing horses, what is your weeking routine? Do you ride everyday? if so how long for?

Schooling or hacking?

If schooling how long in walk trot and canter?

If hacking how fast?

I would like to start getting my boy fitter for showing. I would like to take this oppotunity now as I am not working at the moment (long story :p )

Thanks x
 
I don't ride her every day, but I work Tia 6 or 7 days a week. She is lunged 2 or 3 times a week in the pessoa (trot mainly, but about 5 minutes each rein in canter), and hacked 3 or 4 times a week. Hacking is 2-3 hours if it's at the weekend, and 1 1/2 - 2 hours if it's after work. It's about half and half walk and trot, with short bursts of canter where possible. We are in the Yorkshire Dales, so there is lots of hill work.

We have a jumping lesson every other week now.

I very rarely school her now - she knows her job well enough by now.

We have started Trec too, so a couple of times a week at the moment we do a bit of practice with the obstacles while we are out hacking or just before we set off hacking.
 
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My boy used to get worked every day. He'd hack out in the morning (walk and trot, lots of hillwork with a short canter and small gallop) for about an hour and a half, then he would be lunged or schooled in the afternoon for about 15 minutes if lunging (less if it was over raised poles, which we did two or three times a week) and about 30 minutes if schooling.

The weekends were kept for shows, but if we weren't showing, he would do picnic rides (three or four hours) or just hack out with the ladies from the yard on their Sunday Club - for about two hours, mainly walking with a few short bursts of trot uphill.

He was on the verge of getting too fit though and while I didn't notice it at home I did notice when we went to 'parties', and he had too much energy.. He often used to overcook in the warm up and then spoil his chances in the class (although I did use to have to warm him up for about two hours to make sure this didn't happen!)

ETA - He was always ridden in a bungee or draw reins, and lunged in side reins.
 
Hacking! Hours of slow, then faster hacking interspersed with schooling, jumping and fastwork works for me.

My horses usually have a break for a few weeks after Christmas if they have been hunting fit then are brought back into work with hours of walking hacks up and down hill with gradually increased trotting and fast work.

I don't ride everyday but the horse works 6 days a week. I use a pessoa twice a week, hack twice a week for upto 2.5hrs (incl faster work) and school twice a week flatwork and jumping - I use a lot of gridwork to encourage smart feet and a big bum!.

Stamina is what I am after rather than anaerobic fitness as that is what is required when you are cantering in an outline in a go round for 20mins around a large ring in 25 degrees heat after an early start, travelling etc. Stamina based (slow/aerobic fitness) is what IMO carries them through and makes sure they can still have the sparkle they need at the end of a long class..
 
I used to ride twice a day most days, but I would balance it out; if we did a long hack in the morning we'd do some gentle schooling in the evening, or if it was a really long hack, he'd get the night off. I also did a fair bit of longreining and we played at some jumping too. He was fed accordingly to keep his stamina up.

Mostly we went on seriously long hacks, and we tended to opt for distance rather than speed at a decent walk pace. :)
 
i do quite a lot- blackies ridden everyday, hacks to a field (we dont have a school or anything) shools for 30mins+ (more canter work atm) then hacks back. its roughly 4 miles away so its a fair ride :D

she works all the time (outline etc) trots several miles a day (after warm up obviously) and is fighting fit- in fact too fit now tbh, shes a bit of a handful and is on springs :p

Hal is doing the same, but does a bit more schooling than hacking because theirs a closer field (hes an arse in traffic is only reason).
 
No different from getting a horse for for all round activities!

Variety is the spice of life
I HATE hacking but i go 4 times a week, do 2 days fast hacking, galloping & canter and the others mainly trotting & schooling in the forest.
Schooling in the school twice a week including jumping/grid work and/or lunging.

Nothing special, but i always set a target when riding in the school. IE if i have a problem to iron out, like a canter lead or something, then i ride until its 'fixed' or huge progress is made. - whether that takes 20mins or an hour. I only ever end on a good note!

I always give one day off - mainlyu so i can catch up with yard jobs.

Although in this heat i haven't ridden atall but i'm sure he don't mind :)
 
ToG said:
Although in this heat i haven't ridden atall but i'm sure he don't mind :)
Click to expand...

i was riding at gone 10 last night- was only just bareable, but they need to do the work, and need to get used to working in warm weather anyway. hopefully it will have cooled down in a week or so :D
 
Was the first thing he did when he arrived at the show! I had my hat on luckily. He got one hell of a smack & a shouting at & sulked rest of the day but i don't care - he has to learn that rearing ISN'T an option. Either that or i'll threat to geld him!

I'll survive, it's only a hairline fracture, i'll climb on board for a hack on Saturday i think :)
 
I'm sure he will, it's only a coltish thing, just realising what mares are & things.
But i won't tolerate that behavious off any horse, nevermind a 2old colt! He didn't repeat his actions so lets hope the smack & shouting therapy worked hey!
 
I expect so when he's ready to chase HOYS qualifiers!! (3years?!) haha

You should come along to NPS champs & stay with us :D
 
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