additional riding necessary?

[xeroxchick]

You have been given great advice here. All I can add is to take a couple of Advil before the hunt and it will help the soreness.

Even with all said, I see a lot more men in the hunt field than any other “english” discipline.

Honestly, you will find yourself doing things you never thought you could do. At the time you won’t notice it because you will be so enjoying the action, but later you will think back and be amazed how you jumped up that steep bank or ran up and down that narrow, slippery trail at a gallop, or jumped that fallen tree with holes on either side, etc. Have fun!

[WilfredLeblanc]

Thanks to all for the tips!

[Mach_Two]

That is pretty rugged country, so leg and core fitness is a key to not getting fatigued during the day of hunting. When I was hunting full time, I was on my event horse 5 or 6 days a week, and keeping 2 or 3 hunt horses fit (hacking twice a week, hunting them twice a week) and I did not get fatigued hunting…I might have been able to do that with just riding my event horse (two or three dressage days, two or three days of trotting/cantering/gallop sets, no more than one day of jumping a week) plus the two days of hunting…but I had a pretty good core fitness back then, …oh…and plus was trotting a couple of race horses a week some of that time.

I don’t think you can get too fit. A fatigued rider, I think, is more likely to take a spill, make a poor decision, and get hurt. Ride all you can, and if you can get out and to some trot sets, and canter sets outside (even if it’s on different horses) you will build up your riding fitness…and the livery horses will love you for it.

[WilfredLeblanc]

[QUOTE=Mach Two;4131480]
Ride all you can, and if you can get out and to some trot sets, and canter sets outside (even if it’s on different horses) you will build up your riding fitness…and the livery horses will love you for it.[/QUOTE]

Basically, the most I’m likely to be at the barn is three days a week. So A) it sounds like I need to make sure I’m working out on the other days, and B) like I could be following a specific regimen when hacking. Maybe by “trot and canter sets” you mean what I already do, but is there some structure I should be following? I usually just walk/trot/canter for an hour or until the Perch/TB I lease sounds labored or is getting wet. The simulated XC path we have includes a slope to go up and down, but I don’t think you’d call it a hill.

The thing is, at my barn, I don’t fit neatly into the scheme, which revolves around kids who event regularly. The trainer is mainly occupied with schooling them and fits in private jumping lessons with me when it works for both our schedules. Ideally, that’s once a week, but it can easily happen that I’m more or less left to my own devices (meaning I’m within eyeshot, and she might shout out a suggestion here and there, but basically let’s me go) for two weeks running. Lately, the routine has seemed kind of mindless and unfocused, so I would benefit from a definite plan. The trainer has been hilltopping a few times but is not a hunter, so she probably wouldn’t mind my seeking outside counsel on training to hunt (or take a solo trail ride, or whatever I’ll wind up doing at Red Rock).

[Mach_Two]

With that big horse, start with four minute trots, followed by five minutes of walking. Do three sets of that. If the horse already has some fitness, add one for or five minute canter, followed by a long walk. After about week, increase the trots to 5 or 6 minutes, and a five minute walk…three sets. keep the canter about the same.
put the horse on the bit, and do those trots really working the back…it will help you both.
When you can build up to 10 minute trots, and the horse is recovering his breathing in five minutes, you can then probably do two 5 or 6 minute canters…with five minute walks between. Because your horse (sounds like he is) larger and heavier, he will cool more slowly than say a TB or Arab…so be sure he is clipped. His fitness work will help you a lot towards having your legs and your core fitness at a higher level.
A digital watch (get one at Wal-Mart, for about 10 bucks) that has a stop timer feature will help…start it , keep an eye on it, and trot till it reached 5 minutes, then stop and restart when you start your walk set. It will be easy to get the knack of interval training with a stop watch on your wrist…be sure it is a large enough dial that you can see it easily when trotting.

Just a slope is a good start…trot up, walk down. sounds like you are on the right path!

In the old days the cheaper watches worked for me, when I hit 39 or 40, I needed a bigger watch face to be able to see it quickly while galloping.

[WilfredLeblanc]

[QUOTE=Mach Two;4132615]
With that big horse, start with four minute trots, followed by five minutes of walking. Do three sets of that. If the horse already has some fitness, add one for or five minute canter, followed by a long walk. After about week, increase the trots to 5 or 6 minutes, and a five minute walk…three sets. keep the canter about the same.
put the horse on the bit, and do those trots really working the back…it will help you both.
When you can build up to 10 minute trots, and the horse is recovering his breathing in five minutes, you can then probably do two 5 or 6 minute canters…with five minute walks between. Because your horse (sounds like he is) larger and heavier, he will cool more slowly than say a TB or Arab…so be sure he is clipped. His fitness work will help you a lot towards having your legs and your core fitness at a higher level.
A digital watch (get one at Wal-Mart, for about 10 bucks) that has a stop timer feature will help…start it , keep an eye on it, and trot till it reached 5 minutes, then stop and restart when you start your walk set. It will be easy to get the knack of interval training with a stop watch on your wrist…be sure it is a large enough dial that you can see it easily when trotting.

Just a slope is a good start…trot up, walk down. sounds like you are on the right path!

In the old days the cheaper watches worked for me, when I hit 39 or 40, I needed a bigger watch face to be able to see it quickly while galloping.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Mach Two. That’s encouraging. Big or not, the horse is active and–I guess–fairly fit. He makes it around the XC course down at Twin Rivers just fine, does his water, ditches, and banks without resistance (from the standpoint of fitness, anyway, though he’s buddy sour as all get out–wants to walk out and run back, but that’s another subject) Basically, we can already do 5w/5t/5c, and trot, canter, or gallop the slope, so it sounds like it’s just a question of adding sets.

[Mach_Two]

Yep…just add the sets…the reason for the 5 minute walks is to get the horse to the point that he recovers breathing and heartrate in that five minutes, even when you increase the canter to 7 or 8 minutes.
Average novice horse trial XC is about 5 minutes, but average hunt day is 4 to 6 hours…lots of trotting and some cantering, occasional gallops…so the “reps” build cardiovascular fitness and increase tendon flexibility, and bone density in horses. Once you can easy to 10 minute trots and recover in 4 or 5 minutes, and do 5 minute canters and recover in 4 or 5 minutes, you are getting to a really good place. It sounded to me that you were already going in the right direction! Good for you for doing the work!