Looking for advice on getting my horse fit for a Novice 3 day event this fall! I am hoping to do a classic 3 day this November on my horse, who is relatively easy to get fit since he stepped down from the upper levels as a schoolmaster for me last year. I was also wondering where to find more specific info on the length of each phase. For anyone has done one, any tips/advice would be appreciated. TIA!
The times/specs are here. I did the T3D at Waredaca a couple of times and I found that for a TB horse that has been competing all season it wasn’t much extra. The schedule my trainer recommended was from a USEA magazine published in the early 2000s so of course I can’t find it now but I will look on my computer later. It was a great experience and everyone should do one at least once!
2 Likes
Jimmy Wofford had a lot of materials on conditioning. Here’s one. There are probably others in old practical horseman columns.
1 Like
I would gradually work up to 16 minutes of trotting, without a walk break, so you are ready for phase A. Other than that, you shouldn’t need much more work if you are consistently riding five days per week.
Search on here for Training Three Day and you will find lots of helpful tips, like a list of all of the extra stuff you need in the vet box. Make sure to get your horse’s last set of worn out shoes before the event.
4 Likes
Thank you all for the links and advice! Super helpful for me.
1 Like
WEBSample-Fitness-Schedule-for-Novice-and-Training-3-day-horses.pdf (39.7 KB)
Not the one I was looking for but this should give you an idea! I found (for Training) that A was about 15 minutes of trotting with a bit of canter, B was about 2 minutes of really galloping, C was about 25 minutes with a bit of walk but mostly trot, there was a 10 minute break for the box, and then D was about 6 minutes xc at the max training speed. I think A and C needed to be about 4 minutes/km. On a former UL horse your issue may be mostly reestablishing control/pace after steeplechase.
1 Like
