Winter Horse Fitness

[littlemess]

Hi! I am looking to get some ideas on winter fitness for the horse. Now that winter has come - which means being confined to an arena. How do you work on fitness?

A little background: I purchased a mare a few months ago and after our jumping lessons this week it is clear her fitness needs some work.

Presently, I ride 5 or 6 days a week for 40-60 minutes. We mostly walk/trot, and canter a bit.

[Carried_Away]

I have been doing my interval training in the indoor as a prep for going to Florida in Feb… It’s pretty boring but you can throw in transitions, circles, etc. to liven it up. Check out this article: http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/jim-wofford-the-eventing-faqs-of-the-matter/

I’ve had my current horse for about 6 weeks and we are doing 3 5’s trotting and 3 3’s cantering to start, although he had a little base of fitness when I got him. Will bump up to 3 4’s cantering in the next few weeks.

[CindyCRNA]

We are fox hunting this winter from Oct to March!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

[QUOTE=littlemess;7315020]

Presently, I ride 5 or 6 days a week for 40-60 minutes. We mostly walk/trot, and canter a bit.[/QUOTE]

Canter more.

Think how long you canter when jumping a course…most people do not canter enough doing their flat work. They do a circle or two, get a few transitions and then stop.

So if you are not doing straight fitness work…do canter work that has you cantering more.

We do things like go around the entire ring and canter a 10 or 15 meter circle at each letter or every other letter. Or do a clover leaf pattern within a larger circle. Put poles on the ground on a circle and canter over them.

Basically find exercises that are appropriate for your level that keep you cantering longer…but be very aware of how hard your are working your horse to not over do it.

[littlemess]

The canter does need some work. Which is why we aren’t working on it as much. When she is focused and doing a course the canter work is great. When we are doing canter on the flat…we’ll that’s another story.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

[QUOTE=littlemess;7315556]
The canter does need some work work. Which is why we aren’t working on it as much. When she is focused and doing a course the canter work is great. When we are doing canter on the flat…we’ll that’s another story.[/QUOTE]

Use canter poles. Keeps it a bit more interesting for both of you.

[asterix]

Canter poles, canter poles!

[yellowbritches]

[QUOTE=littlemess;7315556]
The canter does need some work. Which is why we aren’t working on it as much. When she is focused and doing a course the canter work is great. When we are doing canter on the flat…we’ll that’s another story.[/QUOTE]
If the canter needs work, then why do you not WORK on it???

[Winding_Down]

[QUOTE=littlemess;7315556]
The canter does need some work. Which is why we aren’t working on it as much. When she is focused and doing a course the canter work is great. When we are doing canter on the flat…we’ll that’s another story.[/QUOTE]

I bet the canter is better when you’re doing a course because YOU are focused as well. So you need to canter, canter, canter, as others have suggested. I have done my gallop sets in an arena here in Virginia, when the footing is too hard to do it out in a field. Not ideal, but it works, and it has worked for an UL horse prepping for 2*

Vary your canter work? From circles to “hand gallop” from sitting to 2 point?

:encouragement:

[Four_Star_Farm]

Do you canter schooling figures? Cantering figure-8’s with simple changes through the walk is a great exercise. Serpentines at the canter with simple changes is quite hard, and makes the horse think and listen to you. Don’t just get on the rail and canter, canter, canter; do everything you would do at the trot, but at the canter! Trot sets are good as well. Can be boring for the rider, but necessary for the horse’s fitness. Good luck!

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=Carried Away;7315233]
I have been doing my interval training in the indoor as a prep for going to Florida in Feb… It’s pretty boring but you can throw in transitions, circles, etc. to liven it up. Check out this article: http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/jim-wofford-the-eventing-faqs-of-the-matter/

I’ve had my current horse for about 6 weeks and we are doing 3 5’s trotting and 3 3’s cantering to start, although he had a little base of fitness when I got him. Will bump up to 3 4’s cantering in the next few weeks.[/QUOTE]

I agree, winter is a great time to work on interval training without adding the rigors of other things associated with interval work (hill conditioning, etc). It CAN be boring, especially once you get past the first few weeks and you are doing 10+ mins of each interval. Bringing an iPod along to bump to music helps.

One thing I loved to do during the winter when I had the means to an indoor was work on improving each gait with pole work. The additional benefit is once you’ve steeped yourself into a pole regime, it is almost as beneficial as doing moderate hillwork when it comes to strengthening the hind leg and improving the horse’s way of going.

I agree, canter poles are great. Another FABULOUS exercise with the canter is to work on cantering a “square”. If you don’t know this exercise, start at the walk first and literally ride a 20m “square”. At the canter, first, work on cantering down the quarter-line and leg yielding out to the rail. Then once you’ve noticed an improvement in your horse’s reactivity to your light aids, start to ask for that “show-jumping” canter and canter a “square”. I love that exercise, and it really helped put the coils and springs on my horse in terms of having different canter “gears”.

I agree as well that you should be realistically schooling any figure at the trot you are doing at the canter as well. Serpentines with simple changes, figure eights, leg yields, shoulder ins, shoulder fores, voltes, shallow loop serpentines, etc.

[wildlifer]

Where do you live? Personally, I trail ride, trail ride, trail ride, and intersperse a bit of dressage finessing, as we have now gone Training (woot!) I need more fitness and strength and we lost a bunch last summer due to horse injury and life issues.

I still trail ride in snow, frozen ground, wind, rain, sleet, etc. Obviously, I do not live in downtown Chicago, but trail riding even in deep snow is an EXCELLENT workout.

There are very few places where you HAVE to be trapped in an indoor cave of doom. Even “trail riding” around the farm property/pastures counts!

[littlemess]

Their is a lot of great feedback, thanks for that! This week I have been doing a lot more canter work. And next week I will incorporate interval training.

I love to trail ride, and that’s usually what I did 2 or 3 days a week in the summer. But as part of the “night riding crew” due my 9-5er. The majority of my rides are happening in the boring (but ever so grateful to have) lighted indoor. Last Friday I was so sick of ridding inside I told work I had a “Dr’s Appt” so that I could leave early and ride outside in the sun. Maybe the real problem is staying motivated in the winter because of day light savings. :yes:

[wildlifer]

Yeah, it is not as much fun in the dark, but if you know the ground and the trails, I just put on a headlamp.