THIS PAGE CONTAINS SOME TRAINING/CONDITIONING
TIPS FOR YOU & YOUR EQUINE.
IF YOU ARE NEW TO ENDURANCE OR COMPETITIVE
TRAIL, THIS CAN HELP YOU. IF YOU ARE ALREADY AN EXPERIENCED ENDURANCE RIDER,
THIS IS NOT FOR YOU--IT WILL BE TOO BASIC.
This is not
meant to be an all inclusive instructional on how-to do endurance. Just a place
to START your endurance or competitive trail conditioning. REMEMBER--This is
supposed to FUN!
There is no
sport that is more fun and at the same time more challenging then Endurance or
Competitive Trail. The fun part is self explanatory! What is not so obvious is
the challenge of keeping your equine partner sound, healthy and happy as he/she
carries you over the many miles that you will travel together. (NOTE: When I say
"horse", I mean horse, mule or pony. When I say "he", I mean your gelding, mare
or stallion. It's hard to be politically correct!)
So, let's
start at the beginning:
You will
want to jump right in and start conditioning and entering rides. Just step back
and look at you and your horse. First you: Are you fit? Overweight? Soft? You
will do better and have more fun if you are as healthy & fit as you can be.
That's all I'm going to say about that.
DISPOSITION:
Now, let's look at
your horse. Will he load in a trailer without any fuss? Will he tie without
pulling back? Does he push you around or otherwise have poor ground manners? If
he has any of these problems, deal with them now. You will be doing a lot of
trailering to trail heads (unless you are fortunate enough to live right next to
some trails) and to rides. There is no point in having a dangerous fight every
time you try to load or unload him. Same thing with standing tied and other
basic ground manners. If you can't correct these problems, turn him over to a
professional trainer and get them fixed before you, your horse or someone else
is injured.
HEALTH:
Is your horse overweight
or underweight? Slightly overweight is OK, but not obese. If he is obese, then
SLOWLY back off on his feed. Cutting back on his grain gradually. If he is on
alfalfa, then wean him off and put him on grass hay (don't take him off "cold
turkey"!). Once he starts working, he will drop weight. You don't want him to
lose too fast, as that can cause some serious problems. Is he thin? Then
gradually increase his feed. He can have all the grass hay he wants, just add
that gradually. Be sure your horse is up to date on all vaccinations that your
vet recommends and worm him now and routinely. If the horse is especially thin,
definitely worm him before you start working him. Again, check with your vet for
recommendations here. A worm infested horse typically has trouble keeping weight
and will not have a shiny coat. In the spring, he may not shed his coat. He may
have a large belly. This a horse that needs HELP now.
TEETH:
Teeth should be floated
once a year, or more, depending on the age and mouth of the individual. PLEASE
make sure that his wolf teeth have been removed. It is amazing to me, but there
are many adult horses who have never had this done!
RESPONSE:
OK--so your horse will load,
trailer, unload, stand tied while you groom, saddle, etc. Great. Under saddle,
is he responsive to you? Does he pay attention to your aids (legs, reins, seat)?
Will he slow down when you ask? Will he turn and go a different direction when
your riding buddies are going somewhere else? If not, you need to do some
homework. Work at home, if you can, on teaching, refining, or just refreshing
him to be more responsive to your aids. Even experienced horses need a little
arena work periodically. If you are able to do so, arena work once a week will
or more be very advantageous to both you and your horse. When riding on trails,
if you are riding in company, practicing taking turns leading, following and
just splitting up and taking different routes--even for just 100' or so. Your
horse must learn to listen to you and to trust you for the many miles ahead. Be
consistent and soon your horse will be listening to you and working with you,
just as you will be more aware of him and what he is thinking. Remember, this
sport involves a partnership--you and your horse.
TRAINING
ROUTINE:
So, you feel comfortable in your ability to
control your horse and his ground manners are good. Riding LSD is the only way
to develop the horse's fitness and endurance. (LSD=Long Slow Distance). If you
have previously been riding on a routine basis, your horse is already somewhat
fit. If not, then you should begin by riding 2-3 miles at a walk. As the horse
becomes stronger, you will increase the distance he is walking. No trotting,
though, until he can easily walk at least 5-6 miles without any signs of tiring.
There is nothing written in concrete as to how far and for how long. So much
depends on the age & health of your horse and what he has been doing all of
his life.
If your horse is not fit to start with, you should spend at
least 2 weeks doing nothing but walking. Don't try to ride every day. Every
other day is ideal. 2 or 3 times a week is fine. Whatever works with your
schedule. A horse younger than 4 is still growing and developing and should not
be ridden at much more than a walk with some slow trotting mixed in until he is
close to 4. Then, keep trotting to no more than a couple of miles at a time for
the young horse.
Take into consideration the terrain. For instance, hard
packed or rock/blacktop surfaces are much harder on legs than grassy or dirt
trails. Soft, deep sand or deep mud is very hard on tendons. Try to avoid
trotting on this type of surface if possible, especially with young
horses.
There is no formula for all horses, although there are some
authors who will not hesitate to give you one. If you buy & read some of the
endurance books written by so-called "experts", please do not take them too
seriously. If you do, you will end up over-conditioning him & turning the
whole experience into a lot of work. (More about that
later.)
THE NEXT
STEP:
When your horse appears comfortable and eager after
going 5 miles--he is alert and acts eager, not breathing hard, laboring or
otherwise appearing tired--then he is probably ready to start increasing the
distance. If he is 4 or over, you can do a little trotting. Don't let him get
out of hand--just a nice medium trot will do. Just trot about a city block or so
at a time to start with. Practice your transitions with him trotting, then
dropping back to a walk. Don't plan to trot more 3/4 to 1 mile total at first.
Yes--he will probably want to do more and will be feeling good. You are the one
in charge, though. Remember--go slow and steady now if you want a horse that
stays sound over the long haul.
Also, now is the time to be teaching him
to listen to you and go at your speed--NOT his. You will appreciate this when
you start doing rides. Do this same routine for several rides (3-6). He should
be feeling pretty good. Again, depending on the terrain and the age of your
horse, you can start slowly increasing the distance you ride and the length of
distance that you maintain the trot. Advance SLOWLY. Remember--If you
increase the DISTANCE you are going on a particular day, do NOT increase the
SPEED. Increase one but not both.
By taking care and working at that LSD,
you are developing a sound, sane athlete that will not become "soured out",
overly anxious about his work, or strains a tendon. A frequent mistake of
newbies is that they get so enthused that they start riding too much and too
hard. By the time they are ready for their first ride, the horse is pretty sick
of it--but he appears fit. Still, his attitude is lacking enthusiasm and he may
have become downright cranky. Although, he may not show it, he probably has some
degree of pain--back, neck, various muscles. It may not be severe, but is
nagging and he just isn't having fun. This is not why you wanted to participate
in this sport, remember? You want to have fun and you want your horse to have
fun, too. It's just not fair to expect him to do all the work and not feel well,
is it? Plus, it's pretty hard to stop and start all over because you have
damaged your horse. (Been there, done that!) So--do it right the first time.
GOALS:
It's OK to set goals. "I want to
do a 25 miler in April (or September or January, etc.)" or "I want to be able to
trot consistently for 12 miles by such & such date.." Just remember that you
are going to have to be flexible. Maybe the weather got bad or you had to work
extra or the kids had extra activities that you had to attend, etc. and you
didn't get to ride as much as you planned. That's just the way it goes. Readjust
your goals. Don't start pushing. If the ride you want to attend is 2 weeks away,
riding every day this week is NOT going to have him ready in time & could,
in fact, cause you to end up with a lame horse. Just maintain your riding
schedule and plan for the next ride. There are lots of rides and you will make
it to one.
THREE MONTHS INTO
TRAINING:
By the time you have been working
consistently for 3 months, you should start seeing some results. Your horse
should be looking pretty fit and be able to travel for 12-15 miles without too
much trouble. If this is the case, and if the horse is not too young, you can
safely increase the distance that you allow him to trot. (No cantering at this
stage, except for a few seconds occasionally just for a reward.) Remember, you
are gradually going to increase the distance he is trotting. He should be able
to do 5-10 miles (on easy, level terrain) without difficulty. Gradually,
increase this distance every couple of rides--as long as he seems comfortable.
When is able to do 15 miles of combined walking/trotting, with at least 10 miles
of trotting, he is ready to do a 25 mile ride--at a slow pace (6-7 mph is
considered slow). NO
RACING!
WHAT'S
NEXT?
OK--So your horse can do the distance and
can trot most of it, but he goes SO SLOW! You think you can never finish 25
miles in time. Well--you will be very surprised by how much energy your horse
has on the day of the ride! In fact, you will find that you will be holding him
back and will think you must have gotten on the wrong horse! The excitement of
all those horses heading down the trail and a brisk pace will cause your horse
to want join the herd and RACE! Just remember, you are in charge--don't let him
take off like he was in the Kentucky Derby or you may not have a sound horse at
the end of the ride. If he is not judged to be sound, you will not be awarded a
completion.
By working
every other day, you give your horse a chance to heal the microscopic "tears"
that all athletes suffer--especially in the early weeks of training. However,
this is the real world, and most people do not have the luxury of being able to
ride so consistently. So, work out the best schedule you can for you and your
horse. Just don't do 2 or 3 days in a row of hard work. How quickly your horse
develops his strength and endurance depends on how much time you can devote to
him. For some horses and riders, in 3 months, he will be ready to do 25 miles.
For others, it may take 4-6 months or 12 months. So much depends on the
individual horse (genetics, previous experience, age, etc.) and the time you
have to spend conditioning. The cardiovascular system of the horse will develop
much quicker than his bones & tendons. Many people think that just because
the horse has fast recoveries of their heart rate that the horse is fit. To
fully develop the bones and tendons may take a year. In that time, if you push
him too hard too fast, you will end up with a lame horse. Yes, the horse may
want to "race" and it is fun, but consider the damage you may be doing.
VERY
IMPORTANT!!
Monitoring your horse's health signs: By
the time of your first ride, you should also be able to check your own horse's
gut sounds, heart rate, skin tenting and gait. Buy a cheap stethoscope and learn
to use it. (Available at any pharmacy or uniform shop.) Listen to your horse at
home when he is quiet & resting. Listen to his gut sounds and learn what is
normal. Count his heart rate and learn what his resting rate is. Then, when you
ride check his rate immediately after you ride and again in 10 minutes. That
way, you will learn how to check it quickly as well as learn what is normal for
your horse. Check skin tenting before and after riding--esp. in warm weather.
Have someone trot your horse out for you so you can look for signs of lameness.
If you don't know how to do this, have someone show you. Remember, you and you
alone are responsible for the health and safety of your horse. You need to
understand what is normal so you will recognize when something is not normal.
The vet cannot always see your horse, but you can, and so YOU will be
responsible for keeping him from over exerting himself.
FEED &
SUPPLEMENTS:
There is so much to this, that I can only
touch on it. The best source that I know of regarding horse nutrition is Susan
Garlinghouse, DVM and equine nutritionist -- SHADY-ACRES - SUSAN GARLINGHOUSE,
DVM -- Susan is
definitely the guru in this area! However, in a nutshell, your horse needs
plenty of good quality grass hay and/or pasture. While you don't want him fat
(obese), he needs some fat on his body for reserve. (You should not be able to
see ribs.) When he is being ridden frequently, he needs fat to burn. Otherwise,
he will start burning his valuable muscle. Plenty of water! He should always
have access to plenty of clean, non-frozen water--year round. Remember, horses
will drink more warm water than cold in the winter. Inadequate water can cause a
horse to develop colic from impaction. Grain may be fed according to body
fat--NOT according to the feeding recommendations on the bag of feed. It is best
to keep protein at around 10% (12% at most). You can also add a fat supplement
if your horse is having trouble keeping his weight or needs to gain weight. One
of the best and cheapest sources is canola, corn or soy oil that you can buy by
the gallon at your grocery store. (Start adding a couple of tablespoons per day
and gradually work up to 1/2 cup twice a day. If the stools are too loose and/or
oily, back down on the oil.)
WORMER:
Please give your wormer
as often, or more, as recommended. Worms are the biggest cause of colic and
weight loss. You should not need to supplement with vitamins, etc. if your horse
is on good quality grass and a good commercial grain mix. If your horse is older
(over 6), giving some joint supplements is not a bad idea--it may delay the
onset of arthritis. (NOTE: If the supplement contains Yucca and or MSM, these
ingredients are forbidden in AERC, and should not be given for about 1 week
prior to competition.)
TEETH:
Please, don't forget to
have your horse's teeth floated each year. This will save a lot on your feed
bill and help your horse maintain weight--not to mention keep him from getting
sores in his mouth from hooks on his teeth.
ELECTROLYTES:
Oh, my. So much
still to learn here. However, you must be prepared to administer electrolytes to
your horse before and during competition--especially during the warm months or
even in winter when horses with thick winter coats sweat during competition.
Very little chance of over doing the electrolytes. More mistakes are made by not
giving enough. Yes, there are the exceptions, but over the years, I have
discovered that most people (like me) err on the side of not giving enough. The
complications that comes from a horse being depleted of electrolytes and water
are numerous and often severe.
START A
PLAN:
It is
best to formulate some sort of a plan. Some places will give you a prescribed
plan, but that may or may not be realistic for you. Sit down and write a weekly
plan to get you started. You are more likely to stick to a plan rather than just
working at random. This would be a sample for someone who works 5 days a week
and has a healthy, mature horse that has been ridden 5-10 miles on trails on
weekends only and mostly at a walk--in other words, he is only minimally fit.
However, tailor a plan to your situation. Maybe you can only ride on weekends.
Believe it or not, there are many riders who do just that. However, they do not
try to race and they understand that it will take longer for their horse to
become conditioned than if they could ride more often. No 2 people or horses are
the same--you just work with what you have.
WEEK
1
Saturday:
Ride 5-6 miles. Start at a walk for a warm-up period of 20-30 minutes, then trot
(if terrain allows) for 5-10 minutes, back down to walk. If horse is not
breathing hard, continue alternating walking and brief periods of trotting for
approximately 3-4 miles total. If the horse seems to be breathing too hard or is
acting tired, then back off and just walk. Once you have completed 3 or 4 miles,
walk the remainder of the way. This will give him a chance to recover before
stopping.
Sunday: Ride 5-10 miles mostly at a walk. Pay close attention to
your horse. If he seems tired or sore in any way, cut the ride short. If he
seems OK, then continue.
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Arena work at home. (Or
"pasture work" if you do not have access to an arena.) Do suppling exercises and
work on transitions. Work 30-45 minutes.
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Arena
work. First, suppling exercises (always do this first!). Transition work with
mostly trotting.
Friday: Rest
WEEK
2
Saturday:
Ride 5-6 miles. Warm up for about 20-30 minutes at a walk. Trot, then walk,
trot, then walk. You can increase the distance you trot gradually. If your horse
seems tired or is breathing too hard, back down. Always check the time you begin
your ride and the time you end your ride and write your total time on your
calendar.
Sunday: Ride 5-10 miles. Again, pay close attention to your horse.
Stop if he is having any problem. If he's OK, then continue. Today, add a bit of
trotting, but not as much as you did on Saturday. You are riding a longer
distance today, so you need to go slower than Sat.
Monday: Rest
Tuesday:
Arena work. 45 minutes. Take this time to work on any problems that you need to
do. Spend part of the time trotting, but not all. Anything you work on here will
help condition and strength his muscles.
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Road
work--if you are have any trails, dirt roads or empty fields around. Trot 2-3
miles (or 1-2 miles or whatever the horse can handle without seeming tired or
breathing too hard. Or, if you have time after work to trailer somewhere for a
short trail ride. If not, arena work. More trotting.
Friday: Rest
WEEK
3
Saturday:
Ride 5-6 miles. Warm up--as always. Increase distance/time of trotting work.
(Don't forget to check your watch for time start/stop.)
Sunday: Ride 5-10
miles. Warm up. If horse seems OK, trot/walk in the same percentages as
Saturday>
Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Arena work.
Wednesday:
Rest
Thursday: Short trail ride if possible (3-6 miles) with mix of
trotting/walking. Otherwise, arena work with trotting.
Friday:
Rest.
WEEK
4
Saturday:
5-6 miles, mostly at trot.
Sunday: 5-10 miles, mix of
walking/trotting.
Monday:
ETC.......
WEEK
5
Saturday:
6-8 miles, mostly trot
Sunday: 4-6 miles, mostly trot
Monday:
Rest
Tuesday: Arena
Wednesday:
Rest
ETC...........
WEEK 6
Saturday: 8-10 miles,
mostly trot
Sunday: 6 miles, mostly trot
Monday:
Rest
ETC........
SUMMARY:
So--you can see where this is
going. You are starting with something familiar and gradually increasing the
speed & distance. Plus, you are adding arena work in between. IF you can
find time during the week to ride trails or roads, then by all means do so.
However, if this is not feasible, be content with doing whatever you can during
the week. You will be trying to work up so that you can complete 12-15 miles in
2-2.5 hours. This is mostly steady trotting with an occasional stop to let the
horse drink or grab a mouthful of grass. (A very brief stop--not a picnic.) When
possible, add hill work to the workouts. Just remember, hills (either up or
down) are much harder on the horse and you will need to do fewer miles and a
slower pace until he is conditioned for that. AND PLEASE--Don't copy this
schedule! This is just an "example". Make up your own reasonable schedule and
try to stick with it. Don't panic if you miss a day here and there. You will
just have to realize that it will take longer to reach your goal, but you will
get there.
REMEMBER: This is
supposed to be FUN!!
So--Get a
calendar that has room to write on each day. Each time you ride, including arena
work, mark it on the calendar. Write the distance/time/location/terrain that you
worked. EXAMPLE: 6 miles, mostly walk, some trot./1 hr. 40
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