MAY 2010 THE RIDER /27
President: Teresa Finnerty, (905) 880-1745, email:
teresa.finnerty@
gmail.com Vice-President: Nancy Beacon, (519) 924-2347, email:
rabbitrun1@me.com Secretary: Nancy Zukewich, (613) 728-9628, email:
nancy.zukewich@rogers.com Membership Secretary: Misha Green, 41 Briarwood Rd., Unionville, ON L3R 2W7 (905) 475-9466, email:
mishagreen@rogers.com
Treasurer: Kelly Corbyn, (705) 424-1600, email:
octratreasurer@yahoo.com
Conditioning your horse – Basic Principles 2010 Board of Directors
Endurance Chair: Nancy Beacon, (519) 924-2347, email:
rabbitrun1@me.com Competitive Trail Chair: Lynda Townsend, (450) 764-3589, email:
ken.townsend@
csur.ca
Ride & Tie Chair: Mike Downing, phone: (705) 428-5622, email:
downingmichael.downing@
yahoo.ca
website
www.octra.on.ca By Nancy Zukewich
People often ask, “How do I get my horse ready for a 25 mile ride?” Chances are, if you are regularly riding your horse for at least an hour a few times a week at walk, trot and canter, you may be more ready than you think!
There is no one-size-fits-all program for conditioning a horse for distance rid- ing. However, there are several basic prin- ciples that have stood the test of time. These principles are described below.
Before you get Started
Use the Horse Health Check (devel- oped by Dr. Art King and Gayle Ecker) to learn what is normal for your horse – tem- perature, resting heart rate, attitude, etc. Know your horse’s legs – you should be able to pick your horse out of a crowd just by feeling down his legs. Groom/massage your horse with your hands – where does he hold tension? Know how to check your horse’s back for pain.
For more information on how to do the Horse Health Check, see:
http://www.equineguelph.ca/pdf/facts/Hor se_Health_Check_description.pdf
Start with LSD = Long Slow Distance It is always good to start with long
slow distance. This means exactly what it says – long distances at a slow pace. This is about laying the foundation for your horse’s fitness. All the horse’s systems fit up at different rates – cardiovascular, musculoskeletal system, bones, joints, lig- aments, tendons. The bones, joints, ten- dons and ligaments take the longest. This is why people talk about “legging up” their horse because it can take up to two years to build up the legs of a young horse. Building up your horse’s heart and lungs takes longer than building muscles, but not as long as legs.
Rest is part of the program
It is enough to ride 3 or 4 times a week, but a horse needs rest in order to respond to the stress of the workout and remodel the tissues. The exercise itself doesn’t make your horse stronger. It is during the rest period after the exercise when your horse becomes stronger.
Know your horse
In order to avoid injury, you need to assess how each of the horse’s systems has responded to the conditioning session. Monitor the horse carefully after each ride. Keep a log book, describing your conditioning session (distance and speed)
in legs for example), give a bit of extra rest and make sure he is right before the next conditioning session.
Increase speed OR increase distance
Increase speed or increase distance, but NEVER increase both at the same time. To begin, you could mea- sure out a 5 or 6 mile loop. Aim to walk/trot that dis- tance in 1 hour 20 minutes or even 1 hour 30 minutes.
DATE RIDE NAME 22nd May Aprilfest In May
23rd May Aprilfest In May 23rd May Aprilfest In May 23rd May Aprilfest In May 24th May Aprilfest In May 24th May Aprilfest In May 6th June Seouls Corners
19th Jun Summer Solstice Moonlit 20th Jun Summer Solstice
TYPE
as well as weather conditions, terrain, and any observa- tions about the horse’s physical health and attitude. Is he having fun?
after include: Some things to check after every ride and the day
- general attitude – eyes should look bright – if your horse seems “off”, take temperature, pulse and check gut sounds
- legs and feet, including checking for digital pulse - back and muscle soreness/tension - pulse rate
- capillary refill test
- PPED – is he pooping, peeing, eating, and drinking? If you notice anything that is of concern (fill or heat
Over the first few weeks, try to increase the amount of time trotting and add some cantering so that you can do the 5 or 6 miles in an hour or less. Be sure to include a warm up and a cool down. Work out any issues with tack, because a horse’s back will change shape as he fits up. Make sure your riding gear is comfortable too. After that, you can increase the distance until you are able to do a 10 or 15 mile ride once a week to 10 days at the 5-6 mile an hour speed with your horse look- ing just fine the day after (clean legs, no soreness, good appetite and attitude, happy to see you).
Mix it up a bit
Hills are important for training, even if you are going to do mostly flat rides. This is because they force a horse to engage his hindquarters and use his muscles dif- ferently. It also helps to ride on different terrain so he is sure-footed. On a flat part of the trail (like a field that you know has safe footing), you can let your horse can- ter or gallop to stretch out, use different muscles and challenge their cardiovascular system. Playing with your pace and changing up your conditioning loop also keeps everything fresh and interesting. Varying the speed and intensity of your workout is called “Fartlek” – literally meaning “speed play” in Swedish.
If you cannot find hills in your area, you can mix it up with other activities such as dressage work in a sand ring or jumping small cavalleti. Both of these activities help your horse to work off his hindquarters, making him strong enough to push himself up hills instead of pulling with his front legs and shoulders.
Don’t forget to condition “between the ears” Mental training is important for any sport. Your horse should be willing and responsive under saddle and MUST have good ground manners to successfully par- ticipate in distance riding events. Good training is as important as good conditioning, because a horse can use up a lot of physical energy coping with emotional stress at the event. Not to mention that vets don’t appreciate being kicked!
Continued On Page 28 OCTRA Ride Dates DISTANCES
Endurance Mileage
Ride 'n' Tie Endurance
Mileage Mileage
12 & 25 Miles 50 Miles 12 Miles
CONTACT
Competitive Trail 25 Mile Open & Novice Cathy Mezenberg 6922 7th Line, RR2, 2 Day 50 Mile (day 1) Belwood. ON N0B 1J0 (519) 787-1416
Competitive Trail 2 Day 50 Mile (day 2) email
jcmezenberg@execulink.com Mileage
6 & 12 Miles 50 Miles
15 & 25 Miles 12 Miles
Competitive Trail 20 Mile Novice Mileage
30th Jun 2010 Canadian Championship Opening Ceremonies 1st Jul 2010 Canadian Championship FEI
2nd Jul 2010 Canadian Championship Ride 'n' Tie 4th Jul 1st Aug Seouls Corners 22-Aug Flesherton 5th Sep Stormont
2nd Oct Oktoberfest 3rd Oct Oktoberfest
Endurance
100, 75 & 50 Miles 10 & 20 Miles
Competitive Trail 2 Day 80 Miles (day 2) Set Speed Ride 40 Mile Open Closing Ceremonies
Competitive Trail 30 Mile Open Competitive Trail 25 Mile Novice Mileage
15 Miles
Competitive Trail 32 Mile Open Competitive Trail 25 Mile Novice Mileage
Endurance Mileage
Ride 'n' Tie Mileage
Endurance Mileage
15 Miles 50 Miles
13 & 27 Miles 6 & 12 Miles 12 & 25 Miles 50 Miles
12 & 25 Miles Ride Secretary-Sue Downing, 2011, 6/7 Sd Rd., Sunnidale, New Lowell
3rd Jul 2010 Canadian Championship Competitive Trail 2 Day 80 Miles (day 1) ON. L0M 1N0 (705) 428-5622 Mileage Ride and Set Speed Ride 40 Mile Open
email Michael
Downing@sympatico.ca Elaine Steele, 3964 Bell Line Rd. Mountain
Grove, ON. K0H 2E0 (613) 335-2529 email
lostcreekfarm@sympatico.ca Nancy Beacon (519) 924 2347 email
rabbitrun1@me.com
Sue Wallis, 15947 Northfield, Lunenburg, ON K0C 1R0 (613) 346-2617
dessia@amberleaequestrian.com Cathy Mezenberg 6922 7th Line, RR2 Belwood, ON. N0B 1J0 (519) 787-1416 email
jcmezenberg@execulink.com
Elaine Steele, 3964 Bell Line Rd. Mountain Grove, ON. K0H 2E0 (613) 335-2529 email
lostcreekfarm@sympatico.ca
Sue Downing, 2011, 6/7 Sd Rd, Sunnidale, New Lowell. ON L0M 1N0 (705) 324-5622
25, 37 & 50 Mile Open Ride Secretary -Donna Moore, 17 Edgewood Drive, 12 Mile
Lindsay, ON. K9V 4W2
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