A Simple Method of Conditioning the Endurance Horse
Francois & Laura Seegers, Perseverance Arabian and Endurance Horses
Francois & Laura Seegers training on the beach at Eco-horse Safaris
We are frequently asked by people who are interested in taking up endurance, or who have bought a horse from us, how they should prepare their horses for an endurance ride. There are many different ways to condition horses. The good methods have this in common: a slow beginning, a steady build up of distances ridden, and later, gradual increase in training speed. Too fast, too soon, too often, leads inevitably to injury.
We used this simple program ourselves for many years before we began riding our horses without shoes. It’s a straightforward system that we learned more than 20 years back from another experienced endurance rider at a day seminar when we began doing endurance. The principles are much older than modern endurance sport, and don’t change with fashion as they are based on the physiology of the horse. We have taught this method to many riders with good results. It is a method of slowly preparing the novice horse for his first endurance ride, but also for giving the advanced endurance horse a good start after a period off work. There are many more sophisticated training techniques that we won’t discuss in this article. Once a horse has completed this initial program, other techniques can be applied. This simple foundation will only help the other training techniques give better results.
You don’t need to use this program. Endurance has plenty of experts and each one has their own method of getting horses fit. But if you don’t know where to start, you can use this program with confidence, it has been proven. It can prepare a healthy novice horse to complete 80km slowly. (Don’t have any illusions of winning, for that you need a whole lot more time and work, and besides you have a 16 km/h speed limit on novices). It builds a good foundation of fitness, that can be developed from there. Also by using it, albeit in shortened form, on the same horse at the beginning of each season, the horse will only get stronger and tougher.
WARNING: The method is easy to understand, but not easy to apply, especially Phase one. I am referring to impatience. Few people will find the Walking Phase easy, but it is a good lesson in self-control and therefore worth more than gold to the endurance rider. Remember, the method only works if it is correctly applied. Do not skip Phase one.
EXPLANATION OF TERMS
- Conditioning: Working the horse to become strong enough to complete endurance rides without damage.
- Hard work/ workout: This involves hard work where you ask the horse to put in a greater effort than he is accustomed to. Typically, 20 minutes after the workout the horse’s pulse will be higher than you are used to. That means you have stressed it.
- Recovery day: On these days you allow the horse to recover from the stress. Exercises you can do are twenty minute lunge sessions (ring work) at a steady trot, schooling, a gentle hack or outride, etc.
- Rest day: Typically a Sunday. No work at all.
- Exercise: The level of work that does not stress the horse. It just maintains the fitness.
TIME SCALES
The beginning of a Long Slow Distance ride
The time it takes for various body tissues to adapt and condition, are as follows:
- Heart and lungs 3 months
- Muscles 3-6 months
- Tendons and ligaments 6-12 months
- Hooves 7 months
- Bone 1-3 years
NB! A horse can be got fit enough to go fast in a relatively short period, but will not be conditioned to withstand injury. Only after 3 seasons of endurance (provided he had no serious tendon/ligament injuries) will he be thoroughly conditioned to be ridden hard and competitively.
“IF THERE ARE SHORTCUTS, NO ONE HAS DISCOVERED THEM YET”
PROGRAM
Begin with LSD (Long Slow Distance)
The goal is to build a broad foundation of stamina by riding long distances slowly. The different phases define the type of workouts that will be used. We recommend that through all the phases you lunge the horse at trot one day a week and school one day a week. Workouts are done on outrides.
BAREFOOT HORSES
We used this program for many years before we switched to barefoot riding. It is suitable for shod horses. If you plan to keep your horse barefoot, you need to extend the period of the Phases to give the hooves more time to adapt. The hooves can be worn quite short and need time to grow. By increasing the distances ridden slowly over a longer time, the hoof gets more chance to adjust and recover.
PHASE 1 (WALKING) lasts 6 weeks (Barefoot horses 3 months)
Goal: To prepare the horse physically and psychologically for more intensive exercise. To start the conditioning of the legs and tendons. To build muscle. To make the horse calm and obedient. To accustom the horse to the open road. To teach the rider discipline!
Lunging PSV Jedi
4 or 5 workouts per week. Build up to 2-3 hours of active walk per session. The horse must walk with purpose and not lag. The horse must learn to walk properly and not jog. He must learn to walk on a loose rein with his head down and neck extended so that his back can swing freely to develop the back muscles. Use varied terrain – rough, stony veld, ridges or mountains, sand, even tar road for limited distances. During the work sessions only walk – the horse can trot in the lunge ring, and trot and canter during schooling. But during the work sessions the horse may only walk, even up hills, just walk.
By walking uphill the horse builds strong muscle. After a few weeks you will see what I mean. (Tip: At the start of Phase 1, take a photo of the horse’s quarters from behind, pull the tail out of the way so you can see the inner thigh muscles too. After 6 weeks take another picture. Compare the muscling.)
In between, one day lunging, one day school.
Rest day optional. Because walking is low intensity work, a rest day is not essential, but it will certainly do no harm to have a day off.
| If you don’t have enough time to ride that often, you can aim at riding a total of 48 hours of walking. The 48 hours is derived from 4 workouts x 2 hours x 6 weeks. In practise it will lengthen the period of the Walking Phase, but you will have the peace of mind that the horse has walked the requisite kilometres and time. |
In the last 2 weeks of Phase 1 you can begin trotting short distances during the walking sessions in preparation for Phase 2.
PHASE 2 (Trotting) lasts 4 to 6 weeks. (Barefoot horses 3 months)
Goal: to develop the horse’s stamina so that it can trot long distances rhthymically and at a constant pace. To develop the trotting muscles and teach the horse an energy-saving trot. To teach the horse not to just canter, but to stay in trot until asked to canter. To make the rider’s legs strong enough to ride long distances at the trot. To teach the rider self control. To prepare the horse physically for more intensive exercise.
Trotting: Abbi Tennant & PSV Liberty, Ashley Gower & PSV Mercury
3 or 4 workouts per week. Start out at the walk until the horse is thoroughly warmed up (15-20 minutes). Begin trotting slowly and alternate with periods of walking if the horse becomes tired or out of breath. Build up gradually until the horse can trot actively for 2 hours without a break. The younger or less experienced the horse is, the more gradual should be the increase in pace during the phase. The horse must learn to trot relaxed with head low, neck extended and back rounded. Only this way can he develop long powerful strides.
The powerful, ground-eating hundred miler trot takes years to perfect. Don’t push the horse into a faster trot. It will too easily throw him off balance and onto the forehand. A horse like that will hang on the reins, is hard to stop and turn and puts strain on his forelegs. (Does that sound familiar?) Rather keep him back a little and let him find his correct balance. As the horse becomes fitter, he will start pushing himself. Keep him in a rhythmic trot. (Count in your head: a thousand and one, a thousand and two, a thousand and three, … to find the rhythm.) Don’t let the horse fall into a canter. Horses that are allowed to canter when they want, will not develop their trotting muscles. The horse can canter in the school. Use different routes. Hills will be more intensive work than flat ground so give him a rest after that.
| If time is limited, some of the trotting workouts can be replaced by a workout on the lunge. Up to 40 minutes maximum (5 minutes of warm up at the walk not included) of trotting in the ring at a rhythmic pace. 40 minutes lunging will replace 2 hours of trotting on the road. Ring work is harder work than the road because the horse has to keep his body bent laterally and that takes more energy. You can’t replace all roadwork with lunging because the horse has to be used to the rider’s weight and learn to balance himself at the trot. |
In between, 2 recovery days: 1 day lunging, 1 day school.
A rest day is essential. At least one rest day per week. If the horse does not feel right, or begins his workout with low energy, give him a few days off. He might be sick or overtrained (not adjusted to the work he is doing).
NB: Horses differ greatly in their work ability. If the work load is too heavy for your horse, you can put in fewer workouts per week. Give those horses a longer time to condition before you go to an endurance ride.
PHASE 3 (Canter) lasts 2 weeks or longer (Barefoot horses 4 weeks or longer)
Cantering: Francois Seegers & PSV Platinum
Goal: To make the horse’s heart and lungs fit. To teach the horse to canter rhythmically and a constant speed. To enjoy life.
2 sessions per week (or 5 sessions in 14 days). Warm up first. Start trotting and canter short distances. Alternate the canter with trotting to clear lactic acid from the muscles. Build up gradually until the horse can canter for a total of 1 hour per session interspersed with trot for a total of 2 hours. Longer rides can be attempted too. Teach the horse to ride at a controlled canter with other horses. Teach him to canter relaxed on a long rein at a constant speed (not easy with a hot horse). In the first season do not sprint the horse at full speed.
In between, 2 to 4 recovery days: 1 day lunging, 1 day school.
Rest days are absolutely essential. One to three rest days per week. If the horse does not feel right or starts his workout without energy, give him a few extra days off.
PHASE 4 (Building reserves/Tapering) lasts 1 week.
Building Reserves
One week before the endurance ride, let the horse recover with light work only. Remember to reduce his energy concentrates accordingly.
In short: It should take you 3 to 4 months (7 months for a barefoot horse) to prepare for your first slow 80 km. You can enter for a 30 or 60 km before you attempt the first 80 km to get more experience or to make the horse used to long distances more gradually. With a novice horse you can take a leisurely 5 to 6 hours to complete the 80 km, depending on the terrain. For the novice rider it is a great achievement to complete 80 km. For the experienced rider on a novice horse it is a brick in the foundation of the horse’s career. Only in a horse’s third season of endurance can one really see what the horse is capable of, in terms of speed over distance.
PRINCIPLES
- Build the horse up gradually to maximum work.
- A stressful session must be followed by a day of recovery.
- As you train faster and harder, you need to put in more recovery days. While you are just walking, no days for recovery are necessary, but you need to lunge and school to develop the horse properly.
- Remember the principle of improvement is based on stress and recovery to a higher plane of fitness. If no recovery is allowed, you will break down what you have built up by causing injuries to the weakest parts.
- No more than 2 of the hardest workouts per week.
- 1 complete rest day per week.
- Don’t do hard workouts on consecutive days. (That is only for advanced horses, not novices)
- Lunge one day a week (ring work) Slow rhythmic trot for +/- 20 minutes. Done right, it will improve obedience, suppleness and power. We seldom canter young horses in the ring because of the risk of injuries like overreach or slipping or ligament injuries.
- One day a week school your horse to make him supple and obedient.
Keep Records
Keep track of your horse’s exercise. Monitor the fitness and improvement of the horse over time. You must be able to take your horse’s pulse. Use your hand just behind the horse’s left elbow, or a stethoscope or a heart rate monitor. Before the workout take your horse’s resting pulse. Most horses will be between 28 and 48 beats per minute at rest. Know your horse’s typical resting pulse, eg 40. As the horse becomes fitter, the resting pulse will drop, eg to 38 or 36. Unusually high resting pulses like 66 indicate excitement or fear, or they can be signs of pain or fever as with colic or biliary fever.
After exercise take the pulse again, eg, 5 or 10 minutes after stopping exercise, to see how quickly the pulse drops. The fitter the horse, the quicker it drops. You can also measure it 20 minutes to get an idea what it would be at maximum time you have at the vet check. Speed of exercise, degree of fatigue, and weather conditions will influence recovery pulses.
It’s best to fill in a book after every workout or exercise with a description of the time and type of work, pulse measurements before and after exercise and any remarks. It can give you a very good record of your horse’s progress. Below is an example.
We hope this information was useful. May all go well with your conditioning. See you out on the road!
Francois & Laura Seegers, Perseverance, October 2012
Perseverance Endurance Horses 
Thank you so much! This article is great and so helpful. You are the best.
Posted by senada pekaric muratovic | 17 October 2012, 2:25 pmAnd thank you for reading it!
Posted by Perseverance | 18 October 2012, 8:26 amThanks for a really useful article.
Posted by Gemma | 17 October 2012, 2:26 pmThank you! It’s good to know that others can also benefit from what we’ve learnt…
Posted by Perseverance | 18 October 2012, 8:26 amThanks guys.Hopefully we will get there soon.This program will fit in perfect with my stock horses.
Posted by Chris | 17 October 2012, 5:58 pmGood stuff, Chris! How’s the barefoot trimming coming along?!
Posted by Perseverance | 18 October 2012, 8:27 amAll going well guys.But I had good instructors…..
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom – let your email find you!
Posted by chris@rockdale.co.za | 18 October 2012, 8:36 amOh,and I think Vuka is a nice name for your new foal………It means “to hurry”. Chris Nortje
Posted by Chris | 17 October 2012, 6:06 pmGreat name! It’s on the list.
Posted by Perseverance | 18 October 2012, 8:27 amSpotted you on The Ride last night!
Posted by Perseverance | 26 November 2012, 10:59 amThanx so much for sharing your programme with us. It helps “saving” our horses! Name for your foal, VEGILE. (Has come). Ronell Coetzer
Posted by Ronell Coetzer | 17 October 2012, 11:03 pmThank you for reading it, Ronell, and for the name!
Posted by Perseverance | 18 October 2012, 8:29 amThank you so much for this article. I am new to 80km endurance and the horse I have has been with me from 6 months. She is now 6. She has been a pleasure to break in and get fit. Now that she is fit she is unbearable. She is such a great horse, but such a hot horse. I am a believer in making ones horse a thinker and not a runner, I have a runner who was a thinker. I am going to do this programme with her to get her back to being a thinker. Thank you so much for your generous sharing of knowledge. I am hoping that one day when life is calm I can come and do your barefoot trimming course and ask you loooooooooooooooooooots of questions!!!!!!!
Posted by Katherine | 19 October 2012, 5:35 pmWill be using your program to start my young barefoot horse–thank you so much for this useful information!
Posted by Judy | 25 October 2012, 9:10 pmUsing your program on two horses and am in week four with an 8 yo gelding and week one with a 5 yo mare. Amazing to see the results!!! The long walks are invaluable for building our trust/partnership and trail sense. Good for fitting and re-fitting tack too! Amazing to see and feel the difference in my gelding already. He moves so much better going downhill. Both Arabians are learning to behave like well-mannered trail horses: Safe, sane and fun to ride. THEY are having fun too!!! Relaxing and enjoying the adventures. Speed is easy in an endurance horse. Control and proper movement and a good brain/body foundation take time and patience. Thanks so much for sharing this detailed, yet simple to follow, plan!! :))
Posted by Tara | 24 November 2012, 2:33 pmGlad to be useful.
Posted by Laura Seegers | 23 December 2012, 8:37 pmThank you so much for sharing this! I am finally starting to condition one of my horses and this lays it out in an easy to follow program. One that takes care of the horse. Yay!!! I am excited!!!
Posted by Karen Cooper | 18 January 2013, 12:08 amJa. I have a brown horse and a white horse. Will the programme work for them…
Posted by Frikkie | 9 March 2013, 3:34 amI am a 15 year old home schooler writing to you from southern ohio. I have done a lot of research on endurance/competitive trail riding and it is my dream to participate in a race! I have a 22 year old arabian gelding that Is in VERY good health and has great feet. 🙂 I have enjoyed learning more about endurance/competitve trail riding from your web site and am beginning to implement several of your training methods. Unfortunately I currently do not have my horse on my property so I am only able to ride him twice a week. During our time together I begin by warming him up on the ground. Once in the saddle we walk several laps (120×60 pasture) then we begin a pattern of 6 laps trot, 2 laps walk for 45 min. Our cool down consists of 15 min. of slow walking. Is there anything you would add or change to help build endurance? Should I be doing anything to protect his legs, and hooves?
I appreciate your time and any advice you can give me. I realize this is a long journey to build endurance in my horse, as well as myself, and I am excite to begin.
Kalesta
Posted by Kalesta | 30 June 2013, 3:44 pmThis article is very interesting. Sounds like a great program just to improve respect between horse and rider
Posted by verna phillips | 21 June 2014, 7:22 pmThis is great information for those of us new to endurance. My question comes from a desire to put in the time to condition my horses barefoot. I understand the need for the extra time, but don’t understand how this happens in practice. Let’s say my barefoot horse is footsore on gravel or hard footing at the walk. Do I go ahead and work him at the walk on hard footing even if he’s not walking evenly? Do I only work him on soft footing (my experience is that this never becomes sound on hard footing, no matter how many weeks I keep working him minimally on hard footing). How long do I make a sore horse walk on hard footing– miles/minutes? Can you explain what this is supposed to look like in practice? Thanks!
Posted by Melissa Altman | 7 August 2014, 4:31 pmThis is fantastic. 😀
Posted by Sara | 10 August 2014, 2:53 amMelissa, if your horse remains footsore on hard ground and doesn’t show improvement, you may have to look at the cause of the footiness elsewhere than just the conditioning. The most common cause of horses not toughening up is that their diet is not right. Almost always you will find that the diet is too rich in sugars or carbohydrates and the horse will remain footy unless this is changed. You would want to avoid molasses mixes, too much grain, and sweet grasses. Rye grass, for example will make a horse footsore on stony ground. a horse should not be forced too much if he is very footsore. Work them on softer ground or consider putting on boots for the exercise. What is important is the circulation stimulated by movement. The horse should improve over time. If it does not, try to find out what is preventing improvement.
Posted by Laura Seegers | 25 August 2014, 7:59 pmI tried to print this but it does not work! Why the f… does it not work?
Its an highly interesting article.
Posted by Renate Daske | 23 October 2014, 1:07 pmTry again, it’s not rocket science 🙂
Posted by Michael Zobel | 23 October 2014, 8:26 pmThis training program is great! It combines all that I have read many places and also practisioned with my older horse, when I started to traing her for endurance. But at the same time it gives some time guideline, that’s great and just what I need to start two complete new beginner and young horses!
I have a couple of questions:
1. What is the age and enducational state for horses where you start this kind of training?
2. Especially in phase 1, is it okay to have some of the trainings as riding and some as hand horse?
3. Your reports about your horses going all these distances barefoot is really interesting. I am using boots for competitions, but I could imagine to train more and more barefoot. So when you state that phase 1 should be extended to 3 months, does that mean, that I should stretch the 48 h on this longer period in order to add more rest days or should I also add more training hours? (Phase 2 accordingly)
Thanks in advance!
Posted by Gwen | 24 October 2014, 1:28 pmI love your blog and your way of writing.
You talk about important topics straightforward.
I will be a frequent visitor here!
Arabian horses
Posted by sterlingbloodstock | 25 November 2014, 8:27 amThis article is better than any other article.
Thank you for sharing these details.
http://www.sterlingbloodstock.com/sales-list/justified-by-faith.html
Posted by sterlingbloodstock | 9 January 2015, 12:16 pmI love all of the above, except that I am not quite sure how to make my horse walk out. His walk is the slowest plod in the world. I do lunge work and he is great, but it doesn’t seem to translate to a good walk under the saddle. I have tried sitting better, moving my body, squeezing lightly with my legs. He will speed the walk for a few strides and then it’s back to plodding we go.. We did our first 20km social ride in just over 4 hours. Admittedly it was a terribly hot day (40 deg Celsius), but I still feel it was way too slow. I could have walked that course faster myself. Now when I think about our next 20km ride, I am hesitant. Any suggestions?
Posted by Dinka | 3 February 2015, 4:40 amI too have a VERY slow walking Arabian gelding. He likes to go about 2.3 mph. Takes forever to get anywhere at the walk. He has wonderful slow/medium trots as well as a very fast trot and lovely slow and medium canters and can fly at the gallop. He is what he is! I will not take him to a competition ride that requires a lot of walking, and we now slow-trot if others are moving faster on “trail rides.” I DID walk him for nearly five months of conditioning and he has the best back development of any horse I’ve started! So… walking has it’s place…. but trotting and cantering can get you through the rides once your horse is ready!!
Posted by Tara Wyatt | 3 February 2015, 5:00 pmThank you Tara, I am so glad my horse is not the only one like this. Having owned an anglo-Arabian with a fast walk, I know what a good, quick walk feels like. I agree with you regarding walking competitions, but in endurance we are not restricted to the walk. It is just that he must walk some of the time to go the distance. Today I played around with him on the trail. I found out that he does have a fast walk when motivated – e.g. if I make him stop a half dozen times on the way home, he becomes very eager to keep going. That won’t help us on an endurance ride, but it may be a way of developing a habit of a good, quick walk. My other method is to urge him into a trot every time he dawdles… 🙂
Posted by Dinka | 4 February 2015, 3:20 am(adding to the above – my horse is a 5 year old purebred Arabian. He has a lot of go on most days and is fantastic across all kinds of terrain. I brought him up myself and he’s never been shod. He has the best feet and we use Easyboot gloves on extended trail rides. Never had any issues. Except for the walk…)
Posted by Dinka | 3 February 2015, 4:42 amGood ideas Dinka! I’ll try that with my slow walker too!
Posted by Tara Wyatt | 4 February 2015, 1:20 pmGreat! The best is that we do similarily instinctively for a year now. One of my horses is extremely ambitious and when you let him go he would die of being tired, while other – younger has great endurance genes and she does not care that I want faster. But her comfortable rhytmical trot can last for a day!
Could you please write something about feeding because I have lots of doubts.
Posted by d | 13 February 2015, 12:20 amx
Posted by soenel | 24 February 2015, 9:46 amThe subject of a very interesting and thank you
Posted by ahmed | 19 March 2015, 8:22 pmValue and method of nutrition for carrying I hope Chrahunha Information
Posted by ahmed | 19 March 2015, 8:27 pmMy 12 years old son is starting his first pony endurance competition and I’m grateful for the precious informations! Thank you!
Posted by patriziacippotani | 24 March 2015, 7:27 pmReblogged this on P&M Equitación.
Posted by marta inés acosta | 29 June 2015, 11:10 amHow do you calm a very hot excited horse down? She has the stamina to canter for hours and is brilliant at home. At endurance rides she is so hard to handle and constantly wants to go faster, we have to have a wrestling match.
How do I get her to listen to me and behave like I know she can? We can’t ride with others at home.
Posted by Jo | 22 September 2015, 11:36 amLaura en Bob .Baie Baie dankie aan julle twee vir al die kosbare inligting . Dit het al soveel leerlinge by my ryskool gebaat , en myself ook . n maklike en werkbare oefen metode . Wondelik !!!!
Posted by Jan Bouwman | 20 October 2015, 2:39 pmThis is great! It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. I have just one question: how do you build up phase one during the winter? I live in the north where it can easily dip down to minus 20. All I have is a small indoor. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Posted by Arlena Cooper | 18 December 2015, 5:29 pmGreat article. I did a Distance Riding before children.
Question. I have a long legged fourteen year old athletic TB whom is out of shape. I’m thinking about looking into 25 mile rides for the Summer of 2017. I am a big fan of trotting, he’s too big for me for cantering anyways comfortably. Any suggestions on the best way to work with him on his trotting stride off property? I use my post to try to control it but he’s naturally very high headed and more challenging to ride on the looser rein. He’s very willing to please and very athletic. Also, he’s been pin fired and has low heels but I have been working with a good farrier and vet. He’s a Seattle Slew grandson who sold close to 400k as a yearling and raced for six years. He’s competitive. I’ve gave him about six months off, the person I got him from used him for jumpers and he’s a big jumper but I don’t think it’s good for his mind. We took him out trail riding last summer with my solid Morgan and he seemed to like it. He needs a job and I’m just trying to find him one. He’s got a big heart and is loyal. He’s supposed to be my daughters horse but has ended up as mine. She’s the taller and better rider. Lol, however he seems to have picked me as his. Any thoughts on my scattered email would be really appreciated. Thank you.
Posted by Pam Marquis | 25 February 2016, 10:44 pmI’m new to endurance and Arabians! My 9yo gelding, Henry, is very smart. He learns quickly, but seems to lose interest quickly also. He and I have made great strides together using many of the principles you discuss here. Henry has always been barefoot, and I ant to keep him that way. He has never been what I would call a “broke” horse. He randomly bucks. He bucked me at a walk going downhill. Any suggestions to curb this behavior as we move forward. My plan is to follow your program to get some miles in and hope that helps.
Posted by Susan Dickinson | 8 April 2016, 9:45 pm99% of the time it’s due to pain. Sometimes a horse will buck walking downhill when they experience hock pain. Also, the saddle tends to slide forward and can pinch the withers. A good test is to walk downhill while riding with a bareback pad only – if there is no bucking, then look at the saddle as the source of pain.
Posted by Maggie P | 15 August 2016, 5:25 amThank you for the excellent advice. I coach people for fitness and I’m struck by how similar the approach is.
Have you considered adding weighted bags for the hard workouts, especially for light riders? Maybe 5-10 kg? I might be crazy, but it seems logical.
Posted by Steven | 29 April 2016, 8:16 pmHello I really enjoyed your article would love to hear your thoughts or read something on endurance horse selection from a conformation and pedigree prespective as an elite horse project aiming for international competitions .
Also a programme for more seasoned horses that are training to win specially in the middle east.
Thanking Hussain Al Marzooqi from Dubai.
Posted by Hussain Al Marzooqi | 28 May 2016, 8:31 pmExcellent outline of exactly what you need to do to develop an endurance horse – just like humans they are athletes that need a careful regimen to build stamina and prevent injury. I like that you brought up the emotional and psychological aspect also. A horse can be trained to do anything as long as he feels safe. Always set him up for success.
Posted by Maggie P | 15 August 2016, 5:20 amGreat article – I will be following this program with my horses (the barefoot timescale) to get us conditioned for our entry into the wonderful world of endurance! Thank you for putting this information out there!
Posted by rhidavies2017 | 31 August 2017, 7:36 pma question please.I have a 13yr old well seasoned Arabian.He has done many 40k rides with very little training.I want to do an 80 k.I train him both Saturdays and Sundays for about 20k involving walk, trot, and canter.I work during the week .Is this sufficient training
Thank you
Debbie
Posted by Debbie Hawkins | 19 December 2017, 6:32 amThanks for a great article. I’m going to start training my young arabian within the next 3 month. Nice to have a plan. How about the Exercise Record. Is it just Excel or is it a program?
Posted by Jakob Selvli-Buch | 25 January 2019, 1:37 amThanks Francoise for the wonderful time at mumbai hope you had a safe flight back
Posted by sarpartap | 1 July 2019, 5:13 pmWould you apply the same regimen to a retired racehorse coming off a lay up? I’m making the assumption that heart/lungs and muscle/tendons/ligaments would already have some conditioning, but also not sure how much of that horse maintain when out of work.
Posted by Rebel | 26 April 2020, 5:05 amGreat content! Keep on posting.
Posted by Betfair Sportsbook | 13 April 2022, 7:02 amHi my name is chantelle please I really would love to do endurence riding i used to be a showjumper but would like it to do endurence please if you can help me how to start training me and my horse
Posted by Chantelle De bruyn | 29 January 2023, 6:28 pm