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Enter your keywords:How do you train for trail riding or endurance competitions?
R. S asked:
I currently have a 9 yr old out of shape, overweight Paso Fino who is an awesome trail horse. I want to put him on a conditioning program so that he can lose the excess fat he is carrying, and ride him out more without worrying about injury. Right now I am only riding him 2xs a week on trails. Gets hay, a handful of grain, and free choice grass all day. Anyone ever conditioned a Paso Fino back into shape before? Is there a good plan to follow?
I currently have a 9 yr old out of shape, overweight Paso Fino who is an awesome trail horse. I want to put him on a conditioning program so that he can lose the excess fat he is carrying, and ride him out more without worrying about injury. Right now I am only riding him 2xs a week on trails. Gets hay, a handful of grain, and free choice grass all day. Anyone ever conditioned a Paso Fino back into shape before? Is there a good plan to follow?
4 Responses to How do you train for trail riding or endurance competitions?
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To start on endurance i would at first try to trot for long distances then trot and canter.
Just slowly increasing exercise is the best way to go. Start with brief rides on flats, slowly increase inclines, number of times a week, speed, and distances ridden. Your horse will let you know if you’ve done too much too fast. As his activity level increases, you may need to revise his feeding, so keep an eye on his weight and adjust accordingly. Lunging your horse on the days you don’t ride will also help a bit with getting him in shape.
You want to build stamina. Find a hill with a gentle grade, not too steep, and do trot sets. Trot for 5 minuets. Take a walk break, then do another set. You can increase in the length of the sets and the number of sets over weeks. Move up to steeper hills as you progress. This builds stamina and muscle.
You’ve got a long way to go if you want to do endurance competitions if your horse is overweight and you’re only riding 2x/week. I conditioned one for 25 mile rides. He was not overweight and reasonably fit when I started. Then, I slowly worked up to longer and faster rides. I have never ridden a Paso Fino before.
For getting him in shape in general, just slowly increase the time and intensity of his workouts. The key word is slowly.