Fitness
I hate the fact that I feel the need to preface this, but I do. Please do NOT reply if you have nothing useful to say. I know that I am a knowledgeable, experienced rider. I know how to put a horse through it's paces. I am not overhorsed or babying my horse.
I have a clydeX who seems to never get fit. He's been in dressage training 5-6 days a week, 45-60 minutes per ride of both ringwork and hilly trails, and though he's not in dressage training as I can't afford lessons, he's currently being ridden 4-6 days a week, 30-60 minutes per ride of dressage and "pleasure" flatwork. Pretty much no matter the length of the ride, he's worked up a decent sweat if we've done w/t/c. He is just about as endurance-wise (ETA: Cardiovascular and muscular endurance) and cardiovascularly unfit now as he was a year ago when he was just coming back from a leg injury. Nothing I seem to do helps. We've tried longer rides, and he just gets tired and fights, plus I don't have the time for 60+ minute rides daily... I'm in college. That also means twice daily rides aren't a possibility. There are limited trails available, plus it's winter.
On top of that, we're not allowed to jump except in lessons, and he's getting annoyed with just dressage. In the other 3 seasons, we end every ride with trails, and we always ride in the outdoor, weather permitting.
How do you get a perpetually unfit horse fit? Hopefully some of these tactics will also help break the monotony and boredom he's experiencing (not that I can blame him!)
I have a clydeX who seems to never get fit. He's been in dressage training 5-6 days a week, 45-60 minutes per ride of both ringwork and hilly trails, and though he's not in dressage training as I can't afford lessons, he's currently being ridden 4-6 days a week, 30-60 minutes per ride of dressage and "pleasure" flatwork. Pretty much no matter the length of the ride, he's worked up a decent sweat if we've done w/t/c. He is just about as endurance-wise (ETA: Cardiovascular and muscular endurance) and cardiovascularly unfit now as he was a year ago when he was just coming back from a leg injury. Nothing I seem to do helps. We've tried longer rides, and he just gets tired and fights, plus I don't have the time for 60+ minute rides daily... I'm in college. That also means twice daily rides aren't a possibility. There are limited trails available, plus it's winter.
On top of that, we're not allowed to jump except in lessons, and he's getting annoyed with just dressage. In the other 3 seasons, we end every ride with trails, and we always ride in the outdoor, weather permitting.
How do you get a perpetually unfit horse fit? Hopefully some of these tactics will also help break the monotony and boredom he's experiencing (not that I can blame him!)