When we set our goals and think about the competitions that we would like to do with our four-legged friends, we need to consider both ours and their fitness. In this blog, I will put together a 12-week program that will give you an outline to competing in a British Eventing BE80, BE90 or BE100 class.
The program will start as though your horse has been resting. If your horse has been off due to injury as a rule of thumb you would allow a week of walk for every month your horse has been off work. This would be something to take into consideration if your horse has had a tendon issue or something like that.
12 Week Fitness Program.
| Week | Monday | Tuesdays | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | Day Off | Road work 20 – 25mins. | Road work 20 – 25mins. | Road work 25 mins. | Road work 25mins. | Road work 30 mins. | Road work 30 mins. |
| 2 | Day Off | Road work 30 mins | Road work 30 mins | Road work 40 mins | Road work 40 mins | Road work 45 mins | Road work 50 mins. |
| 3 | Day off | Road work and uphill work in walk 50 mins | Road work and uphill work in walk 50 mins | Road work and uphill work in walk 55 mins | Road work and uphill work in walk 55 mins | Road work and uphill work in walk 60 mins | Road work and uphill work in walk 60 mins |
| 4
If you have been riding your horse for 3 – 4 times a week at mainly walk you can start here. | Day off | Road work and up hill work in walk 60 mins. Start building up trot to 2 mins. | Road work and uphill work in walk 60 mins. Start building up trot to 2 mins. | Road work and uphill work in walk 60 mins. Start building up trot to 2 mins. | Road work and uphill work in walk 60 mins. Start building up trot to 2 mins. | Road work and uphill work in walk 60 mins. Start building up trot to 2 mins at a time. | Road work and uphill work in walk 60 mins. Start building up trot to 2 mins. |
| 5 | Day off | Road work and up hill work in walk 60 mins. Start building up trot to 3 or 4 mins | Introduce 20mins schooling and 40 mins ride out. | Ride out at 60 mins including trot sections of up to 3 – 4 mins. | 20mins schooling and 40 mins ride out. | Ride out to 60 mins including trot building the trot sections up | Ride out 30 mins, school 20mins and 10 mins cool down |
| 6 | Day off | One hour ride out with bursts of trot and canter. | 20 mins schooling and 40 mins ride out. | One hour ride out with work trotting and cantering up hill | 15 min warm up, 15 min grid work and 30 min ride out | 30 min ride out, 20 min schooling and 10 min cool off. | One hour ride out including work in trot and canter up hills. |
| 7 | Day off | One hour ride out increasing hill work in trot and canter | 20 min schooling and 40 mins ride out. | One hour ride out increasing trot and canter work. | 10 mins warm up, 20 mins grid or jumping work and ride out for 30 mins | 30 mins ride out, 20 mins schooling and 10 mins cool off | One hour ride out, with trot and canter up hill. |
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 8 | Day off | One hour ride out, start slow canters over undulating ground. | 20 mins schooling and 40 mins ride out. | One hour ride out increasing work on the hills | Ride out and some jumping or grid work. | 20 mins schooling and 40 mins ride out. | Ride out with more hill work and slow canters up to 4 mins. |
| 9
If a horse has been out at different disciplines over the winter start here. | Day off. | Ride out with up to 3 – 4 min canters | 20 min schooling our jumping and 40 min ride out. | Evening dressage and our combined training. | Schooling or jumping depending on what you did yesterday and ride out | Ride out with stronger canters up to 4 mins. | One hour ride out with trot and canter. |
| 10 | Day off | Ride out with hills and trot and canter | 20 mins schooling and ride out for 40 mins. | Cross country schooling | Schooling 20 mins and ride out for 40 mins | Ride out with a stronger canter up hills. | Ride out with trots and canters over undulating ground. |
| 11 | Day off | Ride out with hills, strong trots and canters. | 20 mins schooling / or jumping and 40 mins ride out. | Evening competition, dressage or jumping. | 20 mins schooling and ride out with hills. | Ride out with faster canters ¾ speed. Into the bridle. | 20 mins school and 40 mins ride out. |
| 12 | Day off | Ride out with canters up hill ¾ speed. | 20 mins schooling and ride out for 40 mins. | Possible evening competition or jumping. | 20 mins schooling and 40 mins ride out. | First 80 m or 90 m eventing competition. | Day off and check tendons and legs. |
You can change around the schooling with poles, or if your horse needs more x-country schooling you can add it in. Also, if you like you can add some fast work to the cross country. It all depends on your horse and what you need to work on, some horses need more flat work training and some need a little more jumping.
Also, some people give their horses Sunday off and work through the week. It is all up to the time you have available and which day is better for your life and work. It is better to start with a ride out and then add the stronger work in as it can give a horse chance to get his work in. Also, only jump a couple of times a week and only do fast work two times a week, giving your horse either the day off after or a 20 min school and 40 min ride out.
If you have enjoyed reading this please feel free to sign up for more information at:
Thank you
[…] to do over winter and what would you like to do. It might be worth looking at our fitness blog post with fitness plan on […]