Road to the Tevis Cup Post #21: Current Fitness and Conditioning Routine

This week’s post will be a brief update on Fantazia’s current fitness and conditioning routine. Originally, I had planned to complete 50 miles in the Coso Junction ride this weekend. I am not entirely certain she would have been ready to finish, but I think she would have. I would have gone slow and rider optioned if she had not felt good. Based on our last two training rides, though, I believe she’d’ve had a good chance.

Latest conditioning rides

Hill work

On December 11th, we did hill work (see a general overview of our training here). 12.39 miles, 3,376 ft. elevation gain, 3 hours, 42 minutes (3:16:23 moving time; I forgot to stop the app, so total real time was probably around three hours 20 minutes, moving time around 3:10:00). Fantazia was not at all tired. I got off and led her up one steep hill (minus a few minutes of riding to go around a bull). I led her downhill several times, because we can then jog. She walks downhill very slowly, so it’s much faster for me to get off and lead.

This bull was very inconveniently placed, right by a long slope I generally get off and lead, during our last hill ride.

Eight days previously (December 3rd) had been our last hill work day. We did 13.86 miles, 3,448 ft elevation gain, total time = 4:40:50, 3:40:08 moving time (I think I remember to turn the app off right away that time). We went straight out and back, keeping to (rough) roads. On the 11th we did mostly the same route, but went off-road to climb a peak, and doubled back on a ridge route (hence the shorter distance). I got off and led in the same places.

During our last ride, we took a more difficult approach to a local peak (3,261 feet). Previously we had ridden up a road.

She has definitely gotten fitter.

Road work

On December 7th (midway between the two hill work days), we did 11.78 miles along the road (2 hours 7 minutes total, 2:01:48 moving time, 623 ft elevation gain). At one point we trotted for 39 minutes without stopping. Fantazia does an easy 7.5-8.0 miles per hour. She sustained that for 39 minutes, and was slightly tired (BPM ~ when we slowed Considering we had not trotted for more than 7 minutes at a time (but followed up by 7 minutes the other way, then 6, 5, 4,… see our Return to Conditioning exercise), I thought this was excellent. Hill work does transfer to the flatlands. “Flat”lands… even the road has hills here!

Arena work

I try to work Fantazia at least once a week in the arena. It’s the only truly flat place I can ride, and it’s free of distractions. We review halting, backing, turns on the haunches, leg yielding, and basic training. We canter–or, when she’s relaxed–lope–circles. Last Thursday I rode for one hour. GPS doesn’t track well in our covered arena, but according to Equilab, we did 108 transitions, 10 minutes of trotting and 9 minutes of (mostly) lope.

Rest days

The day after a hard workout (long hill ride or road work), Fantazia gets the day completely off. I might hand walk her to graze in green grass, but that’s it. The second day I sometimes ride bareback (actually with a foam pad covered with a saddle towel and strapped on with a racing overgirth). Today I ponied her with my other horse, Beroni. I ponied her about four miles, 1.5 at a trot, the rest walking.

Future plans

Our endurance ride goal is Fire Mountain, near Ridgecrest, CA., on January 16-17. I hope it is not cancelled due to COVID. Fantazia should be plenty fit by then to do 50 miles. I plan to take it fairly easy over the next month, and have fun riding. I love to get out on the hills, and don’t love road work, so I will have to be self-disciplined. I’ll aim for a road work day every two weeks, a challenging hill ride every two weeks, and fun in between. Plus arena work (not the most fun. I hope it rains to encourage using its roof…)