Training and conditioning

["Tamara Jane Habberley" <tamarahabberley@lineone.net>]

Okay

 

having bored everyone silly about saddles can I please pick your brains now? I would be interested in advice of people who ideally work full time like me, dont live in an area with greta hacking and still manage to compete!

 

I am based in the Uk in a very built up area ( 6 - 8 miles from Birmingham town centre which is the second biggest city in England) so mainly road work and a 1 1/2 mile stretch of common land.  I can box up at weekends to a local park ( 2500 acres of heathland) and to get to hill work.

 

 Until a road accident ( van hit my horse) this spring I used to do about 3 x 18 mile rides per week of which half was road work. Now I am frightend to ride in traffic ( and its HEAVY traffic round here) so can not hack to my old training area. This year I have done 1 x long ride ( 20) and 1 x shorter (10) at the weekend boxing up to park etc, short hack mid week or interval training and dressage schooling. My horse isnt as drawn but seems fit. We also do a short CTR everyfortnight and have done one 40 mile race ride.  next year I aim to do the same trainiong programme but up the competiions to 1 x short CTR (20 or 30) and 1 x longer ride per fortnight.   

 

Am I doing enough, can I realistically go further in competitions and does any one have traiing suggestions particulalry re interval training?

 

Tamara