Have you followed the World Endurance Championships 2024? If you didn't, have a look at the different media available. A start in the dark in a huge thunderstorm and then 160 km of tough muddy conditions, really testing all combinations at this top level of our sport. Being a Dutchie in the UK, I supported 2 countries, cheering on both the Dut...
In the previous article, I told you about using your heartrate monitor when training. I hope you have found that helpful, and have started to use your heart monitor more. Not only to see when the HR drops low enough to vet, but also during training or other work to see how your horse responds to the intensity of the work you are asking it to do. In...
In the previous blog, I told you about logging the distance, duration, average speed, and elevation of your training sessions. Adding indexes for climb and canter gives a selection of great parameters to compare training and see how you progress. But these numbers do not tell you anything about how your horse actually experiences the effort du...
Another recorded webinar for you, all about the different types of horses doing endurance and how you can adapt your training and goals accordinglyAll horses can do endurance! But we just have to understand the differenced in their athletic ability and train accordingly.
In the previous article, I told you about the fuel efficiency of our horses, using a hybrid car analogy. Unfortunately, I won't be as anecdotal in this article but I'll try to illustrate where I can. So last time we learned that higher intensity work will use more of our horse's petrol: glycogen. And that glycogen is a depletable fuel source that c...
Riding to win will require a different strategy (and training) on your ride day than riding to finish (though for me the latter is always my primary aim). Whilst riding to win can bring out the ultimate competitor in you, and perhaps your horse, you do need to keep an eye on riding to finish well. In this tutorial, we will focus on optimising your ...
This is the first in a series of articles I wrote for the EGB endurance magazine in 2023. I have added it as a blog as well for you to enjoy and use I (well, really hubby and me 😉 ) bought a new car. Our older (very fuel-efficient) diesel needed replacing and we got a hybrid. Not one of those plug-in ones, but one that will load up its own ba...
You would think that you would ride the same as you so in training as you would when competing and this can be the case, but it needn't be. Especially for longer distances that have more challenges you would want to make sure you keep your horse with enough energy to finish the ride safely. In our training we should primarily focus on stamina train...
When you are watching this tutorial I presume you have trained your horse for the distance you want to ride. But have you really? Different conditions can make a huge outcome to the result of your ride. Not only terrain, how you ride it and how that will affect your horse, but also weather conditions (which can actually make the same competit...
They say oxygen is the source of life ,and of course that is correct, (nearly) all metabolism needs oxygen to perform. So we could say: More oxygen = better performance We could have a huge heart, the best muscles for the job and an unlimited supply of fuel. But without the oxygen, and with that the lung capacity to get oxygen to t...
They say oxygen is the source of life ,and of course that is correct, (nearly) all metabolism needs oxygen to perform. So we could say: More oxygen = better performance We could have a huge heart, the best muscles for the job and an unlimited supply of fuel. But without the oxygen, and with that the lung capacity to get oxygen to t...
In this tutorial we will really focus on how the energy to propel the horse forward is being created and the difference between the different substrates. Glycogen and fatty acids are the main fuel for the muscles (in a way, because the real source of energy is ATP, a molecule that is made out of the fuel sources. We will talk about the ...
In this tutorial we will really focus on how the energy to propel the horse forward is being created and the difference between the different substrates. Glycogen and fatty acids are the main fuel for the muscles (in a way, because the real source of energy is ATP, a molecule that is made out of the fuel sources. We will talk about the ...
This is the follow up webinar to the "Understanding the use of a heartrate monitor" Webinar, both are fine as stand alone, but are very much part of each other if you really want to know about how to really make the best of riding with a heartrate monitor. The first was all about the different monitors available, what it can measure and some theory about physiology of the horse.
In this webinar we are going to use the monitor, working with baselines, the effect increased intensity of work has and how to work with training phases and perhaps if at all needed, with some interval work.
I specifically address how hill work can create it's own low speed high intensity work and how you can combine that to high intensity work on the flat (which is what all apps and monitors are really designed for). I have used my own horses for a few case studies to make it really understandable.
Have a look!
This is the last in a trilogy about "Training smarter, not harder". In the first one we focused on how every horse is different, because of its ability, its weaker links, circumstances and management. In the second we talked about all aspects involving training and resting.
In this webinar, I will explain how you can combine the knowledge about your individual horse with all of its individual circumstances and use your knowledge about training to do it right.
Some circumstances and weak links require us to go slower, focus on specific work and prerequisites before we can safely increase training. And we also need to realise that the type of ride we are preparing for can require a different way of training (and sometimes even per individual horse)
I will tell you all about it in this recording:
The first of a trilogy or webinars on how to train smarter, and not harder. To start training right for your horse you first have to know your horse.
But of course you know your horse! But do you? In an endurance sense? There are so many factors that are part of how your horse can do (or will do) endurance. Every horse has different intrinsic abilities (i.e. a different combination of heart, lungs, types of muscles and thermoregulation). Every horse is built differently, moves different, and we all ride a little different as well!
This a perfect time to sign up for one of the 2 endurance coaching courses Groen Equestrian has to offer to get ready for you new upcoming endurance season. Yes 2 courses!Besides the year long course Endurance: Step by Step" we now also offer the 4 month (extension possible) course "Endurance: train smarter not harder"Have a look at this video in w...
How you train, and whether you are doing too much or not enough will be different per horse and also for your goal… A cob training for a 40k in hills can find the work as hard as an Arab that is working to a 120k at high speed. How they train is different (or should be different). But all need to work via the same principle: prepare...
How you train, and whether you are doing too much or not enough will be different per horse and also for your goal… A cob training for a 40k in hills can find the work as hard as an Arab that is working to a 120k at high speed. How they train is different (or should be different). But all need to work via the same principle: prepare...
So how do you know your horse is fit enough for the goal you have set? I'm afraid you'll never know for sure until you try… But I will show you some indicators about how to have a pretty good idea of how you are doing and what to check in this tutorial. You can never pre-empt everything that will come your way on a ride. But if you train well (usin...
