Estrid is aimed at a maximum 80-100km this year so she doesn’t need to do specific long canter training or traditional gallops work until next year. But I do like to introduce canter work when we up the distance to 80km. One because 80km of trot is pretty boring and two because I like to up it slowly and I don’t want to start doing gallops work for 120km from no experience whatsoever.
If I had good training grounds, so long hill climbs, good going and a decent network of routes then I wouldn’t need to introduce canter work specifically at a gallops as I would just integrate it into our normal routes. However, the majority of my training is flat, super stony and we don’t have many options so the gallops make for an excellent venue for a consistent, continuous pace.
Estrid will go to the gallops no more than once a month this season and we won’t be doing any sessions that are just canter work focused. What I want to use them for is keeping a nice even rhythm, getting used to what each speed feels like on her so I can instinctively tell the difference between a 13kph trot and a 17kph trot. So we can practice a nice steady controlled canter and importantly learn to use herself properly without being distracted by changes in terrain.
Her first session to the gallops she mainly went round pulling faces with her nose in the air being pretty hollow but we will work on it. We were a little faster than I wanted in the canter but it felt pretty easy for her. So we did 10km in total, 1.5km of walk, 5km of trot (trying to stay between 14-16kph, this will get more specific as she gets better at it and we’ll do one lap at 12kph, one at 16kph, one at 14kph etc.) and keeping the effort even on the flat and the slopes, then 3.5km of canter.
I was really pleased with her, she was keen and needed no encouragement to just keep going. I’m looking forward to introducing canter into our training as she just eats up the ground and it’s so flowy. She was pretty stressed at the end tied to the trailer but this is just something we’ll have to keep working on.
Beth Endurance 