WALKERS

Not long now before we all meet up in the Far North trekking together to cover roughly 200km in six days, with a rest day in-between. The fitter you are the more you will enjoy your days.

We will be walking for some time along Ninety Mile Beach for the first three days. Walking on sand can be quite tiring as the ground can be either very hard or soft plus the sand may create an extra challenge. Some people prefer sturdy sandals for that or gaiters to stop the sand getting into your boots. We may occasionally cross little streams, so be prepared to get your feet wet. 

During the week we will come across varied terrain covering averagely between 25 to 35 km a day, so we recommend you do your preparation in varied terrain as well.

Do some Multi-day Treks if you can, or at least some long days of walking, plus other ways of getting or staying fit (biking, running, gym, yoga, pilates etc). Any kind of fitness helps - particularly cardio.

The fitter you are the more you will enjoy your days exploring this beautiful part of New Zealand sharing the fun with other walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders.

Enjoy the prep work. We are looking forward to seeing you in March.

Look after your feet

This is particularly important for the walkers!

We strongly suggest that you are used to wearing your hiking boots/shoes as there is nothing worse than getting sore feet or even blisters on trek from breaking in new

To avoid blisters:

• Make sure your footwear is well worn in and avoid blisters by keeping your feet dry and wear socks that draw moisture away from the skin (wool or man-made fibre - no cotton). If you do get blisters, attend to them straight away (carry some plasters).

• Try to keep your feet dry

• Wear socks made with fibres that draw moisture away from your skin - try to avoid 100% cotton and go for wool or

• Lace your shoes snugly - pinching (too tight) or rubbing (too loose) can cause issues

• Ensure your shoes are the right size - sometimes half to one size bigger is better.

• Keep your toenails short. Your toes should not touch the front of your boot - this can cause black toenails from the pressure of your toes hitting the front of your boots.

Aching feet is often caused by incorrect step - make sure you are touching your heel to the ground first, rolling forward through the foot and pushing off with your toes.

There may be stream crossings, or places where your feet will get wet - many choose to bring a pair of sandals/aqua shoes that they can wear for these occasions.

After a day in your shoes/boots it might help to loosen up the feet by rolling them over a tennis ball.

RIDERS

Preparing HOrses for the trek for Life

As there have been enquiries regarding this subject, the following is offered as a general guide. This trek runs over 6 days with a rest day in the middle. Riding for up to 6 hours a day, even at a leisurely pace, means horses need to be reasonably fit and well-conditioned to their gear. Factors influencing the horse’s needs might include age and breed as well as rider strengths and weaknesses. Given there will be many differing individual circumstances and training facilities available, the following can only be a general guide to preparing your horse.

Physical Fitness

The amount of time spent on getting your horse fit will depend on how often you are able to work it. For example, 20-30 minutes of walk/trot/canter 6 days a week will get most horses adequately fit for this event in 6-8 weeks, but if you can only ride your horse on weekends, and perhaps once during the week, then those rides will need to be for minimum 2-3 hours.

Options:

1.     Riding. Walk/Trot/Canter over farm, roads, tracks, beach etc. 

2.     Walkers are useful if available. Up to 2 hours. (1 hour each way)

3.     Lunging in paddock or round yard. 15-30 min walk trot.

4.     Sand Arena. Walk trot canter.

These are options that may be used for working and conditioning your horse. Obviously riding your horse over varied terrain is what you and your horse will experience during the Trek, so ideally this is what you should be doing most of. While riding you should focus on schooling your mount to a brisk walk but giving yourself a comfortable ride at the same time. Where possible this should be done in company with others. Depending on your horse’s temperament, cantering should be used with caution in your fitness program. Generally speaking, your horse needs to be ridden for 2-3 hours 2-3 times a week for 6-8 weeks prior to the trek.

Conditioning to Gear

Veterinary experience during 14 years on the Great NZ Trek, found that skin rubs and chafing injuries far outnumber those relating to a lack of physical fitness. The vulnerable areas are girth, withers and back of saddle. While these might be seen as superficial, they can have serious consequences. Like having a blisters on your feet while hiking. Think about the gear you will use on the trek and be sure it is on your horse frequently, even if you are not going to ride. Conditioning your mount to its gear is just as important as physical fitness. Of course your influence while sitting in the saddle will play a significant role in this dynamic. Riding for 6 days, compared to a 2-3 day weekend trek, represents a significant step up. Rubbing and chafing results from excessive movement of gear over skin. Recommendations-

1.     Always work your horse in the gear it will use during trekking.

2.     Ensure girths are tight enough to avoid excessive or unnecessary saddle movement at all times. This will usually require tightening during a ride.

3.     Keep weight on saddle to minimum and evenly spread over both sides.

4.     Get off your horse and walk down steep hills if you can. Stand up in your saddle going up steep hills. These are times when the potential for saddle movement is at its greatest.

5.     Ensure there is no potential for saddle contact with withers.

6.     Wash down areas under saddle and girth thoroughly after riding.

Feeding

Horses digestive systems are adapted to digesting high fibre diets. Pasture or pasture derived supplements (hay/silage) are the mainstay diet for most NZ pleasure horses. Seek professional advice when choosing prepared grain based convenience foods to supplement your horses base diet. Ensure adequate roughage at all times. Diet can affect your horse’s health and temperament. Vitamins and electrolytes have their place, but they should be appropriately chosen to supplement the base diet. Trekking horses should be calm and relaxed so avoid undoing your good training by inappropriate feeding.

The feed provided by the Trek for Life will be along the lines of FibrePro and Dunstan Coolfeed. It is recommended you begin introducing these to your horses diet at least 6 weeks prior to the March Trek to let they acclimatise.

Paddock hay will also be provided where necessary.