Desperately need to build topline!

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Leanne_20

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Has anyone got any good ideas on ways to build topline without the use of a school??
Snow followed by a ridiculous amount of rain means our school has gone from frozen to a boggy mess! Friend has a lovely rubber menage which I can use but I don't want to take the mickey and use it loads.
Have spent the last couple of weeks hacking & doing hill work to build up fitness after time off and now really need to start building topline (new saddle dec 09 & saddle fitter wants to see more topline when I go back for the re-check).
Would really like to get her lunging but the school is soooo bad & I have been making sure she doesn't just go along with her nose poking on hacks.
Any ideas/tips will be great!
 
well - sounds daft - but if you're seeing topline develop from the hacking and hillwork - then you're in the right direction. It's not going to happen over night - as much as you will it with all your might!!

Whilst your out hacking - hack forward in a good strong outline, do some transitions, do some lateral work on the road (assuming quite roads where you've not got corners where cars can hide behind), ask for left bend, ask for right bend, walk trot walk, trot canter trot.....pop some jumps whilst your out, trot through some puddles..... you can do all you can out hacking - there has been times (in the not to distant past) where we've not all had nice schools to work in...


But - it sounds like you're already doing it - so be patient, it won't just take weeks, but months....
and just stay focussed...
 
Agree with Peacelily, hillwork/roadwork is great for building topline. Also make sure you're feeding hay etc. from the floor, as this makes them stretch down etc, and stops them building muscle on the underside of their necks from yanking the hay from a haynet
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I never ride my horse in the school - just hack etc. Lots of hills round by me - so a combination of proper work and good feeding means that he has a great topline (I also feed Dodson & Horrel Build Up Cubes, which are fantastic!)
 
LOTS of long and low work.....so keeping your horse nice and calm so she/he doesnt tense through their back. even i nice long rein walk with nose on floor is good! Make sure you give your horse lots of breaks when taking a contact and thats between all the advise given above!

any chance to do some lunge work would be good too and dont worry about pinning your horses head down...just keep them relaxed and it will come!
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