EXCITING ways to exercise a pony off work?

L

LittleMouse

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 December 2010
Messages
254
Visit site
well pony has a sore back due to a bad saddle and is off for 3 weeks. saddler says not to ride but to still exercise him regularly. its been a week so far and ive lunged him a couple of times and walked him out on walks. but i think he might get bored.
anybody know how i can exercise him? just 20 mins or so a day as he needs to lose weight hehe
thanks :)
 
Do you jog? If yes, take him with you, if no, maybe it's an opportunity to start and keep up your own fitness while he is out (and take him with you).

Obviously, long reining, as already suggested.

Or, could someone who is riding take him on a lead line?
 
Also, loose schooling, you could put up a grid and work on his shape and balance over jumps.

And, lunge him over raised trotting poles, recommended for jumping and dressage horses.
 
Ride and lead and loooong hilly walks :D

Free schooling - with or without jumps - fast bursts of exercise are important in fitness and weight loss too.

bareback work :)

Be wary of too much lunging - better to break it up with long reining or loose work than spend too much time on a small circle.
 
Do lots of inhand exercises such as going over poles and cavaletti poles, go for some inhand walks/longrein and try do some handy pony type things like making him go in and out of cones, over tarpaulin etc. Also when my mare had a bad back due to her saddle we were told to do carrot stretches with her and we still do them every so often as they seem to help :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top