Exercise for 13.2hh cob

[Charliexponio]

Hi, I went to see a pony today, and he is perfect😍 he is 10 years old and 13.2-3hh. I think he's a cob but he could be a fell or a dales.
He is quite fat however. I am going to ride him most nights after school, and when he comes to live at my house I am going to exercise him so he will lose weight.
Does anybody know any exercises?

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

If he is indeed a Fell or Dales, then his passport & registration document will say so
He may just be a lovely 'native sort' tho

As he is already being ridden, you ought to consider walking, steady walking.
20 mins a day daily for the 1st week, building by 10 mins a week till you are walking for an hour, making him work in the walk for at least 50% of the time, not slopping along on the end of the reins. Best done 'out' and not round and round a school tho.
Then adding in a bit of trot as you go into week 5 and then build from there.

Others may have different view tho, so you will have to take a middle road perhaps, good luck & hope new pony works out.

 

[nikkitodhunter]

I agree with the above, start with good, purposeful walk work - it can be tempting to start on really heavy work to combat a chubby horse but just like humans, you don't go from couch potato to marathon runner straight away!! Pay attention to how sweaty/tired he gets, don't overwork him as you risk injuring him and making him not enjoy his work. Also, make sure he gets days off every week, just like humans horses need time to rest and for muscles to repair.

You can add lots of pole-work to liven up the walk too, and make sure he's not just slopping along. There are some good little books out there with lots of polework exercises to try.
As you build fitness, if you can hack out and find some hills to trot up they are great for building fitness once he gets fitter, rather than just trotting on the flat all the time. Just in general hacking is great for fitness!

Also, if he's quite fat, make sure you also look at his feeding regime (again, like humans - diet AND excersize together make for a fitter body). Native types are often 'good doers.' There is lots of info out there about this

It's great you want to get him fitter and trimmer, as an overweight horse is at risk of laminitis. Remember to keep an eye out for signs of this until he is in better shape!