Getting pony (you are too big to ride) fit

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canteron

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Hi - I am ready for the ‘oh no too much lunging is criminal and gadgets are the devils work’ posts, but I can’t see much alternative to lunging, occasionally over poles, occasionally with a bungee.

Pony needs to be fit and enough for child over half term. He is good natured, but I need him to be in ‘work’ mode and well schooled enough to do a couple of clinics. His canter also could do with being more balanced. And, somehow, despite getting no hay he is rather fat, so that needs addressing.

How much is too much, from mid February onwards will have other options (hacking etc) so it’s a short term thing. He is 9 (ie not ancient)

Advice please …. I know I’m not the only one with this dilemma!! What is your method and do you use any ‘gadgets’?
 
GypsGal1718 said:
It’s not ideal to not give hay in winter even if they are good doers. They need fibre. I understand the struggle of keeping good doers trim but no hay is not the answer in winter
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I agree, but we still seem to have a lot of grass, and the pony isnt even a little bit interested in hay when it comes in to be tacked up (always a bit in the stable) I am feeding a bit of chaff with balancer.
 
GypsGal1718 said:
It’s not ideal to not give hay in winter even if they are good doers. They need fibre. I understand the struggle of keeping good doers trim but no hay is not the answer in winter
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Its worth checking why 1st before making statements like that 🤣
Mine only got hay this last week with the heavy frosts.
I have plenty of grass, plus foggage, absolutely no need for me to be haying. They had none again last night as rain was due.
 
canteron said:
I agree, but we still seem to have a lot of grass, and the pony isnt even a little bit interested in hay when it comes in to be tacked up (always a bit in the stable) I am feeding a bit of chaff with balancer.
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Lucky pony....I'm not surprised he's not interested in hay if he's still got grass. Where do you live OP? Can we come and visit you and your grass? :D
 
What facilities do you have? My son's little pony was as fat as a pig when we got her. I used to lunge her over fences to get her heart rate up and popped up bounces to engage hocks. Long reining would be great up hills and trotting where possible. Transitions when long reining, making them go up uphill backwards in hand was recommended to me once by a physio to engage hindquarters.
 
I lunge mine quite a bit because my back can play up so cant always ride I don't do loads of small circles, I use the whole arena I do different pole exercises so it's varied, I also do lateral work in hand I have also been known to take one on a hand walk with the dogs, and we have a little jog here and there I think they quite enjoy it.

Failing that try and find a willing child to help you out.
 
Depending in your facilities if you can lunge moving round a school or field then it’s not just a tightish circle and for a small pony not as tight as a bigger horse so I’d say not too drastic if you can mix it up.
 
canteron said:
Wow, they look amazing. Can you actually buy them?? Don’t think I would be brave enough though!

Saddlechariot

Saddlechariot - useful on the smallholding and fun too!
www.viableselfsufficiency.co.uk
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as far as I know you can.

I met Simon Mullholland and Obama a few years ago taking a severely disabled person out.

He showed me how the ordinary SC worked, how it released etc. I would certainly have been brave enough, very easy to step off.

If I had had more time and less horses I would have had one. You could get a pony VERY fit. Go as far as you like and as fast. Far easier than long reining or leading in hand.
 
canteron said:
I will try this again, is it enough to get them fit though, or just ‘schooled’?
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if you school using the whole school then walk and jog together on your local lanes as well. It will also build up the top line. You can even do lateral work from time to time as you as you go to keep the pony thinking, leg yields and transitions, halts, rein backs, transitions within the pace. It all builds muscle. I prefer to be slightly to one side or the other of the pony to see how he responds to my aids.
 
Can you you take the pony out walking with you because that twice a week and lunging ( as on the lunge and using the whole school three times should do the trick .
Even better if you get some one on a horse to lead him that will work really well .
 
We have the same issue, to keep pony fit for children while at school we lunge 2-3 times a week including over poles to keep interesting, long rein 5 mile circuit one day each weekend (takes an hour and a half) and sometimes ride and lead (we have a very quiet schoolmaster to lead from, the only worry that I have is cars as we're all narrow country lanes).

We also long rein in the school to work on halt, walk, trot transitions as well as bend. Also vary between lunging with two reins (one round the bottom) to work on contact and head carriage and sometimes elasticated side reins (preparing to be hung, drawn and quartered for this) but with nothing on at beginning and end of session to give time to stretch.
 
When my pony got an infected insect bite, I took him running with me. I've never smashed so many PB's 🤣

I did lots of long reining, lunging over poles and free schooling on the flat & over jumps.

I mixed in some more classical in-hand stuff, liberty work & leading over poles but I'm not convinced it did a lot to keep him cardio fit but it kept it interesting and I think helped with maintaining core strength.
 
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