Ideas for schooling excercises to help build muscle

[Vicki1986]

as you can see from the photo my ponies back end is rather weak compared to her rather sturdy front! i have just started getting her to work properly (sporadically) she cant work consistently in an outline but she is learning to come down and work through her back more which i know will be key to developing her muscles as she will be working correctly.
But i was just wondering if there are any specific excercises that will help strengthen and build the muscles

 

[samp]

Hill work is great, as is leg yielding, lungeing and also pole work

 

[Vicki1986]

i already llunge quite a bit ...was thinking or buying a pessoa (or the cheaper version!!) ??

 

[Dotilas]

Try the Tellington Touch website for the 'body-wrap'

you can ride in it aswel

 

[samp]

The pessoa is a great device though I have found it does break quite easily!

 

[UKa]

I like long-reining/ double lungeing, my girl seems to take to it better than the Pessoa ...

 

[BuckingHorse]

Raised poles, small bounce fences - start with pole on the ground to 1'6 jump then build up to 5 in a row. 20 m circles with four poles placed opposite each other on the circle in trot and canter - try to get an even number of strides in between the poles then shorten and lengthen. All good for building up muscle and quite fun too! Fab pony!

 

[pottamus]

Hill work all the way! Up and down in a good active walk and then build it up to trotting up and walking down and really get them using their hind legs.

 

[evsj]

I got one of the cheapo Pessoa's off ebay and it did help but if your pony can't work in a consistant outline, lateral work may be better.

My mare is very heady and I've spent 5 years trying to get her to consistently in an outline but it was lateral exercise that worked the best. My instructor taught me to have a couple of school sessions per week warming up then do little lateral movements for 20 mins. leg yield, shoulder-in, saumur leg yield, turn on forehand and and lots of small circles in walk. oh and lots of transitions. get your instructor to show you, if you can. Your pony's backend dosen't look too bad - she is like my horse (with a neck like garth!)

 

[teapot]

Lots and lots of hill work in the walk

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

When you go out on a hack don't let the horse amble along, he must move forward purposefully, especially when going up hills. Hill work, as had been said by previous posters is great for building up muscle. In the school do lots of transitions & leg yielding.

 

[maddielove]

defo hill work, my mare [very similarly built!] had this problem and i found hillwork was very succesfull, also poles as well.

i will try some lateral work! she's still got a bit of muscle to vuild up..but a MUCH bigger improvement