Ideas how to keep my horse fit from the ground?

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Barehooves

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Hello, I'm pregnant so have given up hooning about on my horse (however much we love it!!) so I'm looking for suggestions how I can keep her fit without riding?

We usually compete at Endurance so she is normally quite fit. I'd like to keep her fairly fit and ready so we could do some competitions later in the summer after junior has been born and I'm back fit again :)

We have an arena and the most wonderful countryside although it's very tough terrain (for me!).

Thanks :) x
 
Congratulations on the baby!

Lunging and loose schooling would be the obvious suggestions I guess... a bit of join up, long reining, that sort of thing! Do you know anyone who might want to show your horse in hand?
 
Ooh also I have a book (can't remember the name...) about stretches you can do with horses, it goes through all the different muscle groups and the stretches are progressive, so you build up to a horse that can do the equine equivalent of put its head on its knees :)

You could also teach him some circus tricks! Things like bowing, waving etc.
 
kickonchaps said:
Congratulations on the baby!

Lunging and loose schooling would be the obvious suggestions I guess... a bit of join up, long reining, that sort of thing! Do you know anyone who might want to show your horse in hand?
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Thank you! Unfortunately we are not allowed to loose school (ggrrr) which I love, they think the horses will gouge big holes in the surface or jump out! Xx
 
kickonchaps said:
Ooh also I have a book (can't remember the name...) about stretches you can do with horses, it goes through all the different muscle groups and the stretches are progressive, so you build up to a horse that can do the equine equivalent of put its head on its knees :)

You could also teach him some circus tricks! Things like bowing, waving etc.
Click to expand...

Ooh I don't suppose u can remember the name of it?

I have a horse on box rest so that would be perfect!!

No real suggestions for op except maybe a lot of lunging if you can't loose school.

I would have thought long reining would be a real struggle after a while!!

Good luck with the baby op :-)
 
What about in-hand dressage?

Shoulder in, turns, spanish walk, piaffe in-hand? All quite athleticly chalenging I think it will keep him fit...
 
Sanolly said:
Kickonchaps would that book be any good for building up muscle tone?
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It's a while since I read it so I can't remember off the top of my head how many stretches there are that would be good for muscle tone as well as flexibility, sorry! I'll have a flick through when I get home tonight and let you know :)
 
I'd say long reining, walking in hand on roads etc, i wouldn't lunge too often as it's stressful on the joints. Inhand exercises over poles etc. Hill work if that's possible around your area? Regular turn out, again if possible due to yards winter turnout rules etc.

Congrats on the baby :)
 
I do a lot of rope halter training with my mare, the good thing is with all the things you can do it keeps them mentally stimulated aswel. Theyve got to think for themselves and figure out what you want from them and the more they get it right the more they want to please you. With this you can do your lunging on the rope halter and instead of doing you general walk trot canter just ask for that bit more effort in every gate. A lot of horses will trot because its easier than doing that nice forward walk but if u keep bringing him back to walk and just ask for that bit mor effort u will see his tummy muscles lift and really see him working. Same in trot, just ask for more effort dont let him go into canter as again that is easier than trot and its actually quite lazy of them its harder to do a more forward trot. Again you will see his stomach muscles lifting and really see him working. My girl was a bit of a fatty being a cob cross she puts her weight on easy lol but since i took her away for a weeks traffic training a lot of what we did was rope halter work and now shes much better going out but because shes working properly shes lost so much weight and is getting so much fitter. It improves work in the saddle too,shes much more foreward, carries herself instead of leaning on me and her bends much better and shes responding to the lightest of cues.
Its deffinately something to look into. Sorry if you know all this already but thought i'd let you know as its really worked for me :) oh and congrats :D
 
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