obese pony fitness regime-opinions please!!

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SarahRicoh

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hello all.

well iv recently been given/bought my yard owners daughters pony as he hasnt been ridden properly in years and hes just wasted in the field doing nothing.

my main horse is getting shod soon so george(the pony in question) hooves will be sorted then as they havent been trimmed in forever and are awful! hes a lovely pony and has potential but hes obese!!

im just wondering how people would go about getting him fit. eg. would you ride/lunge/walk inhand etc.
iv started to do short sessions in the field in walk and trot with a few trot poles for variety and he went for his first hack the other day.

i want to work him to bust his fat but i dont want to work him too hard because of his joints etc. he was so hyper out on a hack and so naughty i was struggling to stay in walk but tbf it was his first hack in years :)

just looking for opinions/fitmess scehdules/own experiences. sorry for the ramble!!
 
Sure theres an article on horse and hound website about getting horses fit, I think its a few weeks of walk/short trot, and loosening up exercises (very important with any horse), then slowly build up to more trot work and introduce canter for another 3 weeks and then introduce longer periods of canter. Hacking in walk is excellent at weight loss and is also good for the beggining stages of fittening. But with any hard work you do remember to do a loose stretching session every few days, getting him to flex his neck, 1/4s in, try walking in a straight line, getting him to flex/bend to each side whilst walking straight, loose rein active walk, loose rein active trot (great for backs), and then start working in a loose low outline. You should find as hes unfit, as he gets fitter the weight will fly off :) Poor me has a welshxsport horse mare, that has been fit for 5 years straight and competes every weekend yet is still the size of a house :)
 
Cut the calories and walk, walk, and walk some more. Don't do any trotting, and certainly no lunging.

You're looking at doing around 6 - 7 weeks walking work on the roads before you start to build up to any trot work, and then introducing canter. By Christmas you should be up to fast cantering and fast work generally - and get it right will have a super fit and slim little horse.

Your first priority is the feet, and well fitting tack.
 
Agree with diet and walk, walk, walk and build up slowly and steadily. Also, if obese I'd think about just walking in hand until he has lost some weight and gained some level of fitness rather than ridden from the get go.
 
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