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Clipperdown

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Iv been told my horse needs more topline and is lacking behind! Im just wondering what is the best sort of exercises i need to do with him to build these muscles up?
Any help will be greatfully recived.........
 
Hill work, trotting poles (raised trotting poles are very good and also mix things up!) trotting poles on circles and in corners are good. Working correctly from behind also increases muscle, lungeing is also good as you can see the horse from the ground, and is a great way to keep fit without having to be ridden for as long (20mins lungeing is equivalent to nearly 1hrs riding!) xx
 
Hills would help.
Lots of steady hacking,slow but active trotting,in the school work long and low to stretch the topline,4 poles on a circle to get them stretching,raised poles all will help.
The main thing is to get the horse working correctly from behind to lift the abdomen and strengthen the back muscles.
Correct feeding will also help.Lots of time out and feed hay on the ground.
 
I have been told this too about my boy. A number of people have suggested lunging in a training aid to encourage him to work long and low, but only starting with a few minutes on each rein and then lunging with no aid for a further 5 mins on each rein
 
I find that lunging works well.
One tip my ri gave me was to keep changing the size of the circle, wind him in so that it is only 5-6meters and back out again, you can really see the hind legs becoming active and it's best to it in walk first and slowly build to trot.
Make sure both reins are done equally

And only do 3-4 times on both reins to being with.

When horse starts to get more muscle you can then do it over a pole, that's really hard work.

Also if poss (not easy this one) but lunge in walk on a small slope for 10 mins, that's a good work out.

Another one is if you a small bank, get your horse to walk up and down it in hand, even stoping on the bank and walking back wards, and do some carrot staches on the bank as well.
 
Mention to add to the lunging on a slope,make sure it's dry so that the horse doesn't slip ESP on grass, keep it slow. I wouldn't do it if I had that tended to be naughty on the lunge and don't do it in a huge field, like my friend did and it bolted off. keep the circle fairly large.

But it is a good exercise
 
Loads of transitions up hills! It's hard work for them to go from a halt to walk on a hill, and really gets them working. Build it up from trot to walk and back to trot, to trot, walk, halt, trot, walk, halt, trot etc up hills :D

J&C
 
Feed from the floor
Encourage him to 'bend' using treats - really stretch him out!
Walking up and down hills (if you can find one!) as mentioned
Lunging in a pesso (or similar)

Im in the same position as you - trying to build up a non existant topline!

Good point from Mucky Shavings ... my field is on a bit of a slope - we do occasionally lunge on there but not as much as I could as I thought the 'slight hill' isnt as good as the menage down the road! Will rethink that one! :D
 
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