Whats the best way to increase a horses balance?

[Samantha008]

My new horse is quite green and im injured at the minute so cant ride and havent got anyone else to ride him. Though im only talking for another couple of weeks most!

Whats the best exercise i can do to help increase his fitness and balance? I can ride in walk and weve been going for some lovely long walking hacks and one hill work to try and increase his muscle but he struggles to canter on the lunge unless the lunge is out fully and my school is pretty small :/

Thanks

 

[Cadfael&Coffee]

I insist on mine having superb balance

I achieve this mainly by lots of hill work, and lunging.

If I am hacking, I barely have a contact on the mouth and I do a lot of off road hacking, so if they lose their feet or get stuck on a narrow path etc they have to think for themselves how to correct their own balance.

When they're fitter I also trot and canter up and down hills (I find this is the best way for balance )

I also lunge frequently, though never for more than 25 mins tops, and I do mainly trot work, varying the sizes of circles. To improve balance I gradually decrease the circle, so they almost end up leg yielding into the middle and then the on To the smallest circle they can cope with for a couple of orbits, then I send them out on a spiral to make it bigger.

I wouldn't recommend too much of that though, I only use it a few times whilst lunging a mature horse which is fit and does it frequently, I certainy wouldn't do much with a young one.

The main thing is the hacking though tbh, and mine end up with the balance and agility of a mountain goat (my speciality lol!!) and a fantastic arse to boot

I also do lots of lateral movements in walk and trot in the menage, and when they're fitter I do it in canter too

 

[lauradean]

How old is the horse? Hacking out on differing terrain is great for the horse's balance. Also, flat work that incorporates lots of transitions, serpentines and circles helps a lot.
Don't do small circles or tight serpentines until the horses is ready and you'll slowly notice that his balances gets better.

 

[Samantha008]

So lunging is fine and i should do more of it? Hes 8 but hasnt really done very much!!

ill have to do more on the terrain front. Most of the ground around me are open fields!! Might have to venture into the woods off the tracks lol!!!

 

[Cadfael&Coffee]

So lunging is fine and i should do more of it? Hes 8 but hasnt really done very much!!

ill have to do more on the terrain front. Most of the ground around me are open fields!! Might have to venture into the woods off the tracks lol!!!

Woods are fantastic cause they have to learn to look out for tree roots etc!!! Ideally you need hilly woods with narrow paths lol

If he's 8 then start doing varying circles etc on the lunge but I wouldn't go overboard

I also wouldn't ride in draw reins etc (personally I hate them, but they do have a use) until he's learnt to keep balance or he'll just rely on them to prop him up. Same goes for sidereins and bungies etc!!

Good luck!!

 

[Achinghips]

Well, there's 2 aspects to balance for my girl - balance without rider and balance with.

I hurt my arm and hip so I did lots of Pessoa work for the first, and now I've got her right minus rider weight, I'm tackling the second with rider weight. Now her schooling is now being supplemented with a dressage instructor I pay to ride her.
Obviously not a long term solution due to the expense - and I'm hoping once my arm and hip heals, to take over the riding with lessons, using the same instructor.

The difference in my sensitive twonk of a mare is great so far