How to keep my horse fit when I can't ride him?

[*eventer*]

I'm having some minor surgery this week, and my doctor has advised me to stay out of the saddle for about 6 weeks. Right when the spring season is cranking up :sigh:. I would like to keep my horse relatively fit during this time, so I don't have to start from scratch when I can get back on. My trainer will be riding him twice a week for me, and he is on 24/7 turnout. Anything I can do from the ground? This horse is currently going novice, he is a 6 year old TB. Thanks!

[jn4jenny]

With 24/7 turnout and 2 rides a week, he shouldn't lose much fitness. Studies have shown that most horses lose only a minimal amount of fitness in the first 3 weeks of "vacation time" and that turnout and light riding helps them maintain. Research also shows that a horse who was already rarin' to go before the vacation will come back more quickly after the break.

If you add just one or two days of longeing or long-lining to that routine, that's 4 days of solid light work + 24/7 turnout, and that's more exercise than some Novice eventers I know get when they're IN work. ;)

[shea'smom]

IF you have a not too big arena, you can free longe your horse. Let him buck and fart around and then keep him moving for several minutes, then a break, repeat, etc. Kind of like interval training. They usually think it is fun. Get his respiration up.

[pharmgirl]

I'm in the same situation right now. I also was on the upswing of rehabbing my boy from injury, and really was concerned about more issues coming up if he lost fitness during my layup. My horse is also out 24/7, and my vet said 3 decent rides/week should be fine to keep him going. Not sure if this is an option w/ what you are having done, but another activity you could try later (after acute healing from the sx) is to start hand walking him at a good pace, add hills if you can- then both of you get a workout :).

[Thomas_1]

Learn to drive, have him put to harness and drive him.

It's not going to help you for the next 6 weeks but you'll never have this problem again. :winkgrin:

In the meantime, can you long rein? If so do that.

Turn him out in a herd. Spread his food all over the place in the field. I've never known a pony yet that won't run about causing trouble and messing about in a herd and I've never known one yet that can't beat a race horse to multiple piles of hay with a little chopped carrot hidden in them and strategically placed in a field!

[*eventer*]

Thank You for the replies. My main concern is for him to maintain strength in his hindquarters. I work hard at that because he loses it quite easily, he is also fairly green. Any specific lunging exercises that would help that? Thanks!

[sch1star]

If you/your trainer are good with a Pessoa, you might try that. You have to be careful not to overwork them in it.

If you have hills to handwalk on, you could do that as well.

LOL@Thomas - I have a pony turned out with my TB and you are absolutely right!

[*eventer*]

I was thinking about the Pessoa. Is it worth the money? It seems a little $$$$. What about a chambon? Would that have a similar effect?

[Thomas_1]

Hills and lots of them. And ensure he briskly walks up them. No trotting or cantering.

[Jealoushe]

Definite free longeing!

If you can get your horse to respond to commands, I like to do a lot of trot canter transitions. You can also set up poles and gymnastic lines.

One of my favorites is trot poles down one long side, ask your horse to canter at one end, once they reach the long side with the poles ask them to trot a few strides before the poles and through the poles. After the poles ask them to pick up the canter and repeat. It works their mind and is great for balance!

[*eventer*]

Thomas_1 Hills and lots of them. And ensure he briskly walks up them. No trotting or cantering.
No worries, I would probably be in bad shape if I tried to keep up with him cantering in-hand ;)!!

Jealoushe Definite free longeing!

I wish I had enclosed arena, I would love to do that.

[jn4jenny]

I was thinking about the Pessoa. Is it worth the money? It seems a little $$$$. What about a chambon? Would that have a similar effect?

Definitely ask your trainer before investing in any gadgets. It's not that gadgets are inherently evil, but if a horse requires a gadget at all, it needs to be the gadget that's appropriate to that horse's situation/training/work/personality.

You can read up on all the goods and evils of these gadgets at http://www.sustainabledressage.net/tack/gadgets.php. It's just one woman's opinion, but I happen to agree with her in a lot of respects.

Price should not be an issue--just be sure you ask on COTH before buying a gadget so that you get a deal. You can buy a knockoff of the Pessoa rig, for example, for less than $40. And I paid $12 + shipping for my Neck Stretcher (which is just an elasticized chambon).

[poltroon]

Instead of gadgets, do longeing with a lot of transitions. Trot canter trot canter are very good, and you can also work on making your commands very clear and his responses very sharp. No reason he can't do walk canter walk on a longe as exactly as he does under saddle.

You can do side reins or not. You don't need any other rig. Use the best footing you can, and keep the sessions fairly short.

The ground work is good for fitness, but it is also excellent for your relationship and establishing/maintaining respect.

If you can walk, adding in 15 minutes of handwalking is also good for both of you.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Longe over poles....build up to raised cavaletties....very good for making the hind end stronger....no gadget needed.

[*eventer*]

Longe over poles....build up to raised cavaletties....very good for making the hind end stronger....no gadget needed.

Great idea! Has anyone heard of a "Lungie Bungie"? I saw it on Team Fredericks. Anyone use one?

[Mach Two]

I'll echo Poltroon's advice...and don't be ground driving or driving your saddle horse....it takes a lot away from the contact you have worked hard to develop. Put that pony in a set of loose sidereins, with some elastic, make the inside one a tad...3 or 4 inches...shorter, and run your lunge line through the inside ring of the bit, over his poll, and clip to the ouwide ring of the bit. You will encourage him to lunge flexed at the poll, and teach him to walk, slow trot, big trot, and canter on the lunge. Do lots of transitions, up and down...he will get quite good in a short time isf you do this consistiently, and quietly. Take off the side reins for cavaletti, but you can leave them on for ground poles, if you choose to use them. Just be sure to "brace" the ground poles so he does not roll them underfoot and get scrambled up in them.
Can your trainer do some hill work at walk and trot for you once or twice a week? That should suffice if you already had a good base of fitness established.

[lstevenson]

Lunging over raised cavaletti or on the side of a hill in side reins, with lots of transitions, and some spiraling in and out. You can give a horse a great workout in 15 minutes. Be careful not to overdo.

And sorry Mach Two, but I take strong exception to shortening the inside side rein. That only creates a crooked horse with too much neck bend. One of the purposes of using the side reins when lunging is to keep the horse straight. And true bend is bend in the ribcage, not in the neck. When you pull the head to the inside, you make the horse's haunches fall to the outside, which is very unbalancing. We definitely don't want that. I've never understood why some people say to do that. After all, when you ride you don't ride with your inside rein shorter than your outside rein. :confused:

[EventerAJ]

Agree with lstevenson. Keep the sidereins even. You don't need any gadgets, proper use of sidereins and thoughtful lunging will do the job. :yes: Lots of transitions, spiral in/out, add poles, or work on a gentle hill.

Personally, I LOVE lunging. I like being able to see the horse work, see the hindlegs come under, allow the horse to respond without any chance of conflicting rider aids. (not that anyone does that... :winkgrin:). It can take a lot of patience to build a high level of communcation, but keep working and you'll get it. My mare has become extremely alert to voice/body cues; you need this to get good, prompt transitions. Lazy, dragging/running transitions are not productive; but they will happen until the horse learns to respond accurately. You know you've "got it" when they can do a soft, balanced downward transition going down hill. Without running, or lugging on the sidereins. It's good for YOU, too, to observe that the horse doesn't *need* to lean into your hands...he can use his own self-carriage to slow himself down! :)

Lunging can be as complex and demanding as a real ride. I ask my mare to lengthen/shorten stride, move laterally in/out on the circle, trot/halt transitions, and walk/canter transitions. It is very neat to watch her intense focus, as she tries so hard to do what I ask... if she makes a mistake, she immediately corrects it with a quiet, simple command. I feel just as connected on the lunge as I do in the saddle. :) [side note-- this isn't any NH-Parelli guru stuff either...just common sense, consistency, and effort!]

[Mach Two]

lstevenson and Eventer AJ make some very good points about lunging...I was referring to starting a horse out lunging in VERY loose side reins, with the inside shortened only a bit, to keep the horse from "tipping out" as some horses do. And when I ride a 20 or 15 or 10 meter circle, yes, my inside rein helps reinforce the bend, by being appropriately shorter for the diameter of the circles....but in lunging, the side reins are much looser than the contact I'd ride with, because I don't want a horse learning to lean against the elastic with his mouth. And in shortening the inside rein (again, in starting out, with very loose reins, and only to reinforce the bend...I was not losing the hindquarters, because I was pushing the shoulder away from me enough with my body language to keep that from happening, and not letting hindquarters trail) Start out slowly, and do long sets of controlled slow trot, letting the horse find a good balance, and like other s have said, keep your transitions crisp...no trotting till they fall into the canter...You'll be glad you worked on this at home while you have time off, and it will be a good tool for later, too
I won't argue the very sound advice to keep the sidereins even, The two posters above are both obviously on top of doing things very well. And I agree with them ...no gadgets...that Pessoa rig is just another gadget. I was however, saying what worked for me teaching a horse to lunge that had not had "controlled" lunging yet. If you get your horse very good on the voice aids lunging, it really changes the way he listens...and indeed, my really good horse would step under an extra 6 to 12 inches when I asked him to on the lunge.

[deltawave]

Can you send him to "camp" with your trainer for the 6 weeks, really have him/her work him consistently? I am always amazed at Bonnie's progress when Erika has her to herself for a couple of weeks. Poor horse--the moment I get back on the deterioration begins all over again! :lol:

[HillaryH]

Depending on where you are located & how laid up you are yourself, you could see if there is an equine rehab or training track (Tb or Stdbrd) that has a pool or a water treadmill nearby. I board my guy in big time standarbred country so we has access to a heated indoor swimming pool. It really helps with fitness (esp. in the early Spring) & is easy to do once they get used to it. My boy loves it. He acts like Rocky Balboa when he gets out of the pool.

[starkissed]

I love to lunge a horse on a slight hill, just at the trot and walk. Its great and it really helps them keep their topline in shape.

[*eventer*]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! lstevenson, I really like the side of a hill idea. Luckily I have lots of those around here! Deltawave, I wish I could send him to "camp". He has been a couple of times before, and always comes back so much better. Unfortunately the bank account isn't allowing that at the time. I do need to invest in a pair of new side reins. Which ones are the best?

[deltawave]

I understand about the bank account thing, having written some very scary checks just now and finding out that fixing our driveway is going to be another VERY scary check! :eek:

In the end, time off will probably do him no harm, and IME horses don't lose fitness all that quickly if they're in decent shape to start with. When I was pregnant and couldn't ride any more (my choice, not any medical reason) my horse was NEVER so shiny from all the currying and my new foal was the most halter-broke critter ever. :)

[lstevenson]

I do need to invest in a pair of new side reins. Which ones are the best?


I like the ones with the rubber donuts. The elastic ones are a bit too stretchy, and can teach a horse to lean and pull. The ones that are all leather can cause a horse to panic.

If your horse has never been in side reins before, be careful. Start with them really loose and tighten gradually. Every time you shorten them, get him trotting right away, as they get in the most trouble at the walk and halt. And until you have seen your horses reaction when he "hits" them, make sure you stay in a driving position all of the time.

Good luck!

[EventerAJ]

Lstevenson and I must have branched from the same lunging guru. :winkgrin:

Agree with starting slowly. I *always* warmup, w/t/c both directions, without sidereins. I like the horse to stretch a bit, and get an idea how he's feeling today. Unless the horse is experienced, and I know him very well, I start with the sidereins 1 or 2 holes looser than true working length. For a greenie, the sidereins start out completely loose, just a flopping accessory. I'll gradually shorten them up as the horse accepts it. On known panickers, I'll attach only ONE siderein at a time, so there is always an escape route; I'll snap both of them when the horse is confident and understands what I want. Once the sidereins are on, it's straight to work. I only walk long enough to get the horse out on the circle... walking in sidereins for more than a circle is a very easy way to ruin the walk.

When the work session is done, I always do a brief "cool out." Unsnap both sidereins, and let the horse walk and trot a couple circles, encouraging stretching down. Most horses really enjoy this stretching, with gentle snorting and chewing as their muscles release.


I also prefer donut sidereins. The flopping donut used to drive me crazy (esp when cantering!) but it never seems to bother the horse at all. I actually think the weight of the donut and its gentle bouncing helps create a "live" feel with the horse's mouth. It provides just enough give, but the horse has to respect it. I've had a pair of quick-snap cotton/elastic sidereins, and they were useless. Very difficult to fit properly; the stretchy elastic allowed horses avoid the point of the exercise. I ended up tying a bunch of knots since the elastic stretched so much, and I feel the light weight wasn't helping either.


Concerning shortening the inside rein:
The inside siderein is essentially useless; it's only there as a "seatbelt" to keep the horse from severely looking out and popping the inside shoulder. You want to see it loose and floppy under normal circumstances. The true "inside rein" is you, the lungeline. When you "half-halt" on the lungeline, you are striving to bend the horse into that outside siderein, so the outside siderein half-halts like your true outside rein, as when riding. Of course, you are using "leg" (whip) when you do this.



Also... if you lunge long enough, on enough horses, you are bound to have one freak out. Sometimes, no matter how accustomed the horse is to sidereins, they still can have an unexpected moment of claustrophobia. It is important for YOU to stay calm, don't panic. If at all possible, get "behind" the horse and send it forward immediately. Stopping, running backwards is how horses flip over. However, be careful that *you* don't rush at the horse in your attempt to chase him forward... rushing head on or hurried circling of the panicked animal can only make things worse. If the horse is running backwards, don't "sit hard" on the lungeline, let it reel out slowly, adding a bit of drag. Release all pressure when the horse stops, and maneuver calmly back into position to send the horse forward. If you have overfaced the horse, apologize and release/loosen the sidereins. If the experienced horse was just having "a moment," you may be able to get through it by pretending it never happened (though being more careful to keep the horse FORWARD).

[purplnurpl]

is a 'lungie bungie' a European neck stretcher? If so, their nick name for it is really cute!!!

[*eventer*]

is a 'lungie bungie' a European neck stretcher? If so, their nick name for it is really cute!!!

Here it is http://www.robinsons-uk.com/products/Productdetail.asp?ProductCode=35411
The name is pretty catchy. I wonder if it works similar to side reins?