Okay, so I’ve been trying to get my horse, Champ, into better shape. He’s a good boy, but let’s just say he’s been enjoying his pasture time a little too much. I noticed he was getting winded on trail rides, and his turns weren’t as sharp as they used to be. So, I thought, “Time to buff up this horse!”
First, I started with some groundwork. I figured I needed to get Champ’s attention before I even thought about getting in the saddle. Instead of letting him drag me around and snack on grass, I took charge. I started moving his feet – forward, backward, left, right. You know, just getting him to pay attention to me and what I was asking.
- Forward, backward, left, right – getting his feet moving!
- No more letting him drag me around.
Then, I moved on to some exercises to build up his strength. We did a lot of hill work. I’m lucky to have some good hills around my place. We started with just walking up them, then gradually increased to a trot. That really seemed to work his hindquarters. Champ started getting much stronger in the back over time. I could definitely feel that he was more powerful!
Building Muscle and Stamina
I also incorporated some cavaletti work. I just set up some simple poles on the ground. Nothing fancy. We practiced walking and trotting over them. This really helped with his coordination and balance. He had to think about where he was putting his feet. And let me tell you, he wasn’t too thrilled about it at first, but he caught on quick. I also did a bit of jumping with him, but nothing too high. Just enough to get him using those muscles and building up some strength.
- Lots of hill work – walking and trotting.
- Cavaletti work for coordination.
- Some low jumping to build strength.
I also made sure to give him plenty of walk breaks. I didn’t want to push him too hard, especially in the beginning. I focused on long lines and big circles, and I threw in a lot of transitions to keep him engaged.
Slowly but surely, I started to see a difference. Champ’s stamina improved. He wasn’t getting as winded on our rides. His turns became sharper, and he just seemed more responsive overall. He felt stronger under saddle, and I could tell he was enjoying the work, too. He even started to look more toned. All in all, it was a good experience. It took some time and effort, but it was worth it to see Champ feeling and looking his best. It really makes a difference when you put in the work!
And you know what? Now he’s not just stronger, he’s like a whole new horse. So yeah, that’s how I managed to buff up my horse. It wasn’t always easy, but seeing the results made it all worthwhile. You can definitely do it with your horse, too!
