horse muscle help?

Question

i have a six year old appendix mare [will turn seven febuary 29..yes 29th] and i bought her last september. I ride hunter/jumper and i know she needs to be in correct frame. To get her in the correct frame my trainer said she will need to build muscle so its easier for her to carry her head with her butt moving under her like she should be. the question is what are some tips on how i could help her gan the muscle she needs? i only have access to an arena once a week, and currently i am not jumping her since she needs to build confiedence in flat work first. i ride on five acres and on those acres i have a hill that has a steep side, a medium side, and a 'easy' side. Currently i have been warming her up going up and down on these hills alternating between the 'level' of the hill. i do not cool down with the hill. What are some tips that would be handy? My riding area [my pasture] is very uneven, except for a small part of flatness. Thanks for your help!

also how long wil it be before i see major results? I want this mare to be defined. :D
thanks so much again

**also i walk her, and sometimes make her extend her trot going up and down the hills. i do this while i keep her head down to.

i ride 3-5 times a week depending on weather. latly ive only been able to get out twice a week though, but i am taking it slow. ive just been working the hill with her for umm a month or so. thanks so much everyone

Answer 1

i agree with other above but how many times a week are u riding? once a week is not enough to build muscle. u need at least 2-5 times a week, i ride almost 6 days a week most of the time(per horse) but they are horses that need alot of work. i wouldnt suggest riding more than 5 times a week cause u dont want to burn out ur horse. plus ur mare is not use to it from the sound of it. but definantly riding more will muscle her up.

Answer 2

I agree with Kerrisonr regarding transitions.

Use the hill often though and work your transitions on the hill too. There is nothing stopping you from making your circle on the slope of the hill itself, but stay at a safe speed going down the hill, maybe even just walk on the down slope to give your horse a break.

Also you can make the hill "longer" by going up it at an angle.

One thing to always remember(!!) building muscle will tire your horse out fast. Give your horse plenty of walk breaks. Even if you just walk around a circle once, it will be enough for your horse to catch his breath and start again with new energy. You'll have a happy horse that knows you care about him too.

Going up a hill forces your horse onto his hind end to use that power, so that is the easiest way to build it. Don't spend a whole work out on building muscle. Change it up with frequent breaks. Work on leg yields here, work on lengthening stride here, then work on transitions and finish with a 2 minute power trot up the hill-one last burst of heavy work out before jumping off and as a reward cooling off your horse from the ground. <--just some ideas to get you started. 2 minutes may not seem like much, but when you get started you'll recognize that 2 minutes is pretty long when you're the one doing the work. ;)

Good luck!

Answer 3

Do a lot of lateral flexing to start. Then move to vertical. Do a lot of side passing, serpentines, and roll backs would be absolutely great for her. Focus on building her loin, hindquarters, and neck. Keep going up and down those hills. Also do quite a bit of backing and backing in circles. That will get her off of her forequarters and very light in your hands. Do a lot of leg yielding with the hind and forequarters. Make her really shape up before you ask her to lope too. You will be able to feel results very quickly and start seeing them in a couple of weeks. Good Luck : )

Answer 4

Transition work is ideal for building muscle-tone LOTS of trot-walk transitions.

Put your horse on a 20 meter circle, work her on contact (NOT a loose rein) Do a circle of trot and then do 1/2 at walk and work steadily until she can do shorter amounts of walk between trots. Repeat this until the horse has built up enough muscle tone that she can COMFORTABLY do a transition after only a step or two (this may taking working daily for a month or so until she can do this.)



Contact a dressage trainer in your area. They know MANY excersises that can help you build muscling for your mare.

Don't forget that hunter horses are ridden on contact so she is not looking for a "frame" so much as correct muscle tone.

Just to add-- please don't worry so much about keeping your horse's head "down." Working her in a false frame or a forced frame too early before she builds muscle will do MORE damage than allowing her freedome with her head.

She's got to build the muscle needed to carry her head in the proper frame before she can work with her head down.

You may do more harm than good by keeping her head down. Keep her on contact but if she tosses her head up or resists occassionally, its likely b/c she doesn't have the muscle tone to do what you're asking her-- which is hard work!

Answer 5

Do a lot of lateral flexing to start. Then move to vertical. Do a lot of side passing, serpentines, and roll backs would be absolutely great for her. Focus on building her loin, hindquarters, and neck. Keep going up and down those hills. Also do quite a bit of backing and backing in circles. That will get her off of her forequarters and very light in your hands. Do a lot of leg yielding with the hind and forequarters. Make her really shape up before you ask her to lope too. You will be able to feel results very quickly and start seeing them in a couple of weeks. Good Luck : )

Answer 6

Work her on the hills- med. and steep, but s l o w l y. Rushing her up the hill won't build as much muscle.