building muscle in the legs?!

[Cara]

hi guys,

so im just wondering how to build more muslce around the legs? troting poles? jumping? lunging? what works?

thanks

 

[Keri]

I use trotting poles in my round pen. I also put sand bag style leg weights on their front legs. Just makes them work harder. Any type of trotting work like driving or jumping helps too.

 

[Carriage]

If it twer me, I would be doing distance driving on flat ground, slowly building distance and time.

Once a good measure of aerobic conditioning was achieved by doing this, I would be looking to do hill work again, slowly increasing distance and difficulty.

Build aerobically first and then do strength conditioning. The one should always lay atop the other IMO.

Bb

Graham Carriage Works

 

[Margo_C-T]

"Carriage" has it right.

Actually, there is essentially no muscle below the 'mid-leg' joints--knees in front, hocks behind--in horses. The lower legs are bone, tendon, ligament and other connective tissue,blood circulation system, joint lubrication compounds, and skin, basically.

So--what's needed is to GRADUALLY increase the strength and elasticity, mostly of tendons/ligaments. The use of weights around the 'ankles' of horses does not, IMO, have the same possible 'benefits' as it would in humans, as humans have muscular structure ALL the way down the limbs, which horses do NOT. The horse 'lifts' its legs/feet 'higher' in an instinctive attempt to rid itself of the think 'attached' to its foot or leg...not really the same thing as a fitness program, I don't think--so I personally think it's questionable whether weights, 'stretchies' and the like actually bring a horse to a higher level of fitness or 'build muscles', per se.

Margo