Excercise

[BallynoeBaby]

I am just wondering what peole thought was the best excercise fopr their horses. I personally love to just go for walks with my mini ok it a five minte walk hten we are stopped by people talking and petting her then a walk again etc, etc. I would lunge her but if they were not trained to drive what is the best excercise method for them? My mini is finished her showing now and is having a well diserved break but i would be so embarrassed to so everyone a picture of her she is rolly polly fat and loving all the feed she gets, she is such a gorb. :lol:

 

[Pandora]

what we do is tie or hold 2-6 horses in teh back of the trailer we have. 1-2 people sit in the back of the trailer to watch the minis,. My mom drives the trailer around the pasture with the lawn mower. WE circle around the whole pasture 2- 5 times each way depending on the condition of the horses. This has helped immensely with building up muscles.

 

[RAPfrosty]

Free lunging (with no lung line, just be sure it's in a fenced in area LOL) is my favorite. It's very entertaining to watch and the horse can just let it all out.

 

[shane]

well mine have had a free run of my yard all summer, but im now getting them into shape again by ground driving twinkle he loves the independence of being up ahead and also i let them loose in a fielld to let them kick up there heels,and i also love to loos lunge them

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ah go on post a we picture of her fo us!!!!! :aktion033:

 

[nootka]

I let the youngsters (one and under) do it all themselves, though if a long yearling needed some work, I would consider free lungeing.

After that, we start work on a line or in a round pen, working on voice commands, etc.

I try to change it up where I can to keep it interesting (such as ponying off the cart, or going to the beach for a walk, taking a hike, etc.), and with my three year old, he jumps and is learning to drive, too.

The best is the taking them for a walk/hike/run yourself, because then you get some exercise, too, and often get to meet new friends!

Liz M.

 

[shane]

thanks becky, that wee horse is full of beans lol, i love to watch them when you let them go, my boy plays chases with me, we both stop dead then he trys to catch me, its so funny as i never seem to get far :bgrin

 

[RAPfrosty]

Shane- Fever (the horse in the pictures) will "play" too! If you run around the outside of the round pen he races you, it's too cute!

 

[dawnsminis]

I exercise mine daily on golf cart. No cars or traffic...we live on a private airport community. I take them around the taxiway, which is 2 miles. They enjoy it & look forward to this everyday. We stop along the way to eat clover & grass. I've been doing this since they were babies. It's so hot here, so usually wait til between 7-8pm.

 

[BallynoeBaby]

Everyone has some good ideas to train their minis well i don't have an airport taxiway so that ones out. :lol: but i like the idea of sitting in a cart of golf buggy and letting them do the work you wouldn't believe the walking i did last year. I am waiting on our lung ring going up it will probably be a few more months and baby just knows that when it comes to lunging in a field she is the boss, so checky.

Lynda there is no way that i would post a picture of her you really would cringe, this mini can eat as much as any horse she sure showed the pony who's boss when it comes to food. :lol:

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Oh and i love the pictures i see what you mean by letting them let a bit of steam of he seems to enjoy that.

 

[Estelle]

question for those of you who hand walk your mini for exerecise..I have thought of this, but I wondered

What do you do about the poop? Should I carry a poop bag like you do for dogs? thanks.

 

[love_casper]

i hand walk my minis for exercise every day, and it is an area zoned for horses, so its okay if they poop in the street. nobody cares, and it dries up and goes away eventually.

we have to walk them for exercise. i lunge occassionally, just to let Ghost run, but we mostly walk because i can't lunge the others (different reasons for each, but none of the others would do so well) so we go for walks all around the neighborhood for exercise and the neighbors just love them! walk a few steps, stop, pet, eat grass, walk some more.....etc.

we have fun. it seems to be enough for them, we all enjoy it. sometimes we only take one, sometimes its a family affair and mom and dad come with so we get them all out! :bgrin

just walking should be fine, if she is a little chubby, see if you could lunge her somewhere. Ghost (the only one i ever lunge) does it about once a week, and she's fine. but she really loves to just be free and run. we don't have an arena to run in, but we take her to another barn sometimes and let her go in there. she loooooooooooooves it. i'll have to take the others there soon (just got them last week, so we'll go maybe this weekend.) here's ghost playing in the arena. sorry if they're a little dark.

 

[BallynoeBaby]

Them photos are get she is really loving it. I again walk in the country so it is ok to let them poop and leave it so im not that much help when it comes to the question? Lynda you walk in the city what do you do? I love to walk my mini but it just takes so long to get her fit at time i am running with her and i think i am getting more fit than her, which is good but not my aim for walking. :bgrin

She did so well lunging last year but the ring was just temperary so this year we just walked and she wasn't half as fit as the year before.

I have plenty of bales for the winter and boy can i not wait until it comes she just keeps eating the grass non-stop so at least then i can control what she eats. :lol:

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