ManyMinisFarm
Well-Known Member
What exercises work best to tighten up the stomach/ barrel area? My stallion needs a little work.
Firm Barrel/Tight Belly
- Thread starter ManyMinisFarm
- Start date
Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:
lkblazin
Well-Known Member
Ground poles are really good
paintponylvr
Well-Known Member
Transitions - from halt to trot, trot to walk, walk to trot, trot to halt. Not staying long at any one gait. It's quite a bit of work to do constant transitions. If you are using a lounge line or round pen - never more than 1 1/2 times around at any gait before changing. If using a larger roundpen (more than 40'), change gaits and/or change directions every quarter circle.
Lots of trotting. Yes, w/ and w/o ground poles. Even put them at different heights, so that he has to work a bit more.
Backing up. When you take him out of his pen/stall/pasture - back him everywhere. Every time he takes a break from trotting, back him up. Start w/ one or two steps and steadily increase it. Back him up hill once he's good at backing up. Back him in circles and figure 8's. But make sure he's picking up his hooves, not dragging them or "slogging along". If he's dragging his feet and being resistant, he's not gaining any good workout. Back him into your cross tie area/bathing spot. If it's a single tie along a wall or fence, back him right up to the tie area and then pivot him to tie him up.
Straight line and curved line (round pen/lounge line) "gymnastics". That's putting down a line of trot/canter poles, then a low jump (to start) than more trot/canter poles. He can't race to the jump and then race away, he'll have to learn to pace himself. We did this A LOT with kids and horses learning how to jump - it also gets them into great shape, increasing balance for both horse and rider. Works for the little guys, too. Just more work for you to set up. Not sure of the spacing - I'll have to research that and it will vary with the height of your horse and the length of his stride. When starting out, his stride will be shorter - as he learns/gets fit, you could space poles out more to encourage a longer stride up to the jump and after it as well. The point is not a big jump (and a "spread" would be better - causing him to stretch thru his ribcage/barrel as he jumps), but the work of balancing up to, over, and after the jump.
Here are two pics of gymnastic runs... one w/ just ground poles and one with a series of 4 jumps. Thought I had a pic showing the other jumps either in front of or behind this Arab pony... Seems I don't....
This one is a "gymnastic bounce" - she's coming from the "high end" (the "gate" she's jumping) and has 3 more jumps set for land, up, over, land, up, over land, up, over and land and stride off. There were no ground trot poles on the opposite side of the "gate" (behind her in this pic). Of course, you do not want to set your "bounce" this high for a mini - it's for schooling, training and getting fit - not seeing how high he can go.
Another way to build a "bounce" would be to put 4 logs or 4 small jumps in a square. Lead or lounge him over the square - you can be inside or outside the square. Either way, he has to go "in" then "out"...
Here's a pic of me ground driving a mini/shet over/thru a "square" during "shaft training"... After going "in & out" a few times he wasn't jumping quite this "big" - which is what I wanted. I don't want a jumping pony to act like the obstacle he's jumping is going to eat him (unless it is, of course, such as an encounter w/ a wild critter or snake). I want just enough to safely clear the jump - no wasted action...
Can you dig a ditch and put a liner in it? If so, walking energetically or trotting thru just 6" of water for more than one stride would certainly help too. It's safe resistance and will not only tighten up his belly/underline but safely strengthen his legs/hooves as well.
This is Cupid again...
Lots of trotting. Yes, w/ and w/o ground poles. Even put them at different heights, so that he has to work a bit more.
Backing up. When you take him out of his pen/stall/pasture - back him everywhere. Every time he takes a break from trotting, back him up. Start w/ one or two steps and steadily increase it. Back him up hill once he's good at backing up. Back him in circles and figure 8's. But make sure he's picking up his hooves, not dragging them or "slogging along". If he's dragging his feet and being resistant, he's not gaining any good workout. Back him into your cross tie area/bathing spot. If it's a single tie along a wall or fence, back him right up to the tie area and then pivot him to tie him up.
Straight line and curved line (round pen/lounge line) "gymnastics". That's putting down a line of trot/canter poles, then a low jump (to start) than more trot/canter poles. He can't race to the jump and then race away, he'll have to learn to pace himself. We did this A LOT with kids and horses learning how to jump - it also gets them into great shape, increasing balance for both horse and rider. Works for the little guys, too. Just more work for you to set up. Not sure of the spacing - I'll have to research that and it will vary with the height of your horse and the length of his stride. When starting out, his stride will be shorter - as he learns/gets fit, you could space poles out more to encourage a longer stride up to the jump and after it as well. The point is not a big jump (and a "spread" would be better - causing him to stretch thru his ribcage/barrel as he jumps), but the work of balancing up to, over, and after the jump.
Here are two pics of gymnastic runs... one w/ just ground poles and one with a series of 4 jumps. Thought I had a pic showing the other jumps either in front of or behind this Arab pony... Seems I don't....
This one is a "gymnastic bounce" - she's coming from the "high end" (the "gate" she's jumping) and has 3 more jumps set for land, up, over, land, up, over land, up, over and land and stride off. There were no ground trot poles on the opposite side of the "gate" (behind her in this pic). Of course, you do not want to set your "bounce" this high for a mini - it's for schooling, training and getting fit - not seeing how high he can go.
Another way to build a "bounce" would be to put 4 logs or 4 small jumps in a square. Lead or lounge him over the square - you can be inside or outside the square. Either way, he has to go "in" then "out"...
Here's a pic of me ground driving a mini/shet over/thru a "square" during "shaft training"... After going "in & out" a few times he wasn't jumping quite this "big" - which is what I wanted. I don't want a jumping pony to act like the obstacle he's jumping is going to eat him (unless it is, of course, such as an encounter w/ a wild critter or snake). I want just enough to safely clear the jump - no wasted action...
Can you dig a ditch and put a liner in it? If so, walking energetically or trotting thru just 6" of water for more than one stride would certainly help too. It's safe resistance and will not only tighten up his belly/underline but safely strengthen his legs/hooves as well.
This is Cupid again...
paintponylvr
Well-Known Member
Ah found another series of pics showing the trot pole line and jump...
This one shows great recycle, re-use/re-purpose. These styrofoam blocks were FREE from Tractor Supply... Laid down and used as a Xrail would be a good height for a gymnastic bounce for minis...
And this one shows a "spread"... it can easily be moved further apart. You can also do a spread w/ Xrails. I think these blocks are 24" in height, but don't remember. They didn't move with us to this property. I will see if I can get more... TSC uses them when their trailers are hauled in and right now, I noticed that they are using them as trailer "jack" stands... for the tongues to sit on in their parking lot. I leave the plastic covering on them (actually was going to make a cover for each of them - hadn't gotten around to it, though)...
I have worked our smaller ponies over these - but don't have any pics of us doing so... which is why I demo'd w/ the larger, ridden ponies.
This one shows great recycle, re-use/re-purpose. These styrofoam blocks were FREE from Tractor Supply... Laid down and used as a Xrail would be a good height for a gymnastic bounce for minis...
And this one shows a "spread"... it can easily be moved further apart. You can also do a spread w/ Xrails. I think these blocks are 24" in height, but don't remember. They didn't move with us to this property. I will see if I can get more... TSC uses them when their trailers are hauled in and right now, I noticed that they are using them as trailer "jack" stands... for the tongues to sit on in their parking lot. I leave the plastic covering on them (actually was going to make a cover for each of them - hadn't gotten around to it, though)...
I have worked our smaller ponies over these - but don't have any pics of us doing so... which is why I demo'd w/ the larger, ridden ponies.
