Building Muscle

[ManyMinisFarm]

I own a 3 yr. old, 30 inch Miniature Stallion. And I have a show in June, and he needs some conditioning. I was wanting to know what are the best ways to put muscle on his chest, hindquarters, top line, and legs.

 

[amysue]

First I would make sure he is getting enough protein necessary to build muscle. Start exercising him slowly, every other day at first as working to build up muscle fiber starts with the fibers breaking down then the new fibers bulk up as they repair themselves. Lunging at the trot will bulk him up, cantering will burn more fat but trotting will bulk him up. To build his back and rump, lunge him in a tie down. Trot lots of circles and do lots of bending and turning (trot serpentines and eights) to develop his neck and chest. Trotting over poles and eventually cavaletti will build his legs up. Young horses take time to bulk up and develop that (mature) look. Go slow and gradually work him up to a full workout to achieve solid results. Some people swear by muscling up supplements with gamma oranzol (sp?) But personally I feel there is no substitute for a physically fit horse. Most important. ..have fun with him. Workouts should be something both you and your horse look forward to. Keeping the exercises short and diverse will keep your horse open minded and willing to work. Always end the lesson on a good note and praise him. Always cool him out well afterwards to ensure his condition keeps up ( the saying rode hard and put away wet) applies here. As he works to bulk up, he needs to cool out and walk to prevent lactic acid build-up and to get the muscles to relax and repair.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I'm sorry but no, I would not be lunging in a tie down- I would not be lunging, end of! All lunge reins have been lost now, I have two round pens and those are all I use, allowing the horse to move naturally and put it's head exactly where it wants, Tying it down is very likely to build muscle in the wrong places as it resists.

 

[Minimor]

I agree with rabbitsfizz--no tie down! Longe or round pen or (my preference) free work in a bigger corral (60 x120 feet is what I use)--long trotting to build muscle. Don't just chase him around so that he is tensed up and scurrying with short strides. Trot poles may help, though I don't use them a lot.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

How long do you recommend the works out be? Is 20-30 minutes fine?

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

If you have a golf cart or something similar, taking him for jogs will help as well jut be sure to be safe and traffic minded. Also you can work him up and down hills to help build muscle. I find that the more time they spend outside and able to play, the more naturally muscled they are.

I agree on the no tie downs, you need to work him naturally. The only time I truly lunge a horse is when there is no round pen available and even then, I am constantly walking a large circle myself to keep from pulling on their head and necks.

 

[HGFarm]

My favorite way to tone a horse up is driving! And it's a lot of fun.

 

[Casey0Lee]

I pony mine from my barrel horse ... Lot's of long trotting out back around the field. Up and down hills.

I really don't treat my Mini's any different than my barrel horses. My pony horse is well behaved and is safe to pony anything off of. I know not everyone has this option, but it works for me. I pony my Mini, my other barrel horse, my big horse colts, etc.. There's not enough time in my day with work and chores to work them each individually so I take turns and rotate daily.

I don't have a roundpen, so I lunge my mature Mini over trot poles and small jumps too. I don't lunge babies.

I also agree... no tie down. You'll end up with incorrect muscling and trust me... it's not pretty. It creates a horse that moves with a hollowed out back and therefore won't help build top line muscle at all. I see it every day in the barrel horse world. The muscles in the bottom of the neck get over developed and the neck looks "backwards." It's not attractive at all. If you're going to do anything, try to teach the horse to move long and low... reaching down/out with it's head. Long & low work is what will build correct topline muscle.

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

Now I'm going to sound a little dumb. But what do you mean by tie down?

 

[amysue]

Although some ppl think they're evil....when used properly they are very effective in building muscle when trying to bring a horse to the next level. They come in many different styles...from a sinple strap that clips the cavesson to the cinch, to elastic that runs thru the bit rings over the poll and clip to a surcingle or saddle dees. Many people also use a surcingle and side reins while lunging on the bit. I would not recommend using one on a horse just beginning work. I only lunge horses in a bridle and side reins for a short workout after lunging freely for an even run in both directions. I always school horses on a lunge line, as many show grounds in my area only have an open field to practice in and u really cant free lunge a horse with no pen. Your horse will benefit greatly from trotting on a lunge line (or round pen) for a few minutes every day. Depending on his condition, start trotting him for like 5 minutes each way then work to 10, 15, 20 and up to 30. A half hour workout will be sufficient to keep him fit but not bore him. Obviously it will be adjusted to suit his individual needs. Everyone has a different opinion on how a horse should be worked and everyone is entitled to their opinions, but that doesn't make their way the only way. Do what YOU think you should do with your horse. You will learn so much by working with him and developing a routine with trial by error. And never assume it is a stupid question. ..I think it is a good thing that you are asking questions.

 

[Casey0Lee]

correct use of a tie down = something for the horse to brace against and help them balance.. such as a roping horse pulling a steer. It has NOTHING to do with head placement. If you use a tie down for head placement, then you are using it incorrectly.

CORRECT USE is the big thing here. There are a TON of gadgets out there than CAN help if they are CORRECTLY used. The problem is... very few people actually KNOW how to corectly use them. And very few people can actually visually tell when a horse is rounding it's back, driving from the rear end and travelling balanced. It takes a good eye and practice and experience.

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

I will probably lunge or free work him.

 

[Casey0Lee]

I will probably lunge or free work him.

I think that is the best idea.

If he is a mature horse, lunge him. You can put ground poles down, you can put cavaletti jumps up, there all kinds of obstacles you could put into use to get him into shape. I use 55gal plastic barrels layed on their side as jumps. You could have him drag a tire (after proper training)... possibilities are endless.

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

He is 3 yrs old is the a good age. He is a performance horse and does halter obstacle and show jumping that should also build up muscle to.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

If you could free work him over trotting poles- nothing high, just enough to make him notice them, that would be a good all round exercise. Very few top showjumpers school any of their horses over big jumps, they will use little jumps the horse can succeed over and concentrate on tuns and quick responses- you could do the same. If he is lunging he has no option but to change direction by turning towards you but free schooling you can turn him towards or away and practice getting him to do a turn, change, a turn and a half of the ring and change, making it a game, that way half an hour will fly by and you and the horse will stay fresh. I agree completely with Casey, tie downs can do a lot of harm- any equipment, actually, used incorrectly, can do a lot of harm. You could also start ground driving him, that is good fun too,

 

[MiniNHF]

I do alot of long lining up and down hills with my boy, not only gets him in shape but myself as well haha

 

[Marty]

I've said it a million times: the walk is under rated. I used to take my stallion on hikes on the trails up and down the hills. He was rock solid and had abs. LOL Kept me in pretty good condition too!.

 

[Hayley~Diaz]

Walking and trotting with hills!

It may be hard work, but while you take him for walks, you can also work on ground manners too - getting him to walk beside you, maybe stop and make him stand etc. Its all so one-to-one work that will benefit in the show ring.

AND when I say walk, make it a brisk, foward walk - not lagging behind you. Work on pushing him foward so he can engage his hind quarters and therefore build muscle in the rear end

Get him stretching and working up hill to build that topline too. Lunging will benefit the chest area too..

Also make sure he is well fed..but thats another whole topic

Just my opinion here and its always worked very well