No matter what type of riding you do, you may at times feel your horse could benefit from developing more strength in one area of his body. This could be because his training has emphasized certain movements more than others, because the horse has had an injury that weakened one part of his body, or because you are planning to compete at a higher level or in a different sport. Dr. Renaud Léguillette, Calgary chair of Sports Equine Medicine from the University of Calgary, pointed out that the evidence base for most of these exercises is limited. “We have exercises that people use, but not much research,” he explained. “In practice, I do recommend them, but I don’t have research on the outcomes.”

That said, here are some exercises he suggests that focus on different parts of the body.

FRONT END EXERCISES

Riding Downhill
An excellent way to strengthen your horse’s front end is to ride downhill. If your horse is recovering from an injury or is otherwise not very strong, begin with a gradual downhill slope with firm footing. When you are confident that he can handle that comfortably, move to a steeper slope.

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