Keeping your pony moving

Did you know that how much your pony moves can affect his health? Restricting movement, unless it’s been advised by your vet, isn’t good for ponies and can lead to stiffness, weight gain and lots of other health issues so it’s important to keep your pony active to make sure he stays healthy. Here’s how… 

Exercise routine

By exercising your pony, you’ll activate his muscles and mobilise his joints to help improve his physical health. Just like us, ponies get bored sitting around doing nothing, so it works their brains, too! There are so many different forms of exercise, including…

In-hand: lungeing, long-reining, in-hand hacks and polework – there are so many ways to work your pony from the ground, which is handy if he can’t be ridden. Stretches are also brilliant for boosting mobility, but speak to your physio about which ones are best for your pony and how to do them correctly before you get started!

Ridden: taking your pony for a ride is always fun, whether you’re hacking, schooling, jumping or doing fitness work! If a pony is carrying a few extra kilos, building up his workload slowly is essential, and doing a variety of activities is sure to make him happy and confident, too!

Did you know?

Long, slow hacks are brilliant for helping your pony shift a few kilos. They’re more gentle on his joints, too, compared to fast work!

Harlow’s hacks

Cloudy has a smaller jockey who rides him, but when he’s at home I have to be really creative with his exercise routine because I’m too tall to ride him now. Lungeing all the time isn’t good for his body, so we do a mix of in-hand hacking and long-reining, too. Plus, it helps keep my fitness up, which is important for riding anyway!

Find out more of Harlow’s hacks for keeping your pony active in May PONY! Grab your copy today!