Muscle building for horses is possible both in and out of the saddle. In fact, you can start conditioning your horse’s core strength in as little as five minutes from inside the stable.
Equine physiotherapist and rehabilitation specialist Jenny Adamson is a lifelong horsewoman with 14 years’ professional experience. She has owned Azuro, a 20-year-old Dutch warmblood, since he was five, and does muscle building and core activation exercises with him daily from the ground.
“My expertise with non-ridden exercises and ground-based rehab/training came from day-to-day rehabilitating horses, including Azuro before and after his ‘kissing spines’ surgery,” she says.
“When I started these exercises daily, I saw horses transform really quite quickly,” she continues.
“I saw crookedness patterns improve, as well as core strength and posture, and they became better organised in movement – their bodies really open up.
“As both a professional and a horse owner, using stable-based exercises is a huge help towards core and back strength, and muscle building for horses.”
Exercises that target muscle building for horses can be incorporated into your routine alongside regular tasks, such as tacking up. Photo: Andrew Sydenham
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
Why you should try in-stable muscle building for horses
She says owners don’t necessarily understand the benefits of ground-based muscle-building until they see the results for themselves.
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“They worry about getting the exercises wrong and hurting the horse, too,” Jenny adds. “So, I took my business online.”
Jenny produces step-by-step video courses to teach owners exactly how to perform the exercises. She says that injury prevention and an improvement in long-term soundness are just some of the benefits.
“These stable exercises are also proven to increase the size of the multifidus muscles along the spine. This can help reduce the risk of ‘kissing spines’.”
Jenny adds that the exercises slot into your routine easily, and can be used a great way to occupy stabled horses.
“They can be done in or straight from the stable. I find they switch the horse on prior to a warm-up, and they tend to work in a little freer and more balanced.
“For this reason, I often recommend doing them after grooming and before tacking up.”
Muscle building exercises to try
While you can find a catalogue of courses on Jenny’s website, here are three of her favourite exercises you can try today that will help build your horse’s muscle.
1. Backward weight shift
Where: In the stable
When: At any time during grooming, changing rugs, tacking up etc
Place your hand on your horse’s sternum and encourage him to rock back, without moving his limbs. Photo: Jenny Adamson
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
How to do it
Put the heel of your hand on the sternum bone (on the horse’s chest).
Gently push your horse’s weight back by around an inch.
Allow the weight to come forward again. The limbs shouldn’t move.
Repeat 10 times to create a rocking back and forth motion.
“This exercise is small, but multi-tasking!” says Jenny. “It helps to loosen the structures in the thoracic sling, a group of muscles in the chest region, and switch on some of the deeper stabilisers in the core.”
“If you’re struggling, back your horse up so their bottom is on the stable wall before you ask for the movement. This helps him understand you’re not asking for steps backwards.”
2. Thoracic lift
Where: In the stable or on the yard
When: At any time during grooming, changing rugs, before tacking up etc
Ask for the thoracic lift gently at first – the movement may be subtle, but ensure you reward your horse’s efforts. Photo: Jenny Adamson
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
How to do it
Rub or push upwards in the area behind the girth until you see an upward lift through the core and spine.
Start gently, looking only for a slow and gradual lift. “Go very gently until you know your horse is happy with you touching them in this area,” advises Jenny.
Repeat three times
“This is a great mobilisation exercise, and opens up the middle part of the spine,” Jenny adds.
She says that you may have to feel around for the “right button” if your horse doesn’t offer a lift.
“Horses can be blocked in this area, and we want the stretches to offer a nice release,” she says. “For this reason, it’s important not to jab and press, which could be irritating and encourage an unwanted jerky, rapid lift.
“The lift should be slow and smooth, not a jolting movement.”
She adds that the stretch asks horses to move their back in the opposite direction to usual, and that it may take time to show them how.
“We might initially only see subtle movement, depending on how flexible they are,” she continues. “It’s good to use rewards to let them know they’ve done it right and to build their confidence.”
3. Backing up
Where: On the yard or in an arena
When: Before turning out, bringing in, before or after riding, etc
Use the arena fence to guide your horse and keep him travelling in a straight line.
(Image credit: Jenny Adamson)
How to do it
Apply gentle backwards pressure to the noseband to encourage your horse to step back.
Aim to build up to 10 steps in a straight line.
“This exercise sounds easy, but most horses struggle to begin with,” says Jenny.
“It asks the horse to tilt the pelvis, engage the core, push the back up, then draw the thoracic sling up and back. So, while it seems simple, it’s a great mobilisation exercise that anyone can do without equipment.”
If you struggle to back up your horse in a straight line, ask him alongside the arena fence or wall to keep him in line.
“If he won’t go back, it can be helpful to get him to come forward and use the momentum of that movement to ask again.”
Jenny says that asking via noseband pressure, rather than physically pushing your horse back, allows him to engage, tilt the pelvis and lift the forehand independently. This means he will harness the full benefits of the steps.
“I tend to do all this in-hand work in a cavesson, as I find it delivers more precise aids,” she adds.
Are you ready to give stable exercises a go? “Over time, your horse will feel stronger in the back, lighter on the forehand and more symmetrical,” says Jenny.
“All it takes is learning how to do it and giving it a go – your horse will thank you!”
A horse owner and rider with more than 20 years experience, Bethany has been writing for equestrian publications since 2017. Over the course of her career, she has reported from major British Riding Clubs and British Dressage championships, covered Badminton Horse Trials and interviewed equestrian sport’s best athletes. Her work can also be found in Country Life, The Field and Breathe magazine.
