Engaging the abs

[von10]

Following todays post In Snap's blog ........

I need exercises to help him engage his abs and lift his saggy tum. He's in the fat field so that will help reduce it. He has a short back and neck so may find it hard to stretch too much. He has the typical short choppy cob front leg action and is a tad lazy behind. He has a tendancy to shoot forwards having been driven on too fast, but once slowed down he has quite good rhythm. At the moment any sort of pressure is to be leaned on or rushed away from.....


What exercises would you do inhand to start then ridden in a couple of weeks? Bear in mind I'm no more than a competant novice and he's just a gypsy cob so be gentle with us 

Y.

[catkin]

Poles and hills ....or hills and poles.....

Does he know about trotting poles? They usually enjoy them either on lunge or longreins (I go off the circle down a line and odd random ones around the schooling area. Gets the old backend working and can help with rhythm in the trot.

[Camacoona]

Agree with catkin and when you can progress onto reinback, lots of reinback-walk-reinback transitions in hand.  I think giravoltas are good for this too.

[cirocco]

  Yes thats what I did with the fat minger.... glad IVE DONE SOMETHING RIGHT

[Heather]

Agree with Omar  . Something you can also do is exercises on the ground, Yvonne. Belly lifts, ( see Gillian Higgins books and DVD) and also if you stand behind, as long as he is not a kicker!- and just lightly press your fingerail, index and next finger, about 10 inches down from the root of the tail, and about 4-5" out from the tail on either side. This activates a reflex that really makes them sit and lift the back, engaging the abs. You may need to experiment slightly to find the right spot, but do some belly lifts and the other exercise daily and this also helps.

[intouch]

Yoga for horses!

http://youtu.be/PKEL-aHCDsE