Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Some horses seem to prefer barn life and when turned out hang around the pasture
gate waiting to be brought back in.
Riding is the obvious exercise choice because that is the reason most of us have horses!
But for the days on which you cannot ride, free exercise (turnout) is the least labor-intens-
ive and a natural way of allowing your horse to exercise. However, many horses turned out
on pasture use the opportunity to eat rather than exercise, so turnout is counterproductive.
Others that prefer barn life stand at the gate waiting to come back in.
Here are other exercise options for your horse.
Ponying,
or leading one horse while riding another, is a good choice, especially for
young horses. Ponying can start in an arena but can be expanded to include work in open
spaces on varied terrain. Ponying a young horse on the surface that he will be worked on
when he is an adult provides an opportunity for specialized adaptation of tissues. And the
variety in scenery and experiences during ponying is good for any horse.
Longeing,
working a horse around you in a 66-foot-diameter (20 m) circle, is an option
for horses over 2 years of age. Due to the uneven loading of the legs associated with repe-
titious work in a circle, longeing a horse younger than 2 years or any horse in a pen smaller
than 60 feet in diameter may result in strain. Free longeing can be conducted without a
longe line in a round pen. If you don't have a round pen, you can longe a horse on a 30- to
35-foot longe line in an arena.
Long lining
is ground driving the horse through various exercises and patterns much as
you would longe a horse except that you are holding two long “reins” (that is why it is also
