# Building backend muscle and topline?



## VoyPor (17 March 2009)

Hi everyone - one of our horses has come back from being on-loan. However - the person wasn't able to ride him over the winter and he has lost muscle as a result.

The horse is an ex racehorse and has never been lunged so doesnt know how - and we live in a flat area so there arent really any hills - there is a bridge that we could go up and down.

What can i do to build his backside up more and also his topline?

Thanks.


----------



## geronimostilton (17 March 2009)

If he was a racehorse then he probably was lunged when he was broken in. In your position I would probably start at the basics again and teach him to lunge then use a pessoa or something similar.
You could also do in hand work to get him stretching down and over his back.


----------



## mygeorge (17 March 2009)

lungeing is the answer and they can learn at any age you just need to start quietly in walk pushing the circle out bit by bit until its close to 20m. We use the equiami lungeing system as it is really easy to use, the horses like it and soon build up topline and work in a lovely soft outline. We've started some quite old horses in it with no probs and great results.


----------



## teddyt (17 March 2009)

Adequate protein in the diet and exercise. Any work will build muscle as long as the horse is working actively and not ambling along. Certain exercises do build more muscle than others simply by getting the horse to use itself more. Any form of schooling will help, improved by raied poles, lateral work, transitions, etc to ask more from the horse.


----------



## Kenzo (17 March 2009)

Apart from what everyone has mentioned which I agree with but walking the horse out in hand would be a good start, because if the horse has not been lunged lately (either with yourselves or the person that had it on loan) then this will take some time before you start seeing the benefits (building up the correct muscles) and be able to get the results from a pessoa for example the horse will require a certain amount of fitness to do the lunge work, so walking is a great way to get the basics before you start lunging, the muscles which have wasted away will be ones that have developed from ridden work not lunge work, Its important to build the muscles up slowly to prevent injuries.


----------



## HollyP (17 March 2009)

I agree with Kenzo for the first few weeks build up the walking (inhand) to about 20 min then gradually start introducing walk and trot on the lunge for 10 min building up to about 20 over a couple of weeks....combined with a bit of gentle hacking!

x


----------



## MrsMozart (17 March 2009)

Out of interest, is it better to hack (walk/trot/lots of transitions) to build muscle and topline or lunge, or a mix of both?


----------



## HollyP (17 March 2009)

I had to build up with lunging for 3 months due to my horse recovering from KS operation...I have only just started riding again and then im just in walk...aswell as lunging....

I think a combination is quite nice...but if the horse has been off work for a few months might be beter to lunge for a few weeks first???


----------



## teddyt (17 March 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Out of interest, is it better to hack (walk/trot/lots of transitions) to build muscle and topline or lunge, or a mix of both? 

[/ QUOTE ]
I would say both. Lungeing (if done properly!) engages the hindquarters more because on a circle the inside hind has to come underneath the horse more, hence it uses itself more therefore builds muscle. Purely lungeing can put strain on the joints though, and the muscles too, so i would do a mixture of both. Muscle is basically built by training the muscles to work harder so hacking actively with transitions is just as valid, just different.

ETA- that is for a horse that can carry a rider. Sometimes you need to work on the lunge to build up the horse before it can take a rider. In this case though i would not stay on a permanent circle but move the horse around the whole school, circling, moving on, circling and so on.


----------



## mygeorge (17 March 2009)

if you have been advised not to ride then short lunge sessions until ridden work can start is great. If you can ride then do both. lunge a couple of times a week and hack or light schooling in between. Aim for long and low in both to build topline and keep to mainly walk to start with and gradually introduce bits of trot work and build up slowly doing transitions and half halts etc. leave canter work until quarters have strengthened. You will see a big difference in four to six weeks and you will have a happy horse.


----------



## VoyPor (17 March 2009)

Thanks for the advice everyone - i had thought about doing some raised pole work.

I will have a look at the equiami lungeing system too.

Thanks again.


----------

