Here's me and my boy's first try at bridless...He was awesome! Can't wait to jump!

Here is part 2 of The Training Scale: Rhythm showing a bit of trot work.

Here is the first video from the Training Scale series.

depending on her training before the break from work, she may still have muscle left. most horses keep muscle and physical conditioning for about 3-6 months. she may just need to build more muscle on top of it. If you're training her to jump, try jumping her 3 days a week and doing ground work the other two. the dressage flat work will really help her form and responsiveness. Jump her as high as she can go smoothly and reevaluate that height about every other week. Do lots of gymnastics (bounces, one strides, two strides quickly in a row and in different orders) to get her jumping form correct and her muscling built back up.

Hey I just saw your question from April?? Anyway, To me how I get a horse fit is very individual to the horse. If the horse is green in there training, that guides me, and if the horse is experienced but just was laid off for some reason, that is a different thing. I guess it tells me what kind of fit they were and what kind of muscle they have to start. Also, If my horse has training issues directly connected to fitness, that is a factor. For example, collection is a fitness and straightness problem. crooked legs are only and issue to me if they are impeding the horses movement and they are interfering. Then you need to put boots on them. Also look at fitness by the discipline. MUSCLE fitness is diiferent then cardio fitness just like it is in us. So for the frame, hindquarter and topline of a horse, this is muscular, for say jumping or eventing, there is a cardio fitness factor that needs to be addressed as well.

thanks for the replies... i've had her for a month now and the changes are amazing...

When i first was riding her she couldn't hold herself up in a canter, she couldn't do an uphill transition, and it was almost physically impossible for her to do a 2 stride combination.

Now she -can- hold a frame at all gates although it is difficult for her in the trot at times and she has bad teeth so we aren't pushing her to much (she has to go to the vet's for her teeth they are so bad...). Also we did her first 'course' the other day, it was just a diagonal to a diagonal back to the first one but she handled it well and earlier we had been schooling through a one-stride combination.

this is her when we got her -


this is her now -

alice I just want to say you did a great job with that horse congradulations

YES she looks toned up nicely! Keep up the good work!

thanks, unfortunately she went lame on monday and we don't know whats wrong with her (she went up to the vets today for her teeth...). The vet found nothing wrong with her and she was good for her teeth so we are just going to do lost of strengthening exercises so her bones/tendons/ligaments...

Hmm hopefully someone will pop up and contact you...I'm sure they will...

Here's the first part of my Crest Releases videos for you Natural Jumpers out there!

congrats good job

Nice! I can't wait until mine are ready to do that!

ya, a year (or two i can't remember) i jumped him 3'7" bareback and with a halter (there were other people in the ring) but he's too old for it now... however once my new mare Chancy starts to relax i will start working bareback...

Here's the list from the radio show. There was a lot I know...

farah i just wanted to add 2 things to this list that are good to keep around those are a frog leaf plant and a alovera plant (sorry if that is spelt wrong) if any one wants to know more about these just ask :)

Tell us more about the frog leaf plant? and yes Aloe Vera is an awesome topical too! Thanks for adding that.

frog leaf is a plant that is used to suck infection from wounds and used to heal wounds it looks simaliar to a rubarb plant but much much smaller (or up canada it is but that could be just because of the short growing season) it is used for a wide varity of things including burns cuts founder and minor infections it also works really whell on people sorry if i wasnt descriptive enough if you want more details on something i can do my best to help

All right! We need to add Frog Leaf to the list of first aid items!

sorry but i cant for the life of me think of what the other name is :-/