Posted 2015-02-12 6:56 PM Subject: Best exercises to get horse to use hind end
ND Sweetheart
Posts: 3471 Location: In My Own Dream Land
My good horse is on stall rest but will be heading back to the vet in a month and a half for a re-check. Im told I will probably have to re-teach her how to use her hind end, as she is fusing in her hocks and avoids using them. ANy suggestions on the exercises preferably away from the barrels to get her to use her hind end again and realize it wont hurt. Thank you all.
Posted 2015-02-12 7:08 PM Subject: RE: Best exercises to get horse to use hind end
More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425 Location: Riding Crackhead.
IMO Connie Combs has the best drills for getting them to use their hind ends. If you can get to one of her clinics you'd love it. I have a 4 or 5 disk set showing the drills she does at her clinics that I can send you if you'd like.
Posted 2015-02-12 8:49 PM Subject: RE: Best exercises to get horse to use hind end
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
If she is still fusing depending on what treatment you have done she may still be hurting. I had one his hocks were so bad bute/banamine/previcoxx didn't take the pain away.
Once fused surgically his but dragging stops came back
Posted 2015-02-13 9:01 AM Subject: RE: Best exercises to get horse to use hind end
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477 Location: Lost in the swamps
Definitely collection exercises, driving their hind ends deep under themselves at a trot in a low head frame. Really makes them utilize their back end and strengthens their top lines. And loping the tornado drill moving them into a large circle and slowly get smaller and smaller and then letting them back out, the key to the drill is making sure they can keep loping without breaking down. Start easy at first then as he gets stronger ask for smaller. And remember don't stay super small for very long. A circle or two then ask him to circle out. This also helps work on leg yields and putting the horses feet where you want.
Posted 2015-02-14 12:43 AM Subject: RE: Best exercises to get horse to use hind end
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
My gelding doesn't use his hind end as well as I'd like and our sports therapist suggested doing lots of backing to strengthen his hind end, and once he is strong he will be far more inclined to use it. She suggested starting with just a few minutes a day and working up to 10-15 minutes of backing/day. Apparently backing helps to drastically reduce the risk of SI injuries which is a huge bonus for me because I was going to inject my gelding's SI this year, but with the difference 3 weeks of backing had made I no longer need to.
Posted 2015-02-14 9:38 AM Subject: RE: Best exercises to get horse to use hind end
Veteran
Posts: 147
There aren't exercises per se - true collection comes from driving the hindend up underneath the horse - you must have your horse soft and supple in his face laterally and vertically before you can get a horse to lift his back and get round thus driving his hindend up underneath himself, you have to have full control over all body parts including the hip. I think collection is the most misunderstood thing in our discipline. It's taken me 2 years of weekly lessons to learn it and I am just now grasping it.
Posted 2015-02-14 7:17 PM Subject: RE: Best exercises to get horse to use hind end
Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
Do a lot og stopping with a back up. Also, i like to back surpintines, i had one horse hate it the other does it he is so light in backing up i like to use my legs and not his mouth.
Best exercises to get horse to use hind end
