Building Stronger Horses

Balanced muscular development cannot happen without first achieving a body that can stay stable throughout movement. In other words a horse that is wiggling around trying to find balance or one that has found balance by adopting a crooked posture cannot develop strength in the ways that lead to better performance. Before a horse can add power to his locomotive muscles he needs to find joint and limb stability while moving in his basic gaits.
A horse that drifts off his line of travel or feels like a noodle underneath his rider needs to first resolve these wiggles and wobbles. This kind of horse needs better awareness and control of foot placement and also the ability to maintain alignment of his spinal joints during movement.

Sometimes this happens by activating and waking up the nerve signals that transmit information to the central nervous system about a joints position in time and space. Other times it is necessary to add tone to the small muscles located near these joints. Fortunately simple ground pole routines can help address both of these scenarios.
Below are four of my favourite exercises for awakening a horse to what his feet are doing and then organizing and coordinating his body over top of them. Practiced daily for a period of two weeks or longer they promote the stability a horse needs to then develop strength. All of these exercises require minimal materials and time to set up so they can easily become part of your regular routine. Because they activate very finely tuned motor control they are most effective when practiced in succinct periods. With each exercise aim to get the desired and specific response up to ten times but do not repeat the exercise to the point of dullness or boredom. A good rule of thumb is to practice each exercise for about one minute.
Straddle a Pole Figure 1
As the horse coordinates his limbs to abduct and straddle the pole he releases tension from his bottom muscle chain. He also activates the deep hip stabilizing muscles which play a cybernetic role communicating to the brain about a limbs position and tonicity.
Place a single pole on flat ground. Ideally the pole should be 10 to 12 feet in length.
Lead your horse to approach the pole straight from one end.
Pause briefly for a second or two to ensure your horse is listening well and not rushing.
Now very gently one tiny