Question # 23: If you do not have easy access to hills, would it be possible to use poles and/or cavaletti to build up your horse's back and hindquarters' muscles and strength?
How often should you be doing hills or these exercises on a Novice horse pointing in time for Training? Thanks!! (Lynda)
Hi Lynda!
Building strength is definitely much harder without hills, but it can certainly be done! First of all, sometimes you can find a single slope to negotiate somewhere, even on otherwise flat property. Like the side of a driveway or a culvert. So be on the lookout for a small hill that you may not have even noticed. If you can find one, I recommend that riders do "hill repeats", walking up and down for a set number of reps twice a week. The actual number of reps depends on the size and slope of the hill, and the current strength level of the horse. If you find one, feel free to describe it or send a picture, and I can give you a more precise answer on that.
If you can't find any hills to work on at all, cavaletti and judicious flatwork will certainly be able to build up the strength in your horse's back and hindquarters. They are just not as foolproof as hills for that purpose.
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