Exercise is an essential part of a weight-loss program; a horse will only lose weight if he is expending more energy than he is consuming.

Increasing cardiovascular exercise that has a low intensity is a great way to get the heart pumping whilst limiting the strain on the respiratory and muscular systems. When it comes to exercise think outside the box and remember that even horses that are not ridden can benefit from exercise

TRACK YOUR RIDES WITH AN APP OR AN EXERCISE CALENDAR

Monitoring how long you are riding for on a weekly basis will allow you to put a practical plan in place. Apps that show you how much time you spend in a particular gait are useful to allow you to increase the amount of cardiovascular exercise you are doing, remember that fast work (canter) will only deplete muscle glycogen stores, whilst trot work will help to burn fat.

VARY THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING

• Polework
• Jumping
• Free Schooling
• Lunging

Incorporating different workouts will help to keep you and your horse interested. Initially, horses may feel rather sluggish and reluctant to go forward when you start increasing the workload, but as the weight begins to drop off, they should become more active and start to enjoy exercise!

GET FIT TOGETHER

If your horse or pony is not in work why not take them for a walk and increase your fitness at the same time. Hills are a great way to help get the heart pumping.

BUDDY UP

Find a friend to hack or ride with to increase the amount of time that you ride. Hacking is a great way to increase the time that you ride just make sure you incorporate trot work and make sure the horses are walking with purpose.

Track your exercise as part of your weight loss program.