Q: How does jumping help build up my horse’s muscles?

A: All kinds of exercise help to build muscle in horses, just as in humans. Every discipline requires a separate skill and muscle base, and jumping is no exception. To build muscle in your horse, you need to put his muscles under stress, increasing the load on them. Jumping does that, quite literally, because you’re putting extra demand on the gymnastic muscles by asking them to do more.

The act of jumping requires your horse to ‘compress’ his hindquarters, using greater flexion at the lumbosacral joint and then support with his forelimbs. At the point of take-off, the forelimbs use the stored energy from muscles, tendons and ligaments to lift the forehand upwards and over the jump. The hindlimbs then power through, compressed and ready to create the push of the upward thrust. The bascule over the fence requires elasticity, followed by the landing, which puts the thoracic sling under strain. The whole jumping process puts the axial skeleton through its full range of movement. Jumping requires eccentric, concentric and isometric contractions, using the gymnastic muscles to their full potential and building the extensor and flexor muscle chains.

Jumping engages more muscle fibres and increases the speed of muscle contraction. It works many muscles, from those supporting the axial skeleton to the iliopsoas, hamstrings, and thoracic sling, making it a full-body workout.

Did you know?

You don’t need to jump high to reap the physical benefits of jumping, and it’s just as important to build your horse’s confidence and technique as it is to build muscle.