Exercising Your Non-Ridden Horse: How to create a new habit without effort
"I don't have time." Or: "Barn chores come before horse time..." Horsewomen, if you struggle to exercise your non-ridden horse consistently: pay attention. This is for you!
Registration opens soon
Have you ever started exercising your horse for its health benefits?
To get your fat horse fit?
To manage his EMS (Equine Metabolic Syndrome) better?
I’ve been there.
I fell off the wagon.
Then my horse got laminitis…
It was my worst nightmare come true.
Here is Kyra in 2009. A ‘9’ on the Body Condition Score (BCS). The BCS score uses a 1-9 scale: 1=emaciated and 9=obese.
Exercising after Recovery of Laminitis
Besides a different diet, Kyra needed more exercise!
It’s not easy to exercise a non-ridden horse that hates lunging, roundpenning and any other way of coercing her into movement.
I needed to make exercising FUN!
Not only for here: it dreaded exercising her, too. I had not been successful up until after her laminitis attack.
That changed everything!
For me.
For her.
And I started helping other horse people get their overweight non-ridden horses fit.
How to Make Exercising Your Horse the Highlight of Your Day
Use positive reinforcement. Your horse will be motivated immediately!
Setting yourself up for success: results are very motivating (I’ll tell you how shortly)
Getting rid of the voices (the excuses) in your head
Letting go of fear (of failure)
Letting go of the shame that the horse became obese (It’s not your fault!)
Daily Handwalks
I started daily handwalks to manage Kyra’s EMS after the laminitis (inflammation in the feet of the horse) subsided.
Honestly, the fear of her getting laminitis again was my motivator.
It’s a clear “Moving Away’-from energy.
Negative reinforcement, basically.
Over the years, I’ve also discovered positive motivators. Clear ‘Moving Towards’-energy, to help motivate horses and their owners to get fit.
Positive reinforcement.
My specialty in teaching horses and humans.
How to Set Yourself and Your Horse up for Success
Start small.
Start where your horse is at, not where you want him to be. Or, where someone else tells you to be: “He can trot for 10 minutes, every horse can!”
If your horse doesn’t like it, that’s not where you should start.
When you want exercise/movement training become fun, so that you can keep it up, you start small.
Make it easy!
Make it fun!
Join the 10/10 Challenge ‘Handwalking Your Horse’
To help you get in the habit of exercising your non-ridden horse I created the 10/10 (ten/ten) Challenge.
It’s simple with only 3 rules.
Yet, this is a Challenge.
The 3 Rules
10 consecutive days of handwalking your horse
10 minutes per day
Never skip 2 days in a row!
That’s it!
Here’s how you make this a success.
Find or create accountability! Hence the group challenge I created, to support you.
Then: Start!
The real challenge is to keep it up!
Consistency is your Super Power
That’s how you create consistency.
You’ve heard me say this over and over: Consistency is a true Super Power!
Magic
Often, MAGIC happens…
When you handwalk your horse for 10 minutes, 10 days in a row.
That magic looks different for every participant.
Some people forge a stronger bond with their horses during this challenge. They learn so much about their horse.
For others, it led to crossing of a ‘Bucket List’- item.
Exercise improves mental and physical health. You’ll feel better!
When horse owners start taking action towards a healthier lifestyle for their horses, guilt subsides…
Once you’ve experienced what it will do for you, your view of ‘movement training’ for your horse will change forever.
Here’s how the 10/10 Challenge Helps
You’ll learn to set up your environment for your behaviour: exercising your horse
Once you’ve done that, you’ll make exercising your horse a HABIT. The external environment triggers the behaviour.
You DO NOT need discipline to keep up a habit
You’ll get accountability to support you during the whole challenge!
Habits
Once exercising your horse becomes a habit (remember, Consistency is a Superpower), you’ll start getting results.
It will feel effortless, because it’s a habit.
You’ll feel good: no more worries about an overweight/out-of-shape horse, or fear of laminitis, or feeling guilty.
Your horse will feel good: movement is a necessity for the mental and physical health of your horse.
Want to join us?
The 10/10 Handwalking Your Horse Challenge starts January 23, 2026. Registration opens soon!
I will keep you posted here.
Subscribe to get the invite emailed to you.
Keep your eyes on your inbox, so you will be the first to know.
Happy Horse Walking!
Sandra
Odin and me