Core Conditioning for Horses

In Core Conditioning for Horses, Visconte Simon Cocozza, trainer and examiner for the La Fédération Française d'Equitation (FFE), provides step-by-step instructions for easy mounted exercises. The goal is to enhance a horse’s posture and boost his confidence in his body and movement.

Every equestrian wants to know: what is the difference between the horse that “dances” when you are on him and the one that doesn’t? According to Visconte Cocozza, it all comes down to the horse’s posture. The horse’s ability to use the powerful mechanisms already built into his body relies on the strength inside the body, not the strength we see on the outside. This invisible and complex arrangement of internal “core” muscles control the horse’s posture, suppleness and agility. Their good condition is the key to the dance.

Equine core muscles are very difficult to isolate with the traditional training techniques common to horse sports. However, by examining what we do with the human body when faced with a weak core, we can find new methods for conditioning these areas of the equine body.

Visconte Cocozza has taken principles of the human practice of yoga and used them to develop novel ways of reaching deep within the horse’s body and gently “unlock” areas that may be a little “rusty,” improve core fitness and even relieve pain related to conditions such as kissing spine.

In this book, he explains exercises that will help make a horse easier to ride and ultimately, the dance partner you’ve always imagined. Hardcover, 296 pages.