7 yr old horse needs exercise

Question
I am asking this question for another member of yahoo who wants to know what the best exercises would be for a horse's back and hind legs to help with jumping.  The horse is an ex racing-thoroughbred.  She referred to him as a "stick", I assume that he's pretty fragile.  Any advice?  Thanks

Answer
Consuella,

This is hard to answer since I have no idea what she means by "stick" unless it's that he's stiff and doesn't bend well.  As an ex-racehorse he needs to learn to use his body very differently than he has on the track.  I would suggest doing some basic dressage work with him to get him to bend and flex and learn to use his hind end differently.  Cavalletti work also helps.  Hopefully he's not "fragile" because that would make him a poor candidate for a jumper.  She does need to watch his hocks though.  Many ex-racehorses undergo hock fusion at about the age of this horse.   Backing him up, 20-30 steps at a time several times, also helps with the back and hind quarters.

Hope this helps.

Lyn