Advice for very limited schooling & keeping attention

Trewsers

Trewsers

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2004
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Well today I was in the arena with the madam and am sorry to report I got off when the farmer came past bellowing and letting dogs and sheep out of the trailer in the next field:redface::help: I think my wussiness was worse as I was alone. Anyhoo I got back on once the rumpuss died down but it was hard getting Storm to settle again. We are very limited in our schooling as she has stiff hocks and for the first ten to fifteen mins we just go large and do figure of eights. I really need some variety to keep her attention for times just like this when there are distractions. Please could anyone suggest exercises or hints that would be okay for us? She loosens up eventually and seems happy in her work but we rarely canter - tis mainly walk and a bit of trot. Neither of us is happy hacking atm - we can't leave Chloe for one thing, so the school is our best option. It just made me wish I had some tricks for keeping her attention on me instead of the clanking trailer and dozens of dogs / lambs / sheep / shouting farmers!lol. She has seen them before but does get quite nosey and joggy and as I was alone today I hopped off until it was past. Guess I ought to have been braver but her neck was rigid and she was in full eyes on stalk mode!
Thanks in advance.
 
Could you try some inhand stuff - games and so on? Set up a gymkhana-type obstacle course or something? I was thinking of trying something like that with Pops if/when I get her back, to get her focusing on me.
 
squidsin said:
Could you try some inhand stuff - games and so on? Set up a gymkhana-type obstacle course or something? I was thinking of trying something like that with Pops if/when I get her back, to get her focusing on me.
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We do quite a bit in hand, and she's very good in hand, it was more really when I'm on board. Before her hocks were medicated she could do a lot more, and any distractions whilst on board I would get her doing some faster work - and sort of try and embrace her hopping about, it's not so easy these days because I am very aware of her limitations. Do hope that makes sense - she's not totally old and creaky, I just have to be careful. I guess a bit more ground work wouldn't go a miss though! It's something to do on windy days too.:smile:
 
Another random idea - you could learn to ride Western! I think that is easier on the horse than our traditional style. Would need all new kit thought!
 
I don't know if it would work for you but if Belle is not paying attention I ask her to do something, say we are walking and she starts to stare off somewhere I will ask her to turn a circle, or go up into trot, or quicken her pace within the pace, anything really just to ask her to do something to get her attention, I don't remember who it was on here it could have even been you Trewsers but random shapes are good too, if she spooks I'll ask her forward and circle and back to walk and such. Don't imagine that's the 'correct' thing to do but it works for us.
 
What about lots of simple lateral work, dont be too demanding as if she is stiff it will be hard for her but will keep you both concentrating can all be done in walk and then if she copes trot:

Turn on forehand and haunches alternating on a square
Leg yield off and back to centre line.
Work towards shoulder in to travers down centre line
Spiral in and leg yield out on circles

All of these will make her use her hocks, don't be too insistant on it being 'good' just use it as an exercise for her legs and your brain!!
 
Why don't you get hold of some dressage tests and ride through them? You can miss out the canter bits, or make something up in their place. Perhaps when you are supposed to be cantering you could do 5 steps of walk followed by 5 steps of trot?
 
eml said:
What about lots of simple lateral work, dont be too demanding as if she is stiff it will be hard for her but will keep you both concentrating can all be done in walk and then if she copes trot:

Turn on forehand and haunches alternating on a square
Leg yield off and back to centre line.
Work towards shoulder in to travers down centre line
Spiral in and leg yield out on circles

All of these will make her use her hocks, don't be too insistant on it being 'good' just use it as an exercise for her legs and your brain!!
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Thanks - that's a good thought. And I know what you mean about it not having to be too technically correct, just enough to keep her thinking.
 
Kite_Rider said:
I don't know if it would work for you but if Belle is not paying attention I ask her to do something, say we are walking and she starts to stare off somewhere I will ask her to turn a circle, or go up into trot, or quicken her pace within the pace, anything really just to ask her to do something to get her attention, I don't remember who it was on here it could have even been you Trewsers but random shapes are good too, if she spooks I'll ask her forward and circle and back to walk and such. Don't imagine that's the 'correct' thing to do but it works for us.
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Yeah, I used to ride random shapes with Joe - it was for OH really back then, to keep him thinking. I used to find it better having company in the school so we could egg each other on!
 
Mary Poppins said:
Why don't you get hold of some dressage tests and ride through them? You can miss out the canter bits, or make something up in their place. Perhaps when you are supposed to be cantering you could do 5 steps of walk followed by 5 steps of trot?
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Good idea about instead of cantering, I would never have thought to do that. Can tests be downloaded then off the net?
 
Trewsers said:
Good idea about instead of cantering, I would never have thought to do that. Can tests be downloaded then off the net?
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I think that you can get them online from www.dressagediagrams.com - or something like that.

You can buy paper copies from the online BHS shop very cheaply and they post them out to you. I think that all the intro, prelim and novice tests cost about £8.
 
Transitions within the pace or between them, I also found with Bo if he started fixating on something a fairly abrupt change of direction, away from where he was staring then getting busy with a good walk or lateral steps helped, we might have done 20 turns before he would stop trying to gorp to start with but with practice he learned it wasn't worth it and after a while it would take only 1 or 2 to settle him back to the job at hand.
 
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