how to teach a horse to free school

[Claire]

that's the question.

monfils really doesn't "get" that at all! (but does a nice line in following me about in whatever manege pattern i choose, LOL)

anyone any ideas?

it might, i suppose, come as everything else falls into place, but i would have thought this should have been easy...but i was wrong!

[issywizz]

Following is good,you can get her to do all sorts of things if she follows well and it means you get exercise too 

[Claire]

true, sarah, but i want to free jump him, and it would be nice to see him canter round, and such like, and i AIN'T running and jumping!

[Casey76]

How does he react to a lunging whip?  Does he lunge well?  You could try lunging without the line - that is always fun.

Intermix the verbal commands, he'll be bilingual in no time

[Claire]

lunging is a work in progress, improving once i realised that speaking French rather than English was helpful (his early education having been in France)

so i guess this'll come in time....

[issywizz]

The easiest way to get them free schooling is to tape off a square area in the school, I just tie electric tape across ( not connected!)

[drummers mum]

lol, Liv and I love free schooling, she won't do anything unless I run as much as she does or she puts herself on a 10m circle round me and says stuff you!

[issywizz]

Livi is cool 

[ChrissieW]

I just tie electric tape across ( not connected!)

Oooh why not connected, that would be much more fun and forwards......

[issywizz]

 

[jenb]

Gazdag free schools quite nicely, but he's not calm enough to do canter work.  He finds canter loose too exciting and bombs around ignoring me....     However, we do it in a 1 acre field, so keeping him with me in walk and trot is an achievement, I think!   

[drummers mum]

  Jen, in awe! Liv would just eat!

Livi is cool 

Thanks Sarah 

[Magsndan]

Have a horse you darent get on without working them first and then they end up masters of the free school

Edited to add dan was the expert in free school in our early days. Id just stand in middle and he would do his 20m circle round me up and down a pace at 'up' or woah and when we were done id just walk to the gate and he would run after me and then I would get on 

im never getting a horse again thats hot on its lunging and free schooling as you just know then they have done loads of it as they darent ride Kerry is perfect on the lunge

[intouch]

If you were having an EAL session, I'd have to ask, what do you think you could do?  (ie, turn the question around.)  I think you probably know you need to be a little more assertive, to raise your energy without becoming something to fear.  Does your horse know about flags?  (ie a Tesco bag on the end of a lunge whip).  That's usually an economical way to gain a bit of kudos from a reluctant horse!

[cirocco]

Ive just started to free school Jim, he's been doing the odd thing for about three weeks, just walking round then a bit of trot, all with me. Bit of sideways. I will add things, and alter things as we go.
Pole work next, 'side pass', tonight, he's not done that before, but im sure he will be ok.
I expect to get him going on his own in a week or so, if he resists, then perhaps another wekk, nothing to bother about, there's no rush.
 I agree with the 'electric tape' suggestion, you can make it into a round pen then. I have a queer shaped little school, so I put tape across the corners, just to keep him from getting stuck, he cant turn his bum on me and spin if there isn't a corner. [not that he has]

I never lunge, but you could start by lunging in walk, then when things are going well take off the line, and ask again, put it on if horse gets stuck, remove when happy. You might have to do his for a few weeks, depends on horse, they soon get the hang of this new 'game'.

Like the carrier bag on whip.. I tend to use a driving whip, they are lighter and shorter than lunge whip.