Exercises In Walk, Any Ideas Guys?

[affected]

Am bringing my girl back into work after a period of rest, any ideas of ridden exercises in walk and bit of trot to keep us both occupied???
   Am at a loss as what to do in walk end up pottering round no use to anyone both of us bored to death!!!! Help!!!!
 

[thecatsmother]

Do you have any poles or planks? Lay half a dozen or so of them out in the school (or a flat bit of field or whatever you're using) in random places, then practice picking a pole, and steering towards it in walk. With the reins on the buckle and not moving your hands at all, i.e. using your inside seatbone/outside leg to turn her towards the pole you've picked as your next one.  You can do big corves, tighter turns, etc.

Do 10 strides walk, then halt, then 9 strides walk, then halt, and so on down to 1 stride (you can try this with the reins on the buckle too, to make sure you're really stopping with the bum-clench and stopping back movement, not using the bit    :lol: ).

Walk up to one of the poles and try to stop her with 1 front leg over the pole, then both front legs, then 3 legs, etc.

Set up 2 poles a metre apart and walk down between them.

When you've done that sort of thing for a few sessions and she's up to trot, then 10 strides trot, 10 strides walk, 9 strides trot, 9 strides walk etc, gets the trot transitions nice and boingy IME    

[affected]

Souds fab, will have a go at that one tonight!

[baeloclaudia]

Had great fun doing this one with Fatso this morning. Made him concentrate (and not spook at the pheasants/ducks/cats so much   ) and gave us something constructive to do whilst he is in light work.

Any more gems where that one came from?
 Had done it years ago, but you forget these things don't you?  

[affected]

yeah, more more!!! That was cool!
     even funnier due to severe wind !the lighter plastic poles were getting blown across the menage!!! :blink: so it ended up being follow the poles!!!!
   Luckily she was very good and not half as spooky as she usually is or it would have been a case of "abandon ship!!!!"  

[thecatsmother]

even funnier due to severe wind !the lighter plastic poles were getting blown across the menage!!!  so it ended up being follow the poles!!!!
Luckily she was very good and not half as spooky as she usually is or it would have been a case of "abandon ship!!!!"

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  Must admit I've only done it with heavy wooden poles   Tonight before riding I was playing football with Chocky as his warm up (using a big exercise ball which I kick across the school and he then trots over to it and dribbles it along with his nose). I haven't done pole-vaulting with him yet though - sounds like that was on the cards with you :lol: As Baeloclaudia says about her horse, perhaps your mare wasn't as spooky as normal cos she was concentrating, so her attention was on where you were both going next rather than "what shall I be scared of / startled by next?" Also if you are concentrating / deciding which pole to head for next, you don't have the chance to anticipate spooks, so itmight make her more chilled out?

Any more gems where that one came from?

yeah, more more!!! That was cool!

Gald you liked those ideas - my instructor (SueC on here) had Chocky and I doing all that sort of thing when he was coming back into work after some months off owing to injury, about this time last year. What else? Umm,...how about some Walk/Trot dressage tests to give you something to think about? You could just walk it all first until she's up to trot?

Have fun  

Lesha

[affected]

Think she was in shock!! hmmmm mum wants me to follow the moving pole....ok slowly step away!! :P She think I'm going mad!
  Wind ok last night so got topractice stopping over them. Yeah we are rubbish at that we can do 0,2,4.  1 and 3...... no chance!!!!
   Will try that again later and have a mooch through those tests, cheers!!
     Rach x

[Emma]

A few other ideas, that I use a lot, even in general schooling (but I'm a big fan of walking exercises!):

1.  Walking along the track, gently flex the horse to the inside - this is very subtle and you should only just be able to see the eye.  However, this stretches the horse along the outside.  Once the horse is supple enough to do this whislt remaining straight on both reins & as schooling & fitness progresses, you can gradually increase the angle until you are doing shoulder in.  Like your other exercises, you can do it for so many steps at a time and then go straight.  It is also then good, once established, to start doing this off the track.  I also do this out hacking to keep my mare's attention!

2.  50 pence piece - walk as accurately as you can in a 50 pence piece shape on a 20 metre circle.  You can either do slight turn on the forehand at each point or slight turn on the haunches at each point depending on what you are trying to achieve.  You can obviously decrease the shapes, going onto diamonds or whatever else you can think of.

3.  One of my favourites for concentration - ride a square shaped 3 loop serpentine.  As you approach the track ask for turn on the forehand, as you move away from the track ask for turn on the haunches.  Maintaining rhythm and forwardness is more important to me that getting a perfect 'turn' so in the early phases don't ask for too much, just allow the horse to gently yield from the aids as is comfortable for him.  It doesn't take long before they start working deeper & I find it really switches the horse on for a schooling session.

Sounds like you're having loads of fun with the poles already!!  Best of luck with the rehab & keep us posted.

Em

[baeloclaudia]

3. One of my favourites for concentration - ride a square shaped 3 loop serpentine. As you approach the track ask for turn on the forehand, as you move away from the track ask for turn on the haunches. Maintaining rhythm and forwardness is more important to me that getting a perfect 'turn' so in the early phases don't ask for too much, just allow the horse to gently yield from the aids as is comfortable for him. It doesn't take long before they start working deeper & I find it really switches the horse on for a schooling session.

Oh I like the sound of that one - I've only ever done that using TOH, never thought of mixing it with TOF.

I've ridden today, but roll on tomorrow!
 

[affected]

Hmmmm. at risk of sounding really thick!! How do you ask for turn on haunches?
   TOF we are pretty comfortable with, never done turn on haunches?! :blush:  

[Torsornin]

1. Walking along the track, gently flex the horse to the inside - this is very subtle and you should only just be able to see the eye. However, this stretches the horse along the outside. Once the horse is supple enough to do this whislt remaining straight on both reins & as schooling & fitness progresses, you can gradually increase the angle until you are doing shoulder in. Like your other exercises, you can do it for so many steps at a time and then go straight. It is also then good, once established, to start doing this off the track. I also do this out hacking to keep my mare's attention![/i]

I do this in the beginning of every ride session...

I also like the "clock" exercise
 Your horse is standing in the middle of a clock...12 is directly ahead of you, 6 behind 3 and 9 on either side....I then ask the horse with leg and opening rein...to step to 11 (left front) and then allow him to walk off....Halt repeat....Then step twards 1 (right front)...Then 2 and 10...then 9 and 3....Eventually he can do this with out moving...or to step that way and walk off....I then begin to do it while riding a large circle.... Step with your inside leg twards 11 and walk (releace) and repeat and you have a circle.....Then step twards 1 repeat...
This helps build memory muscle and chest muscles as well as limber up the shoulder girtle... Also increaces the horses dexterity.
You can do the above from the ground, at the halt, walk or trot...
You can even ask him to step twards the back numbers.
If you start concentrating on the hind legs and the hind #'s you will begin to learn to turn on the forehand.

You can also ride a wee bit long and low asking for a step or two of bringing the back up.... Then change to short bouts of a collected walk (one or two steps at a time)  then free rein walk

Practice your halt (another fave...I love the halt!)

Practice turing on the forehand and on the haunches (one step at a time)

Create games for your horse...Like learn to open a "gait" made of rope and jump standards while mounted. Try what we call trail classes....Walking over little bridges made just for the horse to walk over the ring... Walk over tarps or an old blanket....

Perfect puddle crossing if you havent done so...

Hang rain slickers and rustly things around and begin  to desensitize your horse to wierd things...

Work on side passing over a poll (part of a trail class)
Or backing up through an L shape...
Create mazes of polls and walk through them..changing way you ask the horse to turn through the maze...(on the haunches on the forehand....goes great with the clock exercise)
Perfect giving to the bit under saddle. work on soft contact.

[affected]

Torsornin, that sounds fab, glad it's saturday tomorrow as I'll have all day to play!!!