'Charging up' a lazy horse- any advice?

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FlaxenPony05

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Was just hoping for some advice on how to get a very lazy horse a bit more 'charged up' in the school. It's a battle even to get him into trot, even with some firm squeezes and a tap with the whip. How can I get him to be more forward going? Is it a rider error? Thank you :)
 
One of mine is the same , he's better is lessons probably as I'm more focused. Maybe one pony club kick Or a harder smack with tour crop to see if that helps rather than lots of nagging with your legs? I very occasionally have to give frankie a bigger kick but it only takes one to get him focused. I always feel very guilty afterwards though lol.
 
My lad is doing great in the school now, doing LOTS of transitions to keep his mind going - three paces of each, or four.....

walk.stop.canter.trot.stop.trot.backwards.canter.stop.jump.walk.

It really does work and is quite good fun if you use your voice - I done even need to use my legs most of the time :)
 
Thank you dilbert and shysmum- I will try him with lots of transitions next time. Apart from that, do you have any suggestions on how to make a schooling session a bit more interesting for him?
 
If he's really responsive out hacking and only gets lazy in the school, is there a field/flat area you could use to school in instead, just to mix it up a bit? The TB i sold this summer was a bit like this, although rather than going lazy as such he got stuffy/didn't move forwards as nicely. So I did most of my schooling in a big open space, and then when i did have to use the school due to darkness etc, he felt a lot less 'stale'.

Also polework can make things more interesting- to give him something to focus on where his feet are going so he can't just shuffle along!
 
keep it very short for starters ! i do no more than 20 mins, sometimes just 5 if I can sense he's not up for it, as long as he does what he's asked. Trotting poles can help, and what about trying a bit of de-spooking ? Dot weird things around the school - a brolly, a bit of tarpaulin, odd and ends, and ask him to walk past these, then trot.


Shy is terrible in the school with other horses, so not a good idea for me.
 
I hate schooling :( with my youngster we just do lots of transitions and things on hacks. How about just learning little dressage tests then you could just practice them once or twice a session? I found I was more focused when were preparing for intro a test a few weeks back.
 
shysmum said:
keep it very short for starters ! i do no more than 20 mins, sometimes just 5 if I can sense he's not up for it, as long as he does what he's asked. Trotting poles can help, and what about trying a bit of de-spooking ? Dot weird things around the school - a brolly, a bit of tarpaulin, odd and ends, and ask him to walk past these, then trot.


Shy is terrible in the school with other horses, so not a good idea for me.
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Thank you, but he is completely bombproof so wouldn't bat an eyelid! Might sound silly, but the problem with lots of transitions is that if I can barely even get him to trot, let alone canter, then how am I supposed to do them?
 
Carl Hester at the BD Convention last week siad to ride them in walk on a loose rein, ask nicely for canter and when they ignore your polite request, boot them into it (I'm paraphrasing!) then do walk/canter, walk gallop, and keep going - keep them guessing what you're going to ask but make them anxious to oblige as soon as you ask. Worked last week on my lazy mare! He also said that in a schooling session you should do at least 200 transitions......
 
Right then, here's my suggestion, for what it's worth ;)

1) First of all, have you tried spurs ? I ride in the roller-ball spurs, and find them really effective but they are gentle (as long as you use them right).

2) I don't use a whip - I use a whip-whop - as in a spare lead rein attached to the front of the saddle, which you can gently slap from side to side to get attention. A year ago, before I discovered the whip whop, I used to have to resort to picking up the lunge whip, and never touching him with it, just waggled it around, and that got him moving in the required direction ;)

3) Stop is a good place to start. Insist it's straight. Then practice walking in a straight line, then stop, then curves, but insist that the walk is forward. Use your seat as well as your legs to push the movement.

4) When you've got somewhere, try trot, just two paces, then back to stop. try and give with your reins as much as you can, and "think" forward.

It all sounds very tedious, but it's worth it. For a pony that used to buck and nap to the gate, we now have the ability to keep cantering round the school at a good pace :)

oooo and the most important thing is to make it fun - I use my voice a lot, talking and singing.
 
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shysmum said:
Right then, here's my suggestion, for what it's worth ;)

1) First of all, have you tried spurs ? I ride in the roller-ball spurs, and find them really effective but they are gentle (as long as you use them right).

2) I don't use a whip - I use a whip-whop - as in a spare lead rein attached to the front of the saddle, which you can gently slap from side to side to get attention. A year ago, before I discovered the whip whop, I used to have to resort to picking up the lunge whip, and never touching him with it, just waggled it around, and that got him moving in the required direction ;)

3) Stop is a good place to start. Insist it's straight. Then practice walking in a straight line, then stop, then curves, but insist that the walk is forward. Use your seat as well as your legs to push the movement.

4) When you've got somewhere, try trot, just two paces, then back to stop. try and give with your reins as much as you can, and "think" forward.

It all sounds very tedious, but it's worth it. For a pony that used to buck and nap to the gate, we now have the ability to keep cantering round the school at a good pace :)

oooo and the most important thing is to make it fun - I use my voice a lot, talking and singing.
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Thank you! I'll try this all and report back
 
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you both. I also changed his diet, and Shy now gets Topspec Lite, plus linseed oil, every day. Ad-lib hay. So I know he has the right vits and mins, and he is actually gleaming with health.

ps, PLEASE let me know how you get on, and if Shy and I can help any more xx

pps, forgot to add that if stop becomes too much of a "I AM NOT MOVING" make him go backwards, just two paces. He'll get the shock of his life !! (Use your legs and voice for impulsion, but don't let him go forwards or sideways, lol).
 
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my mare is very responsive whilst out hacking, but VERY lazy in the school...I borrow a neighbours school occasionaly but feel I shouldn't stay in there too long just out of politeness as it's outside their house...so sometimes the whole time is spent just getting her to walk on, she can be very nappy and will just plant her feet in the ground. I found using my voice and getting really excited encouraged her to move, and once she was moving keeping up the energy and excitement in my voice and body helped loads. Literally spent the whole ride talking to her in a very encouraging voice, non-horsey people must have thought I was mad haha but it seemed to work well! Actually got a few rounds of a fairly forward trot the last time we used the school, which is a record for her lol! :)
 
I had the same problem - I do more transitions now and was also told to try 'le trec' by my instructor. Typically it's out hacking but you can do it in the school. (Bit like handy pony for adults!) Lots of pole work, canter through narrow poles , bending round cones etc. I don't do it every time but my boy is a lot more active now we don't just trot around in circles :)
 
I have had this problem in a big way with my previous loan horse...

1)Transitions, transitions, transitions!!!!!! Get him listening!
2) Really work on getting him off ur leg... make sure you get reaction as soon as u askfor something. LOTS of praise when u get the reaction. Make sure your not restricting the horse what so ever to prevent them moving forwards.
3) Make sure you are not nagging with your leg (this is very easy to fall into the habit of doing!)
4) Change your routine, mix things up as much as possible when riding to prevent your horse becoming bored ie hack one day, jump next, school the next. Dont do the same hacking routes or same schooling sessions. Try new things!

Hope this helps, i know myself how frustrating it is!
 
shysmum said:
My lad is doing great in the school now, doing LOTS of transitions to keep his mind going - three paces of each, or four.....

walk.stop.canter.trot.stop.trot.backwards.canter.stop.jump.walk.

It really does work and is quite good fun if you use your voice - I done even need to use my legs most of the time :)
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This, it really does work, particularly if you make sure that you are sitting as correctly as possible, so that all YOUR energy is going into the right place.
 
Wow thank you everybody for the advice and yes Lucie one thing that I found myself doing was constantly nagging, even when he was going forward I was still nagging, which is something I now know is a big no-no!
 
I'd Echo the advice given above re transitions... and can give you a few tips based on my own experience with my own lazy youngster...

You have to mean what you ask for. If he doesn't go off a polite aid, you make it firmer until he does respond.

Try using different types of whip from time to time so that the noise it makes is different- helps keep them on their toes...

try spurs... didn't make much difference to mine though... lol!

I had a few lessons with my instructor chasing us around with a lunge whip(!!!).... and while you don't want to rely on this it is a brilliant way of renforcing your aids and having another human being on the ground telling the horse 'she really bloody means it mate, so get on with it!!!'

make sure you've got a decent contact going on so that horse has something to work into ...

Good luck!
 
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