Dumb question number II

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lucy1984

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I'm just thinking outloud. Although I have nearly 20 years of riding under my belt I'm not as experienced as some people, Ive never had a riding lesson in my life, so I hope you dont think I'm a complete spanner in the questions I ask
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Can a young horse be taught to work in an outline without the use of training aids? Is hill work alone enough? -

What other exercises would be useful to get them to work from behind?

I'm assuming working from behind and in an outline mean the same thing?
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BTW I will be having my very first lessons this summer with an instructor who will come out to my field to help me work on schooling my young horse so I dont end up ruining her!
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Yes, most people don't actually use training aids despite the amount of posts that are up on here about them! I haven't had young horses but when my older horse was coming back into work after treatment for hock spavins and a v sore back, I did lots of long and low, long reining to get him stretching and starting lateral work, and slowly bring him back up and get him to take the weight behind more. The aim is to teach the horse to carry itself rather than putting its head somewhere and fixing it with a gadget, though they do have their place sometimes.
 
You shouldn't need any aids at all, and not even hills! If they are ridden correctly from day 1 they find it comfortable to work in a loose outline (which you as the rider encourage) - this outline then matures as the horse gains more strength from more ridden work.
 
Yep!! chestnut cob has hit the nail on the head (so to speak)

Will be starting to long-rein my youngster this year as also encorrages young horses to lead the way and not rely so much on person leading them.
 
As others have said, you really do not need training aids for a correct outline.
The only ever "aid" I use is a martingale, fairly loosely fitted and often take it off for any flatwork in the arena and Lace (4yo) knows how to work over her back and into a loose outline.
 
I did start off by doing long reining - lots of, I did so much that when I did actually get on board she knew exactly what my leg aids meant. It was like she knew all along. She is so light off the leg, like a feather. Before I get on again this spring I will start by long reining again too for a couple of weeks. I have taught her how to lunge, but I dont lunge her, when I say long rein I mean walking 6ft behind.

Do you think I should lunge her with the two reins more this year?
 
I long rein in the arena (though you can use the field and I planned to when we had that snowy spell, if the arena hadn't defrosted) and do all of the normal school movements - circles, figures of 8, changes of rein, 2,3 and 4 loop serpentines (not so good at the serpentines yet though!). You can also start lateral work eventually on the LR; great because you can see exactly what is happening and the horse doesn't have the added weight of rider on top.

I lunge with 2 lines as well but tend to use in combination with long reins. So I would do my normal LR routine doing school figures, walk/halt transistions, changes of rein etc to stretch him, then put the reins up and do some lateral work, and finish on some trot work on a circle. I can't sort my knitting and coordination out well enough yet to be doing normal school figures in trot
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Personally I prefer long reining to lunging. I also work over walk and/or trot poles on both long reins and lunging with 2 lines. If you have the lines low on your roller, it should encourage the horse to stretch down. I find that mine tends to overbend a bit once he's warmed up so I put them up a hole then, and get on better with the outside rein over his back (instead of around his bum) for lateral work as have better control of outside shoulder.

This book is brilliant as a "how to" and has a lot in about how he trains young horses on the long reins. I actually find LR really satisfying and do it once a week normally with my horse.
 
I havent got a roller, I used to put the lines through the stirrups on the shortest level.

What do you mean by 'lateral work'? What does this mean? Is this when pressure is put on one side the horse moves off and walks sideways to the other?

Thanks for the link that books looks interesting, I shall definately invest and also buy a roller too!
 
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