Fun riding ideas for small child on leadrein

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chachabing

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Does anyone have any ideas for fun things to do while on the leadrein?

My 5yo niece has been coming up to help with my 14.2 veteran, she loves 'helping'!
Last week she rode and we walked on the leadrein, I showed her how to steer so we did some changes of rein and circles, then played a game where she put her hands on head, hips, out in front etc to help balance, then we did a few small trots, the finally did a wee obstacle course: stepping over poles, over tar pooling, weaving between cones etc. Because pony is far too big for child my niece isn't able to ride off leadrein for a while yet, so does anyone have any fun ideas to try? Thanks in advance
 
Around the worlds, saddle rolls, head shoulders knees and toes...
See how many stand ups she can do between markers in walk and trot depending on strong she is...
Touching/pointing to various points of the pony- start with mane and tail, and build it up to poll, hocks/knees, hooves etc.
Take her for a walk around the 'block'?
Sing various other silly songs, is it clippity clop? I don't know!
Tell a story with actions attached to key words, so pretend your in a jungle and oh look there's a tree in front of you, you need to duck quickly! Then you keep walking around the arena, and point out various other hazards like the mosquitoes that need waving away, the crocodiles trying to eat the childs toes and need her to lift them up to the pommel....
There's loads of things you can do!
 
A little exercise to help her learn where to put her legs properly is for her to do "up like a jockey, out like a froggy, down like a cowboy" so on the jockey bit she pulls her knees right up to the front of the saddle, for froggy she keeps her feet where they are up to from the jockey position but turns her knees out as far as she can and then for cowboy let her legs hang down as long as she can make them from the froggy position as a start point...I still use this now to get me into a deep seat with long legs!! (At a mere 5' I need all the help I can get to lengthen my legs!) :D
 
A bit like an obstacle course, but a mini "jumping course" of just poles on the ground, where she has to steer over them? When she gets good enough and can control steering in trot you could set her a challenge to see how many she can get over in a minute - good for counting as well!

Round the World, Scissors, how far forward / back can she lean, versions of bits of gymkhana games where we has to pick up objects, carry them and put them down again?

All the balance exercises are great, in trot as well as walk when she's capable - hands on head, superman arms, aeroplane arms, arms straight up - she can't really do too much of those IMO!

Stretching exercises in halt and walk - ankle circles, leg swings, leg stretches etc. It will build her confidence even if it isn't very effective at this stage in making her more flexible! A little tiny bit of work without stirrups when she has the balance will help develop her confidence.

Could she do some groundwork as well? My horse is pretty good at backing up, picking feet up, stopping when you stop, to the extent that he'll obey a five year old (and wave his foot gently around wondering why they've asked him to pick it up but don't take hold of it :P) - obviously it needs close supervision but again marvellous for confidence if she can see the horse directly obeying her instructions.

Can you do mini "hacks" as well as school work to keep it interesting?
 
Love all these ideas!
There are lots of short loop rides around the yard which they have been going out on but niece really likes 'schooling' although they will only be going in the a few times a month - I think she likes it because she sees the grown up girls cantering round in there and so when she goes in she feels all grown up and posh!

Great story idea and I had forgotten about head, shoulders, knees and toes...I did that myself as a child! Also love foggy legs and standing up in the stirrups, which reminds me I need to some shorter leathers ATM she needs two twists in my jumping ones!
 
She's also been doing some basic ground work - leading in from field but maybe I'll take them in school as a safe place to practice backing up, moving to side etc. perhaps she could even lead her round the obstacle course.
 
We used to play the 'crocodile game' with young children being led just learning the basics at the riding school I worked at. Start with two poles a metre apart - it is the bridge and you get them to ride a 20m circle with the aim of riding through the bridge. Each time the poles get closer together so it's to help them getting used to their steering and a nice even turn across the school. If they miss the bridge the crocodiles come and snap after them so if you are happy for her to trot you can trot away from them and start again.
 
If you've got the time you could do a treasure hunt - maybe with picture clues instead of words as she's only 5. She has to solve the clue, then steer the pony to the right place, maybe collect some things that she can put in a pocket, like a type of flower, piece of string etc.
 
My 4 yr old rides my 13.2 and has for the last year she loves a game where I got 5 little plastic baskets and 5 bean bags which I put in the baskets then the baskets on fence posts and she has to ride along the fence taking them out and putting them in. Also I put a line of tall electric posts and give her 2 small plastic jugs which she drops into and picks off the posts which you can set up in any pattern and she does in walk and trot. I also got 2 sets of coloured cones which I set up in pairs and she calls them different countries - we fly through Africa - arms out , swim through France duck down through Spain and lie backwards through Australia etc ! - good for geography as well as riding. Just be careful putting up raised poles - madam assured me we were walking over them - 3 strides out gives a good kick into trot and jumps them ! Not good for my nerves. We also don't have a school so ride up and down hills go under branches etc from the beginning so she thinks it is normal and easy. It's good fun when she won't be off lead for years.
 
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