Lethargic flatwork sessions

[Emmap2222]

My horse is really lethargic and unwilling in the school when I do flatwork, but when I come to jump or hack he’s absolutely fine? (Sometimes the can be slow on hacks as well). Doesn’t matter how hard I try, I end my flatwork sessions disheartened and absolutely exhausted 😩. Does anyone have any advice for me?

 

[Mule]

Sometimes I jump mine during flatwork to pep him up. It makes him more enthusiastic. I also do cavaletti.

 

[Emmap2222]

Ah ok, thank you. We don’t have low enough jumps to do Cavaletties and our school is very small but thank you for the advice 😊

 

[Emmap2222]

Sometimes I jump mine during flatwork to pep him up. It makes him more enthusiastic. I also do cavaletti.

Ah ok, thank you. We don’t have low enough jumps to do Cavaletties and our school is very small but thank you for the advice 😊
Read more at https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/lethargic-flatwork-sessions.770929/#drDL7CwlT5ASFKu9.99

 

[View]

Having a school was pretty rare until recently. Schooling doesn't need to be done in a school. What happens if you school during hacks?

 

[greybadger19]

Echo both of the above comments: interspersing flatwork with jumping is great for forwardness, and also, I find, shoulder mobility. A jump is just a long, elevated canter stride at the end of the day... Equally, if he's forwards out hacking, then school him our hacking. It's amazing how long you can do shoulder in and travers for down a road!

 

[Emmap2222]

Having a school was pretty rare until recently. Schooling doesn't need to be done in a school. What happens if you school during hacks?

I’ve never tried it since there aren’t many open spaces that don’t have crops on the at the moment and I normally hack out with horses who school much better

 

[Emmap2222]

Echo both of the above comments: interspersing flatwork with jumping is great for forwardness, and also, I find, shoulder mobility. A jump is just a long, elevated canter stride at the end of the day... Equally, if he's forwards out hacking, then school him our hacking. It's amazing how long you can do shoulder in and travers for down a road!

Thank you I’ll try it

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I always wonder when I see posts like yours, OP, if at least part of the problem is the depth of the school surface. If your surface is ok, try just putting poles out randomly around the arena, use them to canter/trot over and also as markers for different movements/ transitions.

 

[tallyho!]

You don’t need jumps to do cavaletti, just put poles on the ground.

I agree with schooling out hacking. So much better and more interesting.

 

[blitznbobs]

What are you doing currently to energise flatwork sessions?

 

[JFTDWS]

Is he truly sound on the school surface? Deep, uneven, artificial surfaces aren't really great for horses' legs. Often it's masked jumping by the excitement and adrenaline.

When you school, do you keep it interesting and vary the programme, or do you trot around in boring circles trying to fix an "outline"?

Poles, small jumps, larger jumps - they can all be a part of flatwork schooling. It shouldn't be a dichotomy - it's all training. And working out on hacks doesn't need a big space - you can work a horse in straight lines to great effect in many cases.

 

[Denbob]

If you don't have small enough jumps for cavaletti, a load of poundland potties are great for raised poles. I second schooling on hacks - I'm starting to encourage lateral work with Denzel and I find it helps to be doing longer straight lines and not having to ride a corner, straighten up, ask for lateral, and then finding myself in a corner again. There's so much more space! Same with flexion and shoulder-in. The whole experience is so much more relaxed for both of us.

 

[Emmap2222]

I always wonder when I see posts like yours, OP, if at least part of the problem is the depth of the school surface. If your surface is ok, try just putting poles out randomly around the arena, use them to canter/trot over and also as markers for different movements/ transitions.

Yes it could be because we have a small sand school and at his old yard he had a large surfaced school, but unfortunately I can’t do anything about that

 

[ester]

I’ve never tried it since there aren’t many open spaces that don’t have crops on the at the moment and I normally hack out with horses who school much better

You don't need an open space, you just use the road and if you have any country lanes lots of lateral work transitions etc.
I too worry about surfaces being deep when people say their horses are really different in schools.

 

[Emmap2222]

Thank you, and our school is definitely not deep 😂 the sand has been there for a while I think 🤔

 

[ycbm]

Was he very different in the bigger school?

Sand which isn't deep can be extremely hard, and riding on it like doing circles on a tarmac tennis court.

I would be wondering if he finds it painful.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Yes it could be because we have a small sand school and at his old yard he had a large surfaced school, but unfortunately I can’t do anything about that

You can't change the surface but you can change what you do with the pony. What is he like trotting on the road? If he dislikes that hard surface, I would get the vet to have a look at him.

 

[Emmap2222]

Was he very different in the bigger school?

Sand which isn't deep can be extremely hard, and riding of it like doing circles on a tarmac tennis court.

I would be wondering if he finds it painful.

He wasn’t extremely different as it was hard to keep him cantering for one lap and now he struggles to get a few strides of canter when we do flatwork but I jumped him a few days ago and he was flying around the school in canter without me asking (which was a bit of a shock 😂).

 

[Emmap2222]

You can't change the surface but you can change what you do with the pony. What is he like trotting on the road? If he dislikes that hard surface, I would get the vet to have a look at him.

He’s fine trotting down a road, I still have to push him on a bit but I generally do the whole of the hack (but less than I would if I was doing flatwork). He has all 4 shoes on and the vet comes for checkups since he has cushings and is on a tablet for that. But he could be in pain, thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I'm guessing that as he has Cushings he is an older horse (I know not all Cushings horses are old), in that case I would suspect arthritis and ask the vet to check/medicate for that. I think I would ask the vet for bute in the first instance and see if that improves anything. If it does you know that the problem is caused by pain.

 

[Goldenstar]

I do think this a job for the vet .

 

[Emmap2222]

I'm guessing that as he has Cushings he is an older horse (I know not all Cushings horses are old), in that case I would suspect arthritis and ask the vet to check/medicate for that. I think I would ask the vet for bute in the first instance and see if that improves anything. If it does you know that the problem is caused by pain.

Yes he’s 17, and thank you 😊