loose schooling

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sue12345

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Who does loose schooling and why. What are the pro's and con's. Where do you do yours and how.
Thinking about these points as i am unable to ride at the mo due to injury so have been playing in the field with my two. I chase them around and they have a massive field but they don't run to the other end they just trott round me in circles. When i stop, they stop and wander up to me. I know it's a leadership thing and they are waiting for the next instruction but it go me thinking about loose schooling properly.
 
When loose schooling, i get my mare (newly broken) to walk, trot, canter, change direction, small jumps, poles etc.

Use body language, and voice to get them to do as you ask, and praise them. My mare knows walk on means walk, a double tongue click means trot, and canter is a kissing sound and a quick "go on"

My shoulder and body position dictates her direction and my general body language keeps her from stopping.
 
Its in a grass field that we use as a school, its not huge though.

You can also teach them to play football with those big pilates type balls, but my mare is still at the "Oh my god scary ball thing, run" stage
 
I find it really gets her listening and concentrating and she find its fun. She always has tail stuck out, ears pricked, and seems a lovely way to exercise and learn things without any stress or hassle.

I also find it incredibly relaxing!
 
I free school in my friend's outdoor school and just use my voice commands same as I do when riding or lunging. Hattie enjoys it as she can really use her back and stretch down and starts to carry herself in an outline. I tend to alternate it between lunging, ridden work and free schooling just so that she can build up her muscles and fitness in different ways. We're free schooling tomorrow morning!
 
I think my two are deffinatly enjoying it and they are in tandem. It's fascinating to watch them.
How long are your sessions.
 
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I do it so that they can stretch down and use their own minds as to where they are going rather than in a circle at the end of the lunge. My friends older horse was getting very cross and bored and so I told her to loose school him to give him something to think about and he loved it. this actually changed his personality.
 
Don't want to hijack the thread - but just wondering if you have any tips for changing direction/keeping a direction? My boy is great to loose school on his strong side (right rein) but he is an absolute pig on the left - spends the entire time on that side trying to change direction. He's getting less and less one-sided to ride, and he lunges fine on the left, but he's a pain in the backside to loose school that way. Problem is we have quite a big school and no way to create a smaller arena so it's difficult to keep him going once I have him started.
 
Keep behind his shoulder line and your eyes on his, if he goes to change, quickly move back and almost block him off (clearly not literally in his way...)

I do it for 20 mins, maybe abit more x
 
Thanks all. Most interesting. But OH wants his turn on comp. So it must be my turn to make tea. Will look forward to any other replys.
 
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