Making walking fun?!

[bex1984]

I need to get my ponio walking in the school more - he needs to be doing half an hour of brisk walk a day (don't ask why!!) - after the first half hour we can trot and canter.

I think we're probably going to both die of boredom, and my legs are going to fall off because I'm going to have to use them so much to keep him moving!! But it has to be done so...

...any ideas for making walking round for half an hour fun for us both (well, for him mainly!)?? I have to put poles out to make him stretch, and time how long it takes us to do a lap of the school...

any other imaginative suggestions?

 

[Sarah_Jane]

You can try some sideways exercises while you are walking a bit of leg yield and maybe shoulder in. Try and vary your route as much as possible.

 

[Shilasdair]

You could have different themes - such as;
A leg yield day where you go from the three quarter lines to the track and spiral in and out on circles.
A walking pole day - starting with flat poles, then raising them later on.
A shoulder in day, with setting up circles.
A squares day...when you ride squares and ask him to really step under and through with his inside hind
A flexion day...where you flex his neck in and out, then correctly on a 20m circle
A turn on the forehand and/or walk piroutte (turn on the haunches) day?
A dressage test day...where you walk through dressage tests, but aim to be 100% accurate with your circles, etc.
Lengthening and shortening the walk stride?
Loads you can do...when I used to teach riding, I used to have leg yield weeks, dressage to music weeks etc just so I didn't repeat a lesson as I could never remember what I'd made anyone do the week before

S

 

[madmav]

And maybe some things to look at (spook at!) such as some rugs thrown around, cones, fillers, anything to make it more of an event.

 

[bex1984]

ooo some good ideas there....I probably should have mentioned that I am a useless rider and my pony has no schooling....but I suppose that means we can try to learn some new things in walk to keep us both amused!!

Will have to hope the herons are in the field next to the school as he finds them quite interesting!

 

[Blizzard]

Can you not go out if its walking you need to do?

Mine would die of boredom walking aroun the school for 30mins, and my legs would drop off, yet a 30min walk in hack means I dont need to use my leg constantly, and its more enjoyable for the horse.

 

[bex1984]

I can only ride after 5pm in the week so am confined to the school. I don't hack alone and don't often ahve anyone to hack out with, so we may not get out at the weekend either

Poor pony.