Ok - so you've got half an hour to school...

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walkandtrot

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What would your half hour consist of?? We're in the middle of awful weather up here in S W scotland, Petplans dressage at the weekend, local indoor school unaccessable, so friends school to use, half hour if lucky between storms???? Any suggestions to supple and stretch my horseey....
 
i have a quick walk trot and canter round to stretch out and warm up, then just do a lot of trot work leg yield, shoulder in, different movements around the school and work on lots of transitions, err then I do some canter work varying tempo and direction lots of simple changes counter canter to keep it interesting, then finish with a few flying changes which end up with me galloping flat out round the school (not by choice
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) then I go back to trot and do 5 mins really good trot work before asking him to stretch down long and low, then walk around a bit, then leap off and dive for cover as the heavens open!!!! I only usually school for half an hour, but I do work him quite hard and do a lot in that time (although I am probably not the person to give advice bein rubbish at dressage!!)
 
i have been lunging to let off excess energy then putting on a roller and side reins, but our school has now turned into a bog.

I am getting desperate my horse is NOT a hacking horse and just spooks at everything out on a ride with or without another horse and its getting dangerous.

I just dont know what to do without our school.
 
i would walk/trot/canter big circles long and low/round and deep (dependant on horse) to warm up. then really just pick one trot thing and one canter thing to work on, for EG my 4yo needs to have better suppleness and bend in his trot-canter transitions, so i would do some big sweeoing trot leg yields and flexing and counter flexion on a circle, so i can then have him soft to both sides of his neck, leg yield him out half a circle and then ask for my canter.

Dont give yourself too much to do-work on your horses *biggie*. if he can be dull off the leg, only work on that-quick transitions, legs off exercise etc. If he can be hot-work on stretching over the back and looseness-lateral work and varying the outline etc. if he's stiff work on flexion exercises.

generally, to make the most of the time available:
*always ride on the inside track, this makes you aware of the when the horse is not even between both legs, and both hands and also teaches them to balance themselves and not lean on you or the fence. this is easy to implement up the levels, from walk-halt transitions to flying changes.

* do quick (2/3 per long side) trot-halt-trot transitions on the inside track, making sure the horse is straight and even going in to and out of the half and moves briskly off the leg. any horse of any level benefits from this.

*good exercise to do in trot and canter is to ride large(but on the inside track!!!) but make the short ends in to a half circle, no corners, then ride medium trot or canter on the half circle and collect it up on the long sides.this makes the horse stay straight in the collection and bring the hind legs under further, most people do this exercise the other way round and its SO easy for the horse to avoid stepping under by going crooked and stepping OUT on the circle. again this works for a 4yo doing tiny lengthened strides, to an advanced horse that can go extension to passage to piaffe, or extension to pirouette canter.

*ride 3/4/5 loop serpentines (dependant on horses level of schooling) keeping the same flexion for every loop, so it ends up as alternate loops of true and then counter flexion, to improve suppleness.can do that in all paces.

I always finish off canter, then trot, then walk long and low to cool down.
 
I normally only school for 30 minutes anyway, but then I have a 5yo who tends to get brain strain after much more than that.
My general session would be something along the lines of
5 minutes - strong walk, stretching, towards the end a few LY strides here and there
5 minutes trot work - again in a fairly forwards stretching outline, using figures of 8's, serpentines and towards the end slightly smaller circles.
followed by short canter on both reins
5 minutes - trot/walk/halt transitions and transitions within the paces
10 minutes - short walk break followed by whatever exercise I decide to work on that day
5 minutes - stretching in trot and then walk
 
I'm really boring so would do 15mins walk warming up then working on circles and lateral work. Quick losen up trot and canter both reins. Ride a dressage test through and work on the but that went worst. If it was all bad then do transition circles either rein. Cool down, leave
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Im with Rara_2009 here but I have an oldie who needs a fairly long warm up, if time's an issue I do mostly walk, but make it a good walk and get him "through", using load of lateral stuff, towards the end I'll go into rising trot, hopefully by then it'll be loose and forward, I might not even bother with canter because usually it follows that it'll be ok if the walk and trot is good. My old boy is spooky in the school in the dark anyway and gets scared of the fence down one side to I tend to not do much canter in the week anyway!
 
if it's a reasonably fit/young horse, then ignore the walk and go straight into trot, making it forward going with a looseish rein and encourage them to step through with behind - tonne of circles, changes of reins, figures in the school (1/2 circles, loops off the track, etc...) then pop a canter for a few minutes then if you want them to work into an outline go back to the trot with a shorter rein and push for engagement in the hindquarters - keep with the circles, turns, 3/4 lines etc...
make the 30 minutes worth doing in terms of raising their heart rate and getting them working.
it can be quite aiding for their mentality if you "get on a get going!" and it can really freshen horses up making them more positive towards their work,
hope it helps and/or the storms subside!
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I would focus on relaxation, transitions even if its just walk halt walk halt! your horse knows how to trot and canter so I wouldnt worry too much about running him around! but keeping him happy and relaxed will pay off instead of stressing and trying to cram loads into a 30min session!
 
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