Riding at walk in a school

[poiuytrewq]

???
Work not mine. Horses are schooling types, very thoroughly a plod down the lanes sorts.
However they are not ridden out on the roads. I was able to use a little circuit of the owners land but this is now too muddy.
Owners appear happy enough with 15/20 minutes but I’m finding even 10 of walking round in circles very tedious.
Basically they just don’t want to go forward (bored sh/*less) I can alternate with lunging.
some kind of in hand stuff might also be a plan but they are so cumbersome and stuffy I have no idea what might be beneficial.
I have some poles, that’s about it.
Please someone come up with a few ideas to make this a bit more fun on all of us!

 

[SEL]

Welcome to my 'I damaged myself again mum' rehab life!!

Grab a dressage test and do it in walk. Jec Ballou (sp) and her 50 corrective exercises for horses are also helpful.

But yes - its dull.

 

[Petmurf]

As above, a dressage test, different Pole exercises ridden and in hand, agility stuff, under and over things, through things etc

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Can the horse do lateral work? If so that would relieve some of the monotony!

 

[littleshetland]

Walk pirouettes, leg yields, half passes etc etc?

 

[Meredith]

Trec type obstacles, in hand and ridden?

 

[Annagain]

Could you build yourself a little obstacle course with things lying around? A tarpaulin, a patio umbrella, a sheet of ply to make a 'bridge', flags to walk past / through etc Or look at some TREC websites and build yourself a course, things like the S bend and the corridor are handy if you have a few poles. Once it's up you can work round it on days you're not using it. There's also a good group on Facebook called Equestrian pole club withlots of pole exercises that can be done at any pace.

The one pole challenge appears a lot on there - do it in hand first then ridden. You get one pole and get the horse to straddle it all the way along (so left feet one side, right feet the other and walk the whole length). There's also an obligatory halt for the photo . It's harder than it sounds!

 

[Meredith]

Trec type obstacles, in hand and ridden?

Could you build yourself a little obstacle course with things lying around? A tarpaulin, a patio umbrella, a sheet of ply to make a 'bridge', flags to walk past / through etc Or look at some TREC websites and build yourself a course, things like the S bend and the corridor are handy if you have a few poles. Once it's up you can work round it on days you're not using it. There's also a good group on Facebook called Equestrian pole club withlots of pole exercises that can be done at any pace.

The one pole challenge appears a lot on there - do it in hand first then ridden. You get one pole and get the horse to straddle it all the way along (so left feet one side, right feet the other and walk the whole length). There's also an obligatory halt for the photo . It's harder than it sounds!

???
I think we must be psychic

 

[Annagain]

???
I think we must be psychic

Is it weird that I thought the same thing?

 

[MotherOfChickens]

all the above plus riding a square with turns on forehand/turns on haunches at each corner. Put up some cones and teach them to neck rein, ground tie, SI and shoulder out on the straight line, side pass along a pole, a pole corridor, a pole S shape etc etc

 

[Tarragon]

What about introducing some music and changes of tempo?

 

[daydreamer]

I like to ride up a long side, half 10m circle then head back to the track near E/Bish then repeat so it is sort of a figure of 8. Then work in slow/fast walk, walk-halt transitions, leg yields, inside outside bend, shoulder-in, extra circle in the middle at E or B. Keeps the brain busy (yours and the horse’s!) and really loosens up the body.

 

[SEL]

Or find someone with a polocrosse racket or polo stick and learn in walk. Had fun playing polox with mine in walk when she was a baby - good de spooking

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

I sometimes ' write ' words while riding around the school in walk ie I will imagine that the arena is a blank page and I am using the horse to write very large letters to form a word or names , sentences etc . Try " I hate spending hours riding in walk " for starters , and then move on to a few swear words maybe ?

 

[sbloom]

There are so many in hand programmes available now, the fun ones would be in hand Le Trec and Horse Agility. If you do get into corrective work then helping their posture may make them more enthusiastic about movement.