rising 5 year olds- tell me what you do with them each week?

NeverSayNever

NeverSayNever

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i have a youngster who will be 5 in june. id be interested in hearing about what people with similar aged horses are doing week to week?

ive only had my lad a few weeks and due to 'other life issues' at the moment im not able to get out anywhere with him as yet or do 1/2 the things id hoped.

a typical week at the moment consists of 1x 30mins lunging session, 1x 40mins-1hr schooling with some lowkey jumping at the end, 3x laid back hacks out.


before i got him i know he was out hunting and had done a few hunter trials, and im feeling frustrated that i cant get him out anywhere at the moment, but i suppose it means im not rushing anything and we are getting to know one another.
 
Mine is exactly the same age as yours. At the moment she does 5 days a week of hacking with some schooling incorporated, hacks are normally anything between 30mins to 1.30hr. She will be lunged, jumped or schooled once or twice alongside that. I never school for any longer than 30mins, but do work her hard when she is schooled/jumped :)
 
Star will be 5 in May.
he is competing novice, schooling medium.

he does 3 x 45mins in the school, 1 x hr hack and then either a show or a pole/small jump session per week.

he's a very grown up 5 though.
 
Mine will be 5 in july :)
I hack out (walking mainly, one canter) about 4 times per week, 1 schooling session for approx 35 mins sometimes i lunge once a week too. Taking up my lessons again next week so probably do 2 schooling sessions per week and the rest hacking :)
 
Warm up (long rein/stretches etc) and then a short 10 minute schooling sesh, halts/walking/small amout of trotting working on a large and 20 m circle, then finish with a ride around the grass field for 5 to wind down (just walking) or a short 10 minute hack around the village, again just walking.

Because he's been out of work and just back in (ridden work this last month) I'm just building his muscles back up and going over the basics again, keeping him sweet.
 
Frodo and princess sparkle - I really want to do dressage with my TB mare but having a few probs with contact - when i take one up she resists so much and tosses her head about. I have been told that shes still young (5 in july) and she probably hasn't worked up the correct muscles yet, but there are lots of 4 yr olds about doing novice dressage - have you any tips i could try with my mare? we have a test end of may but its looking grim :( shes ridden 5 times per week, mainly hacking and now am at a yard will be doing mosre schooling.
 
thanks, its really good to hear lots of others are doing similar to me. i do try to school out on hacks as well- biggest challenge is a straight line!
 
dont panic that she resists-she will do! you are asking her to work in a way that is different and thus difficult for her muscles and brain to process.

they key is too ask firmly (but fairly) and not back off when she tosses her head or opens her mouth etc, and when she softens, verbally praise her and soften your inside hand a little, and scratch her wither with your inside hand as you soften is so it is obvious that yes, THAT is the answer you wanted. initially ask her to walk or trot a couple of cirlces in that outline, and then let her stretch how ever she pleases on a long rein, dont do too much in one go as otherwise you will make her sore and bored and she will be doubly resistant next time.

some good basic exercises to supple her are riding big squares with a 1/4 turn on the forehand in each corner, spiralling in and out of circles (dont go smaller than 15m initially), leg yeilds from centre line to fence and also practice being able to gently flex her to the inside and then the outside of a circle. support the relevant bend with the same inside leg to ask the hind leg to step under more and carry her weight.

make sure that although you firmly ask her to soften if she objects, that when she does soften, the contact becomes lighter and softer, but there still must be a contact-just a lighter one, dont drop the contact/connection.

if she wants to stretch down long and low, let her, encourage this to loosen her back.later this will be one of her many different *frames/gears*.

i quite agree that you dont want to be asking a 5yo to do a solid hour session in a competition frame.....but if you never ask for it, you never get, and if you never get it, you cant build up the muscles to carry it for longer....chicken and egg....so be firm but tactful, and allow frequent stretchy breaks.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
dont panic that she resists-she will do! you are asking her to work in a way that is different and thus difficult for her muscles and brain to process.

they key is too ask firmly (but fairly) and not back off when she tosses her head or opens her mouth etc, and when she softens, verbally praise her and soften your inside hand a little, and scratch her wither with your inside hand as you soften is so it is obvious that yes, THAT is the answer you wanted. initially ask her to walk or trot a couple of cirlces in that outline, and then let her stretch how ever she pleases on a long rein, dont do too much in one go as otherwise you will make her sore and bored and she will be doubly resistant next time.

some good basic exercises to supple her are riding big squares with a 1/4 turn on the forehand in each corner, spiralling in and out of circles (dont go smaller than 15m initially), leg yeilds from centre line to fence and also practice being able to gently flex her to the inside and then the outside of a circle. support the relevant bend with the same inside leg to ask the hind leg to step under more and carry her weight.

make sure that although you firmly ask her to soften if she objects, that when she does soften, the contact becomes lighter and softer, but there still must be a contact-just a lighter one, dont drop the contact/connection.

if she wants to stretch down long and low, let her, encourage this to loosen her back.later this will be one of her many different *frames/gears*.

i quite agree that you dont want to be asking a 5yo to do a solid hour session in a competition frame.....but if you never ask for it, you never get, and if you never get it, you cant build up the muscles to carry it for longer....chicken and egg....so be firm but tactful, and allow frequent stretchy breaks.
Click to expand...

Everything said here is spot on, when we bought Lace she was very resistant to take a contact and would head toss, we did similar things to what princesssparkle has done (although not quite as elegantly as ps and gorgeous star) and the difference is amazing.

Lace turned 5 last month and she is ridden 6 times a week, ideally 2 x hacking, 2x flatwork, 1x jumping and then the other day could be a comp/rc rally, flatwork lesson. When schooling (flatwork and jumping) I make sure she has a very good stretch to start, in walk and then a little in trot, repeated halfway through a session and then a very good stretch in walk at the end.
 
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