Schooling advice – Keeping their attention!

[SavingGrace]

I have a bit of an issue with my young mare spending a bit too much time paying more attention to what is going on outside the arena that what I am asking her to do in the arena… Anyone got any ideas on exercised to keep her more attentive? She is still only rising 5 so I don’t really want to ask too much of her but at the same time want to keep her attentive.

 

[ThePony]

mmm, sounds a bit like my girl! Why pay the slightest attention to your rider if you can spend your time staring out of the arena?!

Our schooling anyway always contains alot of circles and serpentines of every description and size to encorage her to use her back end, with plenty of transitions too. If she stops paying attention then I immediatly put in a circle, and keep doing circles and serpentines until she is listening again, then carry on with what I was in the middle of! Nothing else seems to work very well, and she is always up to disagree with a challenge to her opinion, so avoiding the issue and just requesting different work instead of potentially starting an argument works well for us. Always ensures that work ensues from her skyving - she needs to have it black and white that skyving doesn't excuse her from the work we are doing!

 

[SavingGrace]

Bless

Sounds good I will try lots of that this evening with her x