Schooling excercises help please....

[miamibear]

Will keep this breif. New neddy going well love him BUT about 20 mins in to schooling session he gets really heavy in my hand and low. Usually is very light.

Its one of 2 things, 1 he gets bored of going round and round (likely!) OR 2 he is tired and not strong enough to do any more. OR combination of both!

I would like to know if introducing poles at this time in the session would help improve his stamina and take the weight off my hands?

If i let my hands drop he would go long and low but i want him to work more up and less low.

I try transitions which seems to work for about 2 to 3 strides then he weighs on my hands again. I feel like i need to push him through this barrier to improve him but letting him troll around on the forehand wont do him any good!

Any ideas people, need some excercises.

May have dressage test in Sept - first comp and think he will die after about 20 mins in the warm up then i wont have any energy / movement for the actual test!

 

[Haflinger]

Do you do a variety of exercises, not just focus on one movement/exercise?
Maybe try some fittening work as well.

 

[AmyMay]

Don't continually do circles - change your direction by doing surpentines, figures of eight etc.

Practice leg yielding from three quater line back to fence

Aim for at least 50 transitions in a 30 min period.

Ensure you allow your horse time to stretch his muscles out during the session.

Keep sessions short and sweet

and remember

You don't need to school in a school - you can do just as much hacking out.

 

[miamibear]

Will try to do more changes of direction as suggested, i do surpentines but will try others.

I do hack out quite a bit, dont do any more than 3 schooling sessions per week so i dont think he could be sour of the school.

He is usually better after a canter so maybe i should do a bit more cantering.

Thanks for all the advice

 

[vicm2509]

My horse can also be a bit heavy but this tends to be at the start of my schooling session.

Allow him to walk long and low 5 mins at the begining of your session so he is loose and relaxed.

When warming up start with lots of walk to halt, then trot to walk etc before cantering. Transitions really do help and stop them getting bored.

Each time he feels slightly heavy half halt him and apply leg. My instructor told me to do this and it worked well for my boy, especially the leg part (he did also get a bit fed up of the little mouth gabs he kept getting). Dont forget to always keep leg on when moving down a gait (this is when my boy tended to lean more), and make sure you keep the impusion throughout the whole session.

Also agree that lateral work is good at getting them to concentrate and move correctly. Start on the track, leg yield out, go straight for 2 strides then leg yield back (in either trot or canter). Also rein back and turn on the forehand...well anything really to keep him listening to you.

 

[rach1984horse]

Would some transitions such as halt to trot, then trot to halt help. Might help to get him pinging off your leg a bit more.

I've been taught not to do more than one lap of the school without chanigng something, ie a transition, a circle, a turn etc. This means that you are consiously making youself keep active and planning ahead.