Schooling exercises in walk

only_me

only_me

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As above really :p

Billy is coming back into work after box rest, he's currently fully sound and living out 24/7 very very happily!!
Normally in winter I'd just hack at weekends but I need to do a bit more with him during the week in order to get him back up to standard. He is currently hacking at weekends for an hour- hour & half at a walk on roads and is great! Mixture between loose rein and into contact.

So I'd love some ideas for interesting walking exercises I can do with him in the school, otherwise I'll bore myself and him to tears lol.

I am going to try and get some sort of music system working - think a Bluetooth speaker attached to me would work? Any ideas very much appreciated!

Here's a pic of him after 7 weeks box rest - I think he looks pretty good! Apologies for the headless pic - he's rather large to get a proper stood up picture on the end of the rope :p

image_zpscnnu86cr.jpeg
 
I'm just bringing one of mine back into work after his holiday. I find lots of change of rein, shallow loops, serpentines and circles of various sizes keep it more interesting together with leg yield and shoulder in.

One exercise I like is to do a 20 metre circle and then spiral in and out in leg yield. Another is to start at A (or C) ride a half 10m circle in our direction and then a half 10m circle in the opposite direction and continue doing this until I reach the other end of the school. Diamonds with little quarter turns on either the forehand or haunches are another one I use. I also find it very useful to ride up the 3/4 line to test for straightness.
 
What has your vet suggested? Following some injuries it is best to avoid small circles and lateral work. If that's the case you are limited to walk-halt exercises and walking over poles of the ground. If you can do more demanding work then thee are more options:
- half 10 meters circle in the top corner, change the rein back to the track at B, ten metre circle ta B, continue and half 10 metre circle change the rein at the next corner.
- ride a shallow diagonal and before you hit the track quarter pirouette to point to the other digonal, repeat across school.
- ten metre circle, shoulder in along the straight lines, quarter pirouette for the corners.
 
Booboos said:
What has your vet suggested? Following some injuries it is best to avoid small circles and lateral work. If that's the case you are limited to walk-halt exercises and walking over poles of the ground. If you can do more demanding work then thee are more options:
- half 10 meters circle in the top corner, change the rein back to the track at B, ten metre circle ta B, continue and half 10 metre circle change the rein at the next corner.
- ride a shallow diagonal and before you hit the track quarter pirouette to point to the other digonal, repeat across school.
- ten metre circle, shoulder in along the straight lines, quarter pirouette for the corners.
Click to expand...

Vet happy to go back into full work as normal (obviously building up slowly) as it wasn't a soft tissue injury.

Thanks for ideas Eggs and BB :)
 
Start with a few circuits of the school in a long rein walk asking for stretch and relaxation with the walk marching forward, not dawdling.

Pick up to medium walk and mix and match the following, obviously tailoring the ones you choose to the level the horse is working at:

* walk - halt - walk – medium walk - halt - extended walk, aim to have crisp forward response to leg

* leg yields right across the school, increase the angle every repetition

* leg yield part way across school then back again
- from track to c/line and back
- from c/line to track and back
- from 3/4 line to 3/4 line

* leg yield on the circle

* leg yield head to wall

* serpentines with small circles at top of each loop

* down centre line and ride a series of creeping circles alternating left and right (count steps to make sure each circle is the same size)

* shoulder in - on the track, on the centre line, on the 3/4 line

* shoulder in right then shoulder in left on same line

* shoulder in to renvers to shoulder in

* leg yield out, half pass back

* shoulder in on long side, change to renvers, half 10m circle to c/line in renvers then half pass to opposite long side

* half pass, large half pirouette, half pass

* half pass zig/zags

* half pass on the circle moving in to working full pirouette

Intersperse with more long rein stretch walk between every couple of sets of exercise.

Walk work - approached inventively - is never boring.
 
Simon Battram said:
Start with a few circuits of the school in a long rein walk asking for stretch and relaxation with the walk marching forward, not dawdling.

Pick up to medium walk and mix and match the following, obviously tailoring the ones you choose to the level the horse is working at:

* walk - halt - walk – medium walk - halt - extended walk, aim to have crisp forward response to leg

* leg yields right across the school, increase the angle every repetition

* leg yield part way across school then back again
- from track to c/line and back
- from c/line to track and back
- from 3/4 line to 3/4 line

* leg yield on the circle

* leg yield head to wall

* serpentines with small circles at top of each loop

* down centre line and ride a series of creeping circles alternating left and right (count steps to make sure each circle is the same size)

* shoulder in - on the track, on the centre line, on the 3/4 line

* shoulder in right then shoulder in left on same line

* shoulder in to renvers to shoulder in

* leg yield out, half pass back

* shoulder in on long side, change to renvers, half 10m circle to c/line in renvers then half pass to opposite long side

* half pass, large half pirouette, half pass

* half pass zig/zags

* half pass on the circle moving in to working full pirouette

Intersperse with more long rein stretch walk between every couple of sets of exercise.

Walk work - approached inventively - is never boring.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! This is a brilliant post and very very helpful :D
 
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