Schooling on your own - do you have a plan?

[little_flea]

How you plan schooling on your own - ie when you school without an instructor? I know what "system" I use but there are so many different ways of planning your schooling - I am genuinely interested in hearing how you do it - and if you do, or if you work on instinct and feeling only.

Do you have a clear outline of what you want to achieve in the session? Do you have a plan of what excercises you are going to do before starting, or do you just begin riding and then improvise depending on how the horse feels? Do any of you have a riding diary planned out where you sit down (maybe with your instructor) and plan what you should focus on different days of the week?

How do you structure your session (for example warm up/exercise 1/exercise 2/stretch down) and how long do you dedicate to what? Do you check your clock?

How do you warm up (I am very interested in this!)? Do you warm up in all paces? Do you ask for an outline immediately, or do you warm up on a pretty long rein, just "jogging" and letting your horse find its own balance? (This is such a subjective area!) Do you have any specific "check points" or things you asses when you warm up?

I assume most of you mainly ride horses you know very well and are used to - would you do things much differently if it was a "new" horse you didn't know?

Thanks for answering, I am very interested in peoples approach to this.

 

[happy_talk]

I don't always have a plan, but i always have a much more satisfying and productive session if I do. My plan isn't very detailed, and usually "homework" set from a previous lesson. This is usually an exercise to help with a particular problem.
I don't structure sessions, but I always warm up in a long loose outline in all paces. Then do collected work before stretching out again. I don't set times, but I usually ride for 30-45mins.

 

[Gorgeous George]

I am absolutely no expert in this and don't ride a competition horse, he's just a fun horse. But I usually at least think before hand whether I am going to do pole work or completely flatwork, and I decide on some exercises to try from a book i've got, '101 schooling ideas'. At the moment I am working on getting George more flexible and balanced and maintaining his canter. To warm up, I walk on a loose rein on both reins and include a 20m circle each way, I then trot large round the arena with more of a contact both ways, then I take up the contact and we have a short canter both ways large as this really seems to loosen him up - then we get on with what I've thought of. However if something comes up I will probably try to work on that problem. I don't think I'm very good at finding solutions which is why I have regular lessons and my instructor gives me things to work on.

 

[vicm2509]

I have lessons every 2 weeks so I often work on whatever I have been working on in my last lesson or something my instructor has picked up. It might not always be something to do with my horse, I might spend a session working on my position, or sometimes teaching my horse something new. I usually work on the same thing for a week or two.

To work him in I work long and low. I work in walk for about 15 mins including some halt transitions, then trot and canter. Then bring him up, do some lateral work (which I always do in every flat session), the work on whatever I planned, then take him back low again to finish off.

I dont always have a purpose, sometimes we will just have a play, perhaps pop a few jumps that have been left out.

If it is someone elses horse then yes I school it differently. My aim would be to get it relaxed, hopefully into a nice outline and listening to me and get a feel for it. I dont usually school someone elses as hard as my own, unless of course I have been asked to. But then most people on our yard dont ask as much from their horses as I do as they usually just have a potter around the menage, maybe ride once or twice a week and the occasional comp rather than compete quite a bit like I do. I do like to achive something when riding another horse though.

 

[Baileysno1]

Ryu can be lazy and a tad backward thinking so asking for an outline in warmup effectively puts his handbrake on, I go in a bascically fire him about set off trotting and use two schooling whips to tap tap if he drops behind the leg for a second I stay large and change rien a few times on the long diagonal, I work him like this for about 15 minutes I include a canter on both reins large and take a light seat, when the trot is really forward and stonking I stop check my girth and stirrups gather him up into a working outline, from this I will start transitions and shapes depending on what kind of mood hes in start something new, if he starts mincing around behind the leg I'll wake him up down the long sides again. I usually get a good 15 - 20 minutes 'proper' work after his warmup at the end I do a further 10-20 minutes stretching in walk on a long rien, but with this horse always forward forward forward.

 

[rara007]

I always have a plan. I can't have lessons, but have a system I use for any pony. I do have a aim at the beginging, but I ammend it duering the session, as soemtimes the pony will be better than I though for that day, or we might end up just trying to walk calmly.
I always start with walking around once on a long rein, once medium walk, and change reins. Then trot both reins, again one lap of 'free' trot(with out going too fast) and once working more controlled. If I am working on canter, I will then do that, again one lap of 'free' and one of controlled, or if I am not working on canter I wont bother. I then do prelim 7, or a driving one with out stirrups, encouraging him to bend down at the same time. After I have warmed I ten to work on 2 different exercises. The exercised are ones I used to do in lessons when I was schooling my first pony many years ago, and vary from starting lateral work or shoulder in, transition cirles, spiraling in and out. What ever really, but to do with what the pony needs. Ginga is on the forehand and can be lazy so we always do transition circles, but Pip is so bright transition circles wind him up. Between 2 exercises I either have a quite walk round for 2 mins, or if I am on Pip and he is very foward have a quick 'hoolie', baisically practising canter, and listening round sharp bends. I tend to allow 10 mins per exercise, but longer if they need.
I ride 10 different ponies, one of whom is schooled to medium, 2 aer a good novice BD level, another couple are OK, and alot are just being broken, or only recently broken. I always do as much as the horse is able of. For the ones who are hardly broken I just warm up in walk, and have trying trot as an exercise. I dont do the dressage without stirrups unless I know the pony is balanced and schools well. Once the pony is walk, trot cantering I start introducing trot wothout stirrups in short bursts, to let them get used to it, and me used to their stride. I also know exactly what to focus on each day. I have a 5 day cycle for Pip, and 3 day cycle for Ginga, and all the others have a 4 day cycle. Pips is - Work on driven dressage, undersaddle, working on extension collection and halt. Day 2 is working for obstacles, canter transitions, and canter contoll. Day 4 is cone practise, again often under saddle, just working on a good working trot, fast but no canter. Day 4 is for fun, either Jumping or hacking, and 5 is 'off'. I only get to drive at the week end, so drive both those days, but doing the thing I would have been doing under saddle equilevant. Ginga just has schooling, jumpin/hacking , off, and all the others have Longrein or single drive , ride ,drive multiple. off.

sorry, that far too long!

 

[muddy_grey]

The mare I sold this year was the opposite, but the start was similar. She was too forward going. I would always start ith a walk round on a loose rein just letting her strecth the have a canter on both reins to get it out of the way. Then concentrate on working her. I wouldn't have a plan for one session, but aims for a week. If I had a plan it usually went out the window. When I wanted to end a session I would always walk and gradually loosen the reins, if she stretched down then we would finish either with a walk around or up the track. If she snatched and took off at the loosening rein then I would work for longer.

 

[lexiedhb]

Every time I seem to think "I'll do that today" it never works! Always warm up on a pretty longish rein in walk trot/canter... then the transitions begin!!.... Boris being a lzy sod usually need a a whole heap of these before he is in front of my leg enough to do anything else.....

last night however something spooked him in a bush next to the school, and I had instant energy, and uplift.... need to pay someone to stand and rustle the bushes at the beginning of every session!!

 

[Rachel1]

I have a clear idea of what I want to achieve each session but always ride what I feel so may end up working on something else entirely!

 

[BeckyD]

That sounds just like my plan - I walk for 10-15 minutes - getting him to stretch down into the rein, and towards the end of that time I'll do some smaller circles and halt transitions. I then move into trot and usually canter, same again but not for so long. I don't canter every time I ride. Once warmed up I'll do 15-20 mins max of schooling on whatever I have planned (lateral, or transitions or anything instructor has suggested), then I spend a few mins stretching down in trot, then return to walk and again stretch into the rein for about 10-15 mins (until he's less sweaty).

If jumping I normally warm up in walk, trot and plenty of canter for about 15-20 mins, then jump, then cool off in walk for 15-20 mins.

I have lots of the 101 schooling exercsies, jumping exercises, exercises from top riders etc books, so they're great for if I'm lacking inspiration. The jumping exercises from top riders is brilliant I think.