Schooling - we hate it

Well I would say if you're both fit and can W/T/C on command out hacking then you can definitely go and do a prelim test!

Why do you need an arena anyway?😀
 
I didn't like schooling because I felt I was rubbish at it. This made my pony worse at it too! However, we both enjoyed some TREC-type obstacles. This gave me something to focus on rather than me or the pony so everything came more naturally. We could then leg-yield, rein back, walk pirouette, turnabout the forehand, turnabout the quarters and so on as well as walk/trot/canter and trying some extension and collection. The obstacles are easy to set up if you already have some jump poles, uprights, string and some old barrels or cones or similar. I used whatever was to hand. We were never going to enjoy dressage but ended up with some good skills and a pony that could cope with just about anything.
 
Havent read all the replies but I would say, dont bother schooling in the school. Use your hacks to sneak in a bit of school work. Use lamp posts or trees as markers and go up and down the transitions using them as your guide, nothing to stop you leg yielding and a bit of shoulder in on a bridleway, and turns on the forehand and rein back can be done at gates. Im a happy hacker through and through, last time I decided I really should do some schooling I lasted 10 minutes, he was bored and totally switched off, I was even more bored! As for being a happy hacker, thats takes a fair bit of skill. I know of at least half a dozen owners that darent, for various reasons, hack out. To my mind it takes a deal of ability to venture out of the safe environs of the school.
 
I saw the OP and walked away thinking "I must answer that and suggest TREC/trail obstacles when I get a minute...!" I'm pleased to see others have the same idea. Here's a few ideas:
Single pole on the ground. Walk over it and stop. Walk over it one foot at a time (advanced control!). Side pass over it. Back up next to it. Back up ROUND it.
2 poles laid about 70cm apart: All of the above plus walk, trot, canter through. Extend to 2 pole lengths.
4 poles in a square: Walk in, turn 360 degrees, walk out. Immobility, ridden and led. Sidepass along one pole and continue around the corner.
See where I'm going with this? There are millions of fun things you can do to improve your horsemanship without drilling dressage patterns (which I would be bored with very rapidly). Once you add in cones, maybe a tarpaulin, maybe some barrels, you'll be amazed how your control and feel will have progressed while both of you are having fun. Just don't forget to take it slowly, a step at a time, and finish each session on a success.
 
you've had loads of good advice already but what jumped out was that the things he is doing, in the main are not him "being a pig" they are an unbalanced horse telling you this is hard work and makes his muscles ache.


its like you doing country walks for months then suddenly going to the gym and using every machine! try thinking about it from that POV and being a bit more positive with him and his attitude may change.
 
Cortez said:
So, perhaps it's not him who hates schooling? Perhaps it's just that you don't know which buttons to push?
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Totally agree. I had a shared for my horse who told me the horse hated being in the school and got bored. Horse was well schooled and too well mannered to act up but after watching the sharer, I had to point out that she was boring the horse!
You don't have to school in a school but someone has pointed out you will have problems if the horse is injured and needs gentle rehab.
 
Not sure if I've got the wrong end of the stick here, but is he ok in lessons but not when you're on your own? I found this with my boy - without someone telling me what to do I would just sort of wander round aimlessly trying a bit of that and a bit of this without really knowing what I wanted to achieve and it was miserable. I discussed it with my instructor and she wrote out some schooling plans for me - a couple of 15 minute ones for when I was short of time, some 30 minute ones and a 45 minute one. This was a huge help. I laminated them and pinned whichever one I was using to the fence so I could go back to them to check what to do next.

I also mentally set an objective for that lesson. To begin with it was a complete circle in trot without him throwing his head around or charging off at a certain point (his favourite, always F or H for some reason!). These days it can be counter canter without charging back to the track (charging is his favourit thing and he'll take any excuse to do it!) or decent walk-canter-walk transitions. I'm determined to master flying changes with him before it's too late (he's now 22) but he's far too happy in counter canter to bother at the moment :rolleyes: We rarely compete (only if my other one goes lame at the last minute and I'd lose my entry!) because even at 22 he gets very silly away from home and I can't be doing with it!
 
OP, I would totally suggest LE Trec or I think you would really enjoy Western patterns (which Landcruiser describes as trail obstacles), if you go onto WES (Western equestrian society) you can download patterns from there and they are easy to follow. Look at your sessions in the arena as fun sessions rather than schooling, you don't need to put the both of you under pressure and compete, just have fun! Liberty is also great fun for both of you.
 
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