Schooling - we hate it

[LHIS]

Last summer I bought an absolute gem of a horse, a safe turbo cob to have fun with and rebuild my confidence. He’s fulfilled that wish a hundred times over and is a wonderful hack.
He had been well schooled too, and I started having lessons on him to improve my riding with a view to doing some Dressage.
I am a proud happy hacker, I have never competed, but with this horse I thought he’d be the one to take me there, just to try it.
Long story short, he hates schooling. He turns into an absolute twit, like he’s had a personality transplant once he steps into the arena. Coupled with my lack of enthusiasm for schooling too, I feel like we’re wasting our time and my money having lessons.
I can ride, but I did want to improve my riding and I thought having formal lessons is the way to go. But now after every lesson, a total battle, I feel deflated and wondering why I am bothering.
Out hacking this horse is a dream, but schooling is just not his thing. I could keep persisting, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. At best I’d only go and do a prelim Dressage test, as I said I don’t have the competitive urge but I suppose part of me thinks that I ‘should’ go and do something other than be a pleasure rider to prove myself as a rider.
A quick note about what he does in the arena - messes about, snatches reins, wiggles, ignores leg, takes too much notice of leg and explodes, wants to go everywhere in canter, is generally a pig. Out hacking he is a delight, does none of the above and is the horse I know and love.
I suppose what I’m asking is, is it ok to give up on my minor Dressage aspirations and be the happy hacker I really am? By resigning myself to this I feel like I am giving up a bit in trying to be a better rider, which is ultimate goal of this - to be a better rider for my horses.

 

[Gloi]

Nobody says either of you have to like school work, howabout training for endurance work or something you enjoy more.

 

[Goldenstar]

No you don’t have to school but if you want to it’s frustrating to have a horse that won’t .
This is what I would try for yours assuming you have a school I would go in every day after hacking I would do nothing but walk on a long rein first day five mins at the nd dismount in the school give him a mint .
Increase the time spent till he’s walking for ten minutes then start doing a circle of trot then gradually increase how long you spend doing stuff and decrease the hack .
Never take the horse out of the school to hack only do it the other way round .
Little and often is the way forward .

 

[turnbuckle]

No need to be in a school to become a better rider.

I would 200% say stop now, and stick to what you both enjoy.

Why not see if there is a local instructor who would hack out with you and teach on the move? Plenty of ways to improve both you and the horse while hacking!

 

[Shay]

I would disagree turnbuckle - not to compete. If you don't want to do that then don't. But everyone could do with a review of technique from time to time -and we could all be better riders for our horses.

I don't blame your horse for being bored in the school - or you - hacking is way more fun. But he does need to udnerstand that even when there is something more fun available he has to be nice mannered. What if he was injured and you were trying to re-hab?

Keep schooling very short. Travel you to a school you can hire so he can see new things (even better if you can hack there!). Have one achievable goal, set him up to succeed. Keep his attention - we used to scatter poles around the arena and kept changing directions to keep the attention of a particularly distracted horse.

You don't need to do a whole dressage test. Either in person or on line. Just to be able to have a nice mannered lad and maybe improve your riding a bit for him. You could try Le Trec? Schooling with hacking!

 

[R2D2]

There is nothing wrong with just being a happy hacker, if that is what you want. It sounds like you do want to do a bit more than that though, in which case it would be a shame to give up on it. Have you explored why he is so unhappy schooling? I can't help wondering if something is hurting when you try to make him work in the school, which is not bothering him out hacking.

 

[Patchworkpony]

I had a beautiful but very green welsh cob years ago who was my best friend BUT he hated formal schooling in an arena to point he was almost dangerous. So eventually I schooled him gently out hacking and in my neighbour's fields doing simple things like leg yielding and half-halts and slowly he turned into a well mannered horse I could take anywhere but without him getting stressed or bored.

 

[hollyandivy123]

do you only ever go into a school when you have a lesson? is this a case you you tensing up a bit and passing this on to the beast and in return you get his stressed response? a quick test for this would be to hire a school for 1/2 and hack round it so to speak..............if the pressure is removed from you i just wondered if he reverts back to his old self.

 

[catkin]

Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm not being rude: are YOU going into a schooling session with the right attitude? You and your horse are obviously a great partnership outside the 'sandpit', he will pick up on any doubts or negativity going on.

Please don't think you have to 'prove yourself' as a rider - take the compulsion out of the equation and see how you both feel then. Becoming a better rider does not equal competing, its about establishing a partnership and strengthening it both physically and mentally.

A lesson should be interesting for both of you, if it is not then change the exercises (or dare I say it, the teacher). Have you tried to a few exercises out hacking, loops and circles where there's space, leg-yielding around cars, setting up to turn a corner etc etc etc? The other thing to try is to use some obstacles in the school, things like poles and cones. I did this with my young pony - he could 'see the point' of bending around a cone or halting between poles - a year on he's got very interested in the schooling aspect, though it took a while to find a trainer who 'gets' us and is red-hot on bio-mechanics

 

[Mule]

You could do lots of schooling out hacking. Transitions for example. Also like GS said, just make the arena a relaxing place.

 

[Nari]

No you don’t have to school but if you want to it’s frustrating to have a horse that won’t .
This is what I would try for yours assuming you have a school I would go in every day after hacking I would do nothing but walk on a long rein first day five mins at the nd dismount in the school give him a mint .
Increase the time spent till he’s walking for ten minutes then start doing a circle of trot then gradually increase how long you spend doing stuff and decrease the hack .
Never take the horse out of the school to hack only do it the other way round .
Little and often is the way forward .

This. It's almost exactly what I did with my welsh cob & it does work.

And maybe check that there isn't a physical reason why he's acting so differently.

Maybe he needs a less formal approach to schooling, so when you're both ready try to find an instructor who will work with what's in front of her rather than getting hung up on a lesson plan & also who you enjoy working with.

 

[turnbuckle]

Shay, totally agree about improving being good and indeed necessary for everyone.

But I don't see why you need a school for that. What's wrong with using a corner of a field while hacking? Just need a teacher, although agree that one who will teach away from a school may take some finding.

The point of the horse ideally needing to get over it is a fair one, but is it a battle worth fighting? After all there are plenty of dressage and SJ horses who won't hack out....

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Can you school in the field? Will your RI teach in the field? You can school on hacks but I would try to work out if the surface in the school is causing him a problem, as well as working on getting him more used to working in there, in case it is just anxiety.

 

[LHIS]

Nobody says either of you have to like school work, howabout training for endurance work or something you enjoy more.

Endurance is something I want us to try! I have recently passed my towing test and bought a trailer, so the world is our oyster now. Last summer we started our transition to barefoot and it’s taking a little time, but once he’s 100% comfortable I will be looking to train for some endurance work as I think we’ll really enjoy that.

 

[LHIS]

No you don’t have to school but if you want to it’s frustrating to have a horse that won’t .
This is what I would try for yours assuming you have a school I would go in every day after hacking I would do nothing but walk on a long rein first day five mins at the nd dismount in the school give him a mint .
Increase the time spent till he’s walking for ten minutes then start doing a circle of trot then gradually increase how long you spend doing stuff and decrease the hack .
Never take the horse out of the school to hack only do it the other way round .
Little and often is the way forward .

Thank you. This makes sense, although typically I did the exact opposite after our lesson last Thursday. After battling with him for a painful hour I decided to take him for a 30 minute hack to end the session on what I thought would be a positive note for us both. I realise now that you’ve explained it that this might only reinforce the behaviour.
Between getting back from a hack and getting into my arena I will have to dismount, would this be a problem? I wonder if he will resent the arena more having thinking he’s finished, then taken into the arena?

 

[Mule]

Thank you. This makes sense, although typically I did the exact opposite after our lesson last Thursday. After battling with him for a painful hour I decided to take him for a 30 minute hack to end the session on what I thought would be a positive note for us both. I realise now that you’ve explained it that this might only reinforce the behaviour.
Between getting back from a hack and getting into my arena I will have to dismount, would this be a problem? I wonder if he will resent the arena more having thinking he’s finished, then taken into the arena?

If you start with nice relaxing walks in the arena and give him some treats as soon as you bring him in he shouldn't mind it. You know the saying about catching more flies with honey.

 

[LHIS]

No need to be in a school to become a better rider.

I would 200% say stop now, and stick to what you both enjoy.

Why not see if there is a local instructor who would hack out with you and teach on the move? Plenty of ways to improve both you and the horse while hacking!

Thank you - I often ride with my neighbour down the round, though not an instructor she is a wealth of knowledge and she coaches me through things on hacks without my asking, so I have this readily available.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I hate schooling in an arena as well-you can school very well out on hacks and improve your position. if he's that much of a saint you can slide your feet out of the stirrups and do various amounts of work without them, you can do lots of two point to strengthen yourself too- plus transitions, lateral work, correct and counter bend. Maybe because I grew up when nobody had an arena that I don't really see the point in them-even when I had one I barely used it lol. For endurance and long hacks you want a well schooled, balanced horse.

I like doing ground stuff in an arena though-straightness training, pole work etc-how is he with that sort of thing?

 

[confirmedponyaddict]

I have one like this! He will school out hacking and he will behave in a arena if there are jumps involved but will have nothing to do with going nicely on the flat. Could you book some lessons on a school master to see how interested you are? You may try it and find that just a lesson once a week on something that will do the job is enough to satisfy you or you may find that you want to persevere with your horse in which case I would follow the advice of others of little and often with out too much pressure. Also maybe get his hocks checked as he may find gong round corners painful and that is why he is so reactive.

 

[LHIS]

I would disagree turnbuckle - not to compete. If you don't want to do that then don't. But everyone could do with a review of technique from time to time -and we could all be better riders for our horses.

I don't blame your horse for being bored in the school - or you - hacking is way more fun. But he does need to udnerstand that even when there is something more fun available he has to be nice mannered. What if he was injured and you were trying to re-hab?

Keep schooling very short. Travel you to a school you can hire so he can see new things (even better if you can hack there!). Have one achievable goal, set him up to succeed. Keep his attention - we used to scatter poles around the arena and kept changing directions to keep the attention of a particularly distracted horse.

You don't need to do a whole dressage test. Either in person or on line. Just to be able to have a nice mannered lad and maybe improve your riding a bit for him. You could try Le Trec? Schooling with hacking!

Thank you - yes I did wonder if hour lessons are too much for him (and me!), and perhaps they are. You raise a very good point about it’s use for injury and rehab. At the minute I don’t have any poles or anything interesting in the arena, I was going to ask for some for my birthday (that and a new wheelbarrow - oh the glamour!) to try and keep him interested.

Le Trec is a great idea, last weekend we went to a Le Trec inspired venue and he took it all in his stride, nothing was too much trouble and I think he enjoyed himself. Finding my local le Trec club is on my to do list, especially now I can get out and about in the trailer. Perhaps that is the way forward for him, as that way he can be schooled without really realising it? I would enjoy that too.

 

[LHIS]

There is nothing wrong with just being a happy hacker, if that is what you want. It sounds like you do want to do a bit more than that though, in which case it would be a shame to give up on it. Have you explored why he is so unhappy schooling? I can't help wondering if something is hurting when you try to make him work in the school, which is not bothering him out hacking.

I don’t want to be more than I am, but I do want to be a better rider and I definitely have room for improvement. I think his problem schooling is purely boredom, and he picks up on my lack of enthusiasm for it. Out of the arena he is perfect, I couldn’t ask for a better horse. My arena is rubber chip and sand, and he’s absolutely fine on the surface so it’s not that. In the arena I really don’t ask much of him, mainly because the messing about comes in before we can do anything productive, so I doubt it’s any bodily stiffness or pain. Tack-wise he is checked regularly, and has a massage every few weeks with my local back lady. He’s ridden in a snaffle bit, and I make sure I have really light hands with him (he will object to being held on to), so as far as I can tell he is a happy and healthy chap. Our hacking is Lancashire moorland, often difficult terrain, and he doesn’t struggle with anything or present any discomfort.

 

[Cortez]

Has your instructor ridden him in the arena? You say he was well schooled; how come he's not now?

 

[LHIS]

do you only ever go into a school when you have a lesson? is this a case you you tensing up a bit and passing this on to the beast and in return you get his stressed response? a quick test for this would be to hire a school for 1/2 and hack round it so to speak..............if the pressure is removed from you i just wondered if he reverts back to his old self.

I will try this - neighbour has an arena so I’ll ask her if I can try him in there. He goes into my arena for other things too, lunging and in-hand manners reminding, also for turnout if the fields are particularly wet, and he plays in there with my other gelding. He’s never reluctant to go in, but his sparkle fades when ridden in there and he definitely switches off.
As for me - I definitely used to get tense (confidence issues) but with him I’ve banished those. I do get frustrated with him when he’s messing about, and I’m sure he picks up on that.
I think my main issue is that I don’t want to push him to be ridden in the arena and create a bigger problem and perhaps that then lead to him seriously misbehaving - at the minute it’s just resisting and debating things with me - but I’d hate for him to feel the need or learn to seriously object.

 

[LHIS]

Has your instructor ridden him in the arena? You say he was well schooled; how come he's not now?

I have asked her to, and she says she will, but not yet.
The lady I bought him from schooled him and when I went to view him I watched her ride him and he was great. I then tried him and I just had to think what I want and he did it.
He came to me and we started with hacking - my comfort zone - then started having lessons towards the end of last autumn. Then the weather turned, I live on the Lancashire moors and to say it has been difficult is an understatement. I couldn’t get into my arena without wading through knee deep mud (now sorted, have installed a nice dry path). He’s had months without schooling, only hacking when we could get out. Couple that with that with my lack of schooling knowledge and he’s sussed me out.

 

[Cortez]

I have asked her to, and she says she will, but not yet.
The lady I bought him from schooled him and when I went to view him I watched her ride him and he was great. I then tried him and I just had to think what I want and he did it.
He came to me and we started with hacking - my comfort zone - then started having lessons towards the end of last autumn. Then the weather turned, I live on the Lancashire moors and to say it has been difficult is an understatement. I couldn’t get into my arena without wading through knee deep mud (now sorted, have installed a nice dry path). He’s had months without schooling, only hacking when we could get out. Couple that with that with my lack of schooling knowledge and he’s sussed me out.

So, perhaps it's not him who hates schooling? Perhaps it's just that you don't know which buttons to push?

 

[Orangehorse]

I think most things have been covered. 1. Is it you? Do you tense up and think "Gosh I hate schooling"
I wouldn't totally give up on schooling. I can't school mine in circles because of arthritis and I noticed the difference after about 6 months. You can do quite a lot on a hack. Walk, halt, walk, trot, trot walk, lengthen and shortening strides, shoulder-in, mini- serpentines, leg yield across the lane and back, turn on the forhand for opening gates, be imaginative.
I had one horse that would shy at a leaf, so I made her halt every time I heard a car and the end result with the most responsive, soft mouthed horse ever.

Practicing for Trec is also wonderful schooling, and fun for the horse and rider.

Just experiment if you go and use the school. Do a whole session at a walk.

I would also suggest reading Heather Moffet's Enlightened Equitation to help with your position and aids. Maybe you are bit hollow backed and this makes the horse hollow as well.

There was a famous hack that won lots that was only ever schooled when out hacking.

 

[be positive]

I have asked her to, and she says she will, but not yet.
The lady I bought him from schooled him and when I went to view him I watched her ride him and he was great. I then tried him and I just had to think what I want and he did it.
He came to me and we started with hacking - my comfort zone - then started having lessons towards the end of last autumn. Then the weather turned, I live on the Lancashire moors and to say it has been difficult is an understatement. I couldn’t get into my arena without wading through knee deep mud (now sorted, have installed a nice dry path). He’s had months without schooling, only hacking when we could get out. Couple that with that with my lack of schooling knowledge and he’s sussed me out.

Why "not yet"? if one of my clients is struggling and seeming to get nowhere I always get on to get a feel, it can make so much difference if you learn which buttons are there, or in some cases not there, if he went well when you tried him there is no reason to think he cannot do so again and in my experience horses rarely hate anything, they may not enjoy it, they may find it more difficult but I have yet to meet one that cannot at least have some nice moments in a school once I know what makes them tick.

 

[eventer and proud]

you could try doing it in a field?

 

[JFTDWS]

I'd find it frustrating to have a physically capable horse who wouldn't work in the school - even if I didn't want to often.

I would do largely as GS suggests - take the pressure off, go into the arena every day after hacking, even just for a minute or two. I'd also do in hand work in the arena and play games / TREC obstacles etc, to break the cycle of negativity you're in.

There's no reason for arena work - even schooling - to be boring!

 

[oldie48]

Just a different perspective. I am assuming that the horse is fit and well and all his tack fits etc. A friend bought her oversized connie to a 2 day dressage camp. He was popping round BE 80s sweetly and getting OK dressage scores but friend knew he could be much better. She told me that he was the sweetest horse and a delight to ride. First lesson he was a complete nightmare, really tricky because basically he was being asked to work on the riders terms rather than his. My friend rode him through some pretty bad evasions and i know my friend wondered what on earth had happened to her horse. Second day he came out with a completely different attitude and they are now progressing well and getting much better scores. It may be that your horse thinks he doesn't have to do what you want and if he plays up enough you will back down and let him do something easier and if you do back down this will just reinforce his behaviour.