The "Pre-Flight Check"

[Chavhorse]

Part of my "homework" for this weekend is to come up with what I consider is a good and effective "Preflight-Check" which I will demonstrate for my lesson tomorrow.

This should cover the time from when you enter the school to mount to the moment you feel your horse is listening and relaxed enough to commence with the work in supplying exercises. so approx 5 to a max of 10 mins.

Although I am doing Western lessons I am interested in hearing what everyone does across the disciplines.

So far I have come up with;

ensure girth/cinch is tightened and stirrups are the correct length
Mount
Settle into the saddle
Exhale to ensure position is relaxed
Ask the horse to bring its head down
Ask the horse to give its face to both sides
Then move off
Get a good walking rhythm ensuring that horse is listening to you
Ask for whoa
Then ask for back up
Rinse and repeat on opposite rein

So come on spill what do you do in the way of a Pre-flight check to ensure all is well, relaxed you have control, your horse is listening to you and you are good to go.

 

[quirky]

When I school, I do this:

Check girth.
Mount.
Walk on whilst holding buckle end for 3 circuits on one rein, change rein and do the same on the other rein.
Check girth.
Gather rein and proceed schooling session.

 

[Alyth]

I move the horse around me while bringing him from paddock (field) to where I groom/tack up. I make sure he responds readily to requests to move his hq and fh away when I ask. I tack up and ask him to move around me at walk and trot while gradually tightening the girths. I put him over a small jump or up a bank to make sure he is happy stretching under saddle. If all this is ok I ask him to stand by a fence or mounting block and if he stands quietly he is accepting that I will mount. Then when mounted I sit still and wait!!! Before asking him to move off at a walk and then I do post flight checks, lateral flexion, moving hq over etc. I hope this helps!!!
BTW all this time I am watching his body language.....!!!! Alyth

 

[Wheels]

I would usually check tack as I put it on, check him over for any possible spots of muscle tension while I groom.
Tighten girth, make sure all straps are secured then get on and ride in.
Riding in consists of walking on both reins then having a trot and canter in forward seat with light contact. Once we're both warmed up we get on with our session.

 

[xloopylozzax]

goodness me, i groom, tack up and go. obvs warm up and everything but not a massive long thing. alyth, by the time you've done that do you actually bother riding?! i know that i would be long out of time, having full time college (A-levels, bio chem maths), working 30hrs a week (part time my arse), 2 horses DIY and occasionally another to ride i would need 30 hour days!

 

[Kokopelli]

Before tacking up check for any cuts/ lumps/ bumps and tender spots.
Check tack is still in tact whilst tacking up.
Get on.
Sit to bucking fit/ spook at non-existant leave.
Walk around and make sure my position is correct and I'm relaxed.
Ask for lateral work almost immedietly on both reins in the walk or he will be a knobber.
Sit to second bucking fit.
Realise girth is so loose you can see daylight.
Trot on a loose rein get tanked off with so trot on sort of loose rein.
Once I feel he is relaxed and swinging in the trot I then collect him up and get him working.

 

[Chavhorse]

LOL at Kokopelli

I was doing my normal, check girth, mount and off we go on Friday when Jan asked if at any time I was intending to check the brakes and also if the horse was actually listening to me before heading off whoops!

We then got into a whole conversation about "so you are trying a new horse for the very first time what would you do before riding off, increasing pace or starting exercises that will ask far more of the horse and what would be a good plan plan that you use each time you ride to ensure that you and horse are relaxed in synch and ready to work.

Interesting stuff hence my question

 

[wellsat]

LOL at Kokopelli

We then got into a whole conversation about "so you are trying a new horse for the very first time what would you do before riding off, increasing pace or starting exercises that will ask far more of the horse and what would be a good plan plan that you use each time you ride to ensure that you and horse are relaxed in synch and ready to work.

Interesting stuff hence my question

I expect any horse that I get on to be moving forwards willingly off my leg and be soft and accepting of the contact. If they aren't either of these then I'll stay in walk and do plenty of bending until I feel we've achieved it. No point trotting until you've got a nice walk as you can't expect a good transition until the walk is there.

 

[much-jittering]

asked if at any time I was intending to check the brakes and also if the horse was actually listening to me before heading off whoops!

I'm doing Coaching Certificate at the moment, and having to remember this as am so used to teaching riders I may or may not know, on horses I know inside out. Part of the warm up they HAVE to individually halt before they go off for a trot otherwise you don't KNOW they can stop. Aaaargh!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

This should cover the time from when you enter the school to mount to the moment you feel your horse is listening and relaxed enough to commence with the work in supplying exercises. so approx 5 to a max of 10 mins.

I think that I would get a big fat 'F' for that homework.

I have a routine that suits my mare, I have to check everything before I mount because although she stands very nicely for me to mount, once I'm on, we have to go, go, go! She can be backwards thinking and nappy so any brake checking is out. Once she's in a more forward thinking frame of mind I can then begin schooling but she has to walk forwards properly on both reins first.

 

[fine_and_dandy]

Before tacking up check for any cuts/ lumps/ bumps and tender spots.
Check tack is still in tact whilst tacking up.
Get on.
Sit to bucking fit/ spook at non-existant leave.
Walk around and make sure my position is correct and I'm relaxed.
Ask for lateral work almost immedietly on both reins in the walk or he will be a knobber.
Sit to second bucking fit.
Realise girth is so loose you can see daylight.
Trot on a loose rein get tanked off with so trot on sort of loose rein.
Once I feel he is relaxed and swinging in the trot I then collect him up and get him working.

This has just left me howling with laughter! I think I'm going to nickname this the Thelwell Pre-Flight Check!!!