What age?

[Sults]

Just wondering at what age people generally expect people expect to be able to teach their horses certain movements...?

Shoulder in
Leg yield
Walk to canter
Halt to canter
Counter canter
Flying changes
Rein back
Half pass
Travers
Passage
Piaffe

I know it depends on the individual horse but as a rough idea...

 

[Alphamare]

Some of those movements are fairly specific to dressage and so horses not aimed at dressage (endurance, happy hackers, PC, jumpers etc etc) will never be taught these things!

 

[team barney]

Some of those movements are fairly specific to dressage and so horses not aimed at dressage (endurance, happy hackers, PC, jumpers etc etc) will never be taught these things!

Really? Apart from piaffe and passage every one of those movements is a requirement for a well schooled horse in my book. I would expect every horse over the age of six who has had adequate training to be able to carry out those moves to a reasonable standard.

 

[PaddyMonty]

Agree that pretty much the full list should be taught regardless of discipline.
lateral work is far more important for SJ than people seem to think.
As for when?
Shoulder in, leg yeild and rein back very early in training. The others as and when strength and balance allow. Age has little to do with this.

 

[team barney]

Just wondering at what age people generally expect people expect to be able to teach their horses certain movements...?

Shoulder in
Leg yield
Walk to canter
Halt to canter
Counter canter
Flying changes
Rein back
Half pass
Travers
Passage
Piaffe

I know it depends on the individual horse but as a rough idea...

The other movements would depend entirely on the horse and his/her level of training, but
I wouldn't start piaffe/passage training until their 7th year personally, it's to much pressure to put on the joints of a young horse in my opinion.

 

[Keimanp]

Mine has been doing these moves for years (since he was first backed at 4) and hasn't a problem with any of them. It has however taken years and years of hard work to get them assigned to the right command/request and at times he can and will choose to move 'his buttons' around just to keep you on your toes.

Although the list will be frequently found on a dressage test sheet there is no reason why happy hackers, PC, show jumpers, endurance riders etc should not be teaching their horses these movements, it will help no end with their everyday riding and the schooling and balanced nature of the horse. Dressage afterall is a display of flatwork and all horses regardless of dicipline (including Happy Hackers) spend most of their time on the flat.

 

[Alphamare]

Just my opinion! It is just my option that there are disciplines where some of that stuff is not necessary. Fine of the horse does it, fine if you want to teach it but not all horses need to be well schooled as you put it, some never see a school! Happy hackers and driving horses don't.
My endurance horse does not know how to halt or walk to canter for example. Or flying changes or counter canter. (I bought her at 12 so her previous training was not down to me.) Nor would I expect or want her too. I do not do any schooling with her at all because all our time is spent training for endurance. I have no plans to school her ever and she has no need of knowing some of those things, she has her job and I'm sure as hell not going to be piaffing or passaging round the endurance track. Just an example!

 

[PaddyMonty]

Just my opinion! It is just my option that there are disciplines where some of that stuff is not necessary. Fine of the horse does it, fine if you want to teach it but not all horses need to be well schooled as you put it, some never see a school! Happy hackers and driving horses don't.

Had you NOT included jumping in your original reply then I would have probably agreed with you. It's far too common these days to see horses jumping that are clearly lacking in the flat work department and their performance suffers as a result.