What do you expect when you school your horse?

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Pidge

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Ok so the majority of us are happy amateurs who do this for the enjoyment! So when you school do you just use it for exercise or do you expect your horse to work properly all the time?
Question is kind of prompted by the fact that since having flair fitted to Pidge's saddle he can suddenly work correctly and when he does it is lovely, and when he lifts it is amazing, I still get a buzz when they do that
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However if it doesn't go right I get very despondent. I have come to realise that I quite often try to run before I can walk or more recently try to canter before we can trot
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Am I expecting too much for Pidge to work properly all the time when schooling? And what do you expect from your horse when you do school?
 
When I school I expect her to work. Obviously some nights it's great, others... less so but I always try to end on a good note
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However i don't school all the time and vary it with hacking, jumping etc.
 
I school mine and work him quite hard twice a week. The rest of the time is spent hacking or having fun, like a canter round the field/competition or something, but saying that he is expected to work properly out hacking too.

The first 10 minutes or so of schooling I just try to get him forward and relaxed. It only takes a few minutes for him to settle and work properly and then he has to stay that way until he's given a long rein! Obviously, some days it goes better than others particularly if he's trying it on!!
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My horse has joint problems and can only work in the school so we do have a slightly different perspective. I don't expect him to work hard all the time, but I do try and get him to learn something or improve something so that we have a progression in what he can do.
Sometimes it isn't anything spectatular, maybe just a basis for something further down the line, such as a step or two of turn on the haunches at walk, then another time it will be three or four steps, or maybe better quality of those steps. And sometimes we go back to basics and brush up on the aids, if I feel he has been ignoring them a bit. That's the sort of thing we do.
 
expect him to try, but realise he isn't fit enough to work properly all the time particularly at the moment when he has a month off. I always work him properly for a little while but if he starts fighting it leave it for the day as he is usually saying no for a reason as he is normally a pretty chilled out horse.
 
i don't expect my horse always to work hard in the school, but whatever I'm asking him to do I expect him to work correctly.

There lies the problem, it sometimes becomes a battle of wills, but i will never stop until we work though it.
I do not like to school every night unlike some liveries, so I alternate with nice long hacks, and throw the odd bit of schooling in then.
 
I try not to school too much as my horse gets very bored easily, we try different things each time, and sometimes he is brilliant, other times he isn't bothered about it and its hard work and when its hard work its not fun, and I have him for fun more than anything. I love hacking though!!
 
I never school my own horse just for exercise. I hack for that purpose. We sometimes do canter work in the school at work, which is the most boring, pointless exercise ever...
How I expect any horse to work in the school depends on both our moods. For example today I rode a horse who was feeling forwards and playful, so we played around and did some (rather rubbish) canter pirouettes and practised our changes. Another day we may be feeling off so we'll work long and low and take things easy. Another day may be a good day for concentration, so we'll work on improving our way of going. It all depends on what happens on a day-by-day basis, but I think I'd be very bored indeed if I had to school just for exercise!
 
I go into the school and look for him to be freely going forward (which invariable he isn't) and that he is tracking up and then over tracking. i expect him to listen and try and 9 times out of 10 I have to work so hard to get him to 'engage'. i only seriously school in lessons bi-weekly due to having no facilites and it shows. We serioulsy need to do more!
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when I school, I do it it for excercise unless Bondi's owner has specifically asked me to do something. I work him properly when we have a lesson and his owner works him hard anyway.
 
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I am always looking for improvement be it me or my horse!

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Same with me. If I school (2-3 times a week) I try to concentrate 100% and try to convince the horse to do the same.
I don't like to just plod around, I always have aims for my schooling sessions and try to work towards certain goals. Sometimes I do have to change things around of course but generally try to stick to the big plan.
I always ride first through the basics, then demand more.
Horsey does have a lot of time out on a field, he hacks, jumps, goes xc schooling and is being lunged so has plenty of variety. When we school, we school
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I expect Spring to at least try to do what I ask, I have good days and bad with her. Sometimes she is in the mood and will give me the most amazing feeling and do everything I ask without question and other times she just won't play ball and we have many little arguments! But that is just her and I am learning to live with it, although I do get despondent if she doesn't even try for me.
 
I expect her to work tho at the moment I seem to be hitting the deck every session at the mo! Sessions gen have a normal pattern - first ten minutes pretending shes forgotten the last session then the next 20 - 30 mins working then another 10 mins having a tantrum (and me falling off
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) then another few minutes working before cooling off.
 
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