What to do in the school

[DaisyDoo72]

Hey I've just started sharing my first horse has anyone got ideas of different things to do in the school to keep it interesting?
Also how long should I walk to warm the horse up?
Should I do flat work one day then jumps the next?
I'm too used to an instructor telling me what to do
Thanks

 

[Barnacle]

How experienced are you and the horse?

What you do will depend on what you want to achieve.

As a general outline, I'd do something like the following:

- Mount and make the horse stand a few seconds so it doesn't assume a rider = immediately walk off. This is a bad habit many horses pick up!
- Start walking on a loose rein. Don't stay around the outside. At first, do some big circles to get the horse loosened up with transitions to walk every other circle or so to keep the horse paying attention.
- Start varying the walk. Shorten your reins for a bit, lengthen for a bit. Ask for more forward and lengthened, then back to the horse's own comfortable walk. Do more figures. I constantly curve around with nothing specific in mind, just to get the horse bending and focusing. Aim to do about the same both ways. If you need specific figures, do small figure eights and serpentines so you're constantly changing rein. Vary the length of stride and speed as you go.

I'd walk for maybe 10-20 minutes before trotting (assuming a horse that is not ridden often and does not live out) but this really depends on what you're working towards, the horse's fitness and its temperament. For instance, if you have a fit horse that is quite fresh and forward, it may be better to walk for just a couple of minutes and then allow the horse to trot/canter a little to calm down. It can be counterproductive to both the horse's training and its mental state to spend 15 minutes holding it in a walk. The horse simply won't relax that way and you'll cause more harm than good. On days when I'm focusing on something in walk, I may spend a whole hour just walking... On the other hand, with a fit horse that works every day and lives out, you don't really NEED to walk much at all. It's very useful for practicing new movements though, so I don't know why you wouldn't want to!

I'd move on to the same sorts of things in trot - loose rein and not. Transitions within trot and halt-trot, walk-trot and back again every few strides. You can try lengthening along one side and then collecting the trot a little along the next side. Don't always do long side-lengthened stride though or the horse will start anticipating. You can do this on a serpentine too... Lots of turns. Then some canter, loose rein if possible before collecting up the contact. Again, some turns - as much as the horse can manage - with simple changes to change rein. Lots of transitions again.

I'd then come back to walk and do some lateral work, moving on to trot and canter as appropriate. If I want to do some jumping, I may school some lateral movements between jumps, rather than before, to keep the horse's attention, as well as some random flying changes (if at that level) or simple changes and random transitions. Might throw in a few trotting or canter poles or some cavaletti as well (or instead).

I tend to end sessions when the horse is starting to get tired and/or just as it's showing signs of being about to lose concentration... Instead of at a specific prescheduled time.

I think the most difficult thing to get used to is changing up what you do constantly. A lot of people end up just going around and around and around with just transitions between halt-walk-trot-canter... Try to do lots of turning, lots of transitions within gaits and transitions that skip a gait... That will mean you get more out of your sessions and actually improve the horse through them.

 

[DaisyDoo72]

Thank you that's all really helpful!
He's 9 and still a little green at jumping. I would say I'm a competent novice, no flying changes yet hopefully soon