When schooling...

[malibu211211]

do you have a plan already in your head of what you are going to work on before you go in to the arena?
Or just see how it goes?

Had a lesson on Sunday and realised that our not being able to get into canter in the school is down to me not getting Monty working properly and not being disciplined enough with making him go where I want to go

So was just wondering what all of you do?

 

[Apalacia01]

Depends on my mood - normally warm up walk trot on each rein, then work into canter. Then I normally get bored. Really probably should have a bit more structure, but it really does depend how I go.

Normally pony has irritated me suitably by then though...

 

[caemar1]

I try to have a plan but I am prepared to change it depending on what mood Millie is in.

For example, one session I planned to work on our canter but found she was in a lazy ignorant mood so I spent the entire half hour session getting a decent walk to trot transistion and then when we acheived this I ended on a good note.

 

[stencilface]

I have some vague aims, like I'll make sure I do some shoulder-in today (only just started doing that

) or I'll practise lengthening his strides in trot, or some flying changes (I mean practise getting flying changes, still not there yet

).

I pretty much always warm in the same way, lots of bending in walk to start with, 10m circles etc making sure he bends all his body, not just his neck

Then similar in trot. Then up to canter. Then some walk-canter transitions, then some long and low work in canter, getting his head as low as possible and him as relaxed as possible. I then practise any moves that are coming up in any dressage tests etc.

I have to hack 5/15 mins to the school (depending on which one I use) as no school of my own

so I think of him as being basically warmed up when I get in there

 

[trundle]

I try to always have a plan, although sometimes the Moose has a plan of her own and our two plans don't always coincide

I know I've wittered on about "101 Schooling Exercises" before (and no, i don't get commission on sales of this book) but for me as someone who is realtively inexperienced schooling a horse alone, its quite invaluable. I have a look in it before i go to the yard and decide what i am going to work on. Then i can hop on the Moose, warm up, work on my exercise and then cool down. I try to keep the actual working bit fairly short and intense, otherwise it all gets a bit aimless.

I have to be quite disciplined about it, because prior to using the book every time, i found i was just going round and round aimlessly and it wasn't really helping either of us.

 

[tabithakat64]

I always have a plan but don't always stick to it as it depends on how the horse works and what problems arise.