who uses lateral work in their schooling sessions

[Merrymoles]

I have a buzzy little horse whose default setting is to hang on my hands and try to up the pace so I use serpentines, circles, lateral work etc to encourage him to concentrate, carry himself and stop looking for things to spook at. Once we have done half an hour of that, we can usually get a nice, light in the hand, schooling session and even go large occasionally!

When he's really horrid we do very tight bending round pole pods on the floor, concentrating on length bend, before we start serpentines.

We have just got a new school and I am looking forward to developing his lateral work this winter - he does seem to have a bit of a talent for it so it will be good to see what we can master.

 

[[100323]]

At the age of 64 I have just started having some lessons in lateral work. So I have started using lateral work in schooling now. It is about time I learned how to do it. Never too late to learn.

 

[Dave's Mam]

Is it possible to teach lateral movement to a 22 year old pony & 43 year old rider, neither of whom have done it formally? She does gate opening.

 

[JFTDWS]

Is it possible to teach lateral movement to a 22 year old pony & 43 year old rider, neither of whom have done it formally? She does gate opening.

Yep, definitely. If she does gates, you're just asking for the same principle sans gate

 

[Dave's Mam]

Next schooling session sorted. Best get reading. Thanks.

 

[Dave's Mam]

She'll never look as good as Ferg.

 

[JFTDWS]

Next schooling session sorted. Best get reading. Thanks.

You know where i am if you want to talk schooling Have fun!

She'll never look as good as Ferg.

Well... No. That's impossible. He's the best pony in the whole world #biased

 

[Dave's Mam]

Thanks Dr. I'll be in touch! ;p

 

[JFTDWS]

Thanks Dr. I'll be in touch! ;p

Just remember, I'm a doctor (in killing mutant bacteria) not a dressage trainer

 

[Tnavas]

Is it possible to teach lateral movement to a 22 year old pony & 43 year old rider, neither of whom have done it formally? She does gate opening.

Most definately - we had one at the school that at 21 learnt to work on the bit, leg yield and demi pirouette - get the horse supple with circles and the like and the lateral work becomes easy for them

 

[Goldenstar]

I just can't see me ever not putting the horse shoulder fore at least at some stage during a session. I might not "work" on lateral work every session, but I definitely use it - either during warm up / loosening up, stretching out to cool down or as a tool to improve the other work. I'm not even saying doing every piece of lateral work during a warm up, but I always spend a few minutes putting shoulders in/out, quarters in and out at least.

You may feel the need I do not once the postioning aids are learnt you don't need to do lateral work every day .
My horse at the moment has two party pieces lateral work and extensions ( he must have pinched a warmbloods extension as it's not what you expect from a TB ).
He's less keen on learning the changes and halting I find that sessions without his party pieces now and again are very beneficial I work either straight from the field or after a hack very intensively for a short time and then he goes in his stable to think.
This afternoon however because of this thread he had a lovely time showing off his side wards and extensions .

 

[Goldenstar]

Um, just going to throw it out there, but, circles/bending etc are lateral work. You are developing lateral flexibility in the horse when you ride a straight circle. The inside leg stepping in and under the horse on a proper circle is not different from doing a leg yield.
Inside leg to outside hand....basis of a circle....leg yeild......shoulder in....etc.

So, to those who are saying they don't do lateral work......from what I've read you all do do it.

A circle is a circle the horse should be moving on two tracks or it not straight if a horse is moving on three tracks it's doing lateral work ( or perhaps spooking now I think about it)
You might be using the same positioning aids on a circle but it's not a lateral movement. ( unless of course you riding a lateral movement on the circle).

 

[Tnavas]

Um, just going to throw it out there, but, circles/bending etc are lateral work. You are developing lateral flexibility in the horse when you ride a straight circle. The inside leg stepping in and under the horse on a proper circle is not different from doing a leg yield.
Inside leg to outside hand....basis of a circle....leg yeild......shoulder in....etc.

So, to those who are saying they don't do lateral work......from what I've read you all do do it.

No - circles are not lateral work - they develop lateral suppleness but not lateral movements

A correct circle is performed on two tracks - In lateral work the horse is always travelling sideways (Lateral) not straight forward.

 

[Renvers]

All the time, I feel that lateral movements support each stage of a training session, from warming up the muscles and back with turns on the forehand/back, demi voltes and leg yields through to work on 2 and 3 tracks to really engage legs and get all the muscle groups working and improving strength and suppleness.

Can't fault lateral work

 

[JFTDWS]

You may feel the need I do not once the postioning aids are learnt you don't need to do lateral work every day .
My horse at the moment has two party pieces lateral work and extensions ( he must have pinched a warmbloods extension as it's not what you expect from a TB ).
He's less keen on learning the changes and halting I find that sessions without his party pieces now and again are very beneficial I work either straight from the field or after a hack very intensively for a short time and then he goes in his stable to think.
This afternoon however because of this thread he had a lovely time showing off his side wards and extensions .

It's not how I'd approach schooling, I'm a big fan of mixing things up. But your chap does sound fab

 

[Goldenstar]

All the time, I feel that lateral movements support each stage of a training session, from warming up the muscles and back with turns on the forehand/back, demi voltes and leg yields through to work on 2 and 3 tracks to really engage legs and get all the muscle groups working and improving strength and suppleness.

Can't fault lateral work

No you can't done well with control over the outside of the horse it's a marvellous thing for developing horses I am not in anyway dissing lateral work I am just saying you don't need to do it every schooling session once the horse is established in the positioning aids .

 

[dibbin]

I voted "most times". Usually leg yield and/or turn on the forehand to get Jazz moving off the leg and starting to engage behind. He gets bored easily (youngster/TB brain ) so I tend to spend a short time on a few of different exercises so he stays focussed. I also do neck flexes either way as a baby step towards shoulder in.