Winter training - what are your plans and goals?

[nikicb]

As per title really.....

Ours are to continue on our training, but with slightly less emphasis on competing (dressage) and trying a few new things. We've got some horse agility planned, which could be interesting - Madam isn't spooky, but she isn't called Sassy Cassie for nothing, more straightness training, plus a few pole work clinics which we both enjoy. We also have a DTM clinic at the end of November - one where we get music and a floorplan made up for us. I'm really looking forward to that, and hope to spend some time practising over the Winter months so we can get out and compete next year. I am also aiming to have a play around with bits/bridles to help improve our submission/contact marks - nothing drastically wrong, but there's always room for improvement!

What are your Winter training plans and goals? x

 

[DabDab]

Oo, good question

Canter canter and more canter for the big man - would like to get our flying changes somewhere towards test-worthy and have a nice fluid canter half pass by the end of winter. I'd like the quality of trot to have improved too, but that's just a general strength thing. I'm not planning to compete much as have a lot going on with work and keep ending up being in at a weekend so it's tricky to plan much.

 

[JennBags]

I've got a big goal for myself which is weight loss, before I can make proper horse plans, as my riding is just not effective with the weight I've put on since George went lame over a year ago

I'd really like to get Nelson working in a nice shape, and ready to do some prelim tests by spring. I'd also like to be jumping a 70cm course by then too, but that depends hugely on the weight loss goal.

 

[tda]

I have recently signed up to team quest! With the Yorkshire dales pony team, eek, I have not ridden much after a crap four yrs, so got to get practicing trotting!! ��

 

[milliepops]

This is timely as I was just thinking about this earlier. Last year we deliberately took a step back from competing because I needed the time to teach kira her changes without worrying if we broke stuff in the process :eek3:

This year we don't have a hurdle like that and we also seem to be making progress in keeping her thinking forward in a test environment so I think we will keep competing this time to try and get that super confident.

Training-wise, the gauntlet has been thrown down for her get out at PSG next year so we need to continue the canter piri work as she's not quite got the idea yet and cement the 3s (which are nearly there). Plus playing with other bits, but that would be the priority. Exciting!

 

[nikicb]

Oo, good question

Canter canter and more canter for the big man - would like to get our flying changes somewhere towards test-worthy and have a nice fluid canter half pass by the end of winter. I'd like the quality of trot to have improved too, but that's just a general strength thing. I'm not planning to compete much as have a lot going on with work and keep ending up being in at a weekend so it's tricky to plan much.

TBH I think Winter competing is way overrated!!! My fingers just can't do the plaiting either when it's cold. Most of our local venues have a break and I think we all need that too! Good luck with the canter work! x

I've got a big goal for myself which is weight loss, before I can make proper horse plans, as my riding is just not effective with the weight I've put on since George went lame over a year ago

I'd really like to get Nelson working in a nice shape, and ready to do some prelim tests by spring. I'd also like to be jumping a 70cm course by then too, but that depends hugely on the weight loss goal.

Good luck with the weight loss JB, it really is so easy to put on the lbs when not riding and I find that weight and fitness has a big effect on how we ride. Hopefully having some horsey goals will help with the focus and drive you on. xx

I have recently signed up to team quest! With the Yorkshire dales pony team, eek, I have not ridden much after a crap four yrs, so got to get practicing trotting!! ��

Quest is such a great concept - we got through to the Regional Finals for My Quest this year. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming - good luck! x

 

[nikicb]

This is timely as I was just thinking about this earlier. Last year we deliberately took a step back from competing because I needed the time to teach kira her changes without worrying if we broke stuff in the process :eek3:

This year we don't have a hurdle like that and we also seem to be making progress in keeping her thinking forward in a test environment so I think we will keep competing this time to try and get that super confident.

Training-wise, the gauntlet has been thrown down for her get out at PSG next year so we need to continue the canter piri work as she's not quite got the idea yet and cement the 3s (which are nearly there). Plus playing with other bits, but that would be the priority. Exciting!

I love following your progress. My girl is half Welsh and has an attitude to match, so you give me hope we may actually do a half decent test one day! Although not sure we will ever make the lofty heights of tail wearing. x

 

[milliepops]

Although not sure we will ever make the lofty heights of tail wearing. x

Ahh I never expected it to happen either.. . But now it feels like it's within reach, can't believe it. Just keep on going, you never know!

 

[nikicb]

Ahh I never expected it to happen either.. . But now it feels like it's within reach, can't believe it. Just keep on going, you never know!

Thank you! We will just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and as you say, who knows? As long as we enjoy it, anything else comes as a bonus. x

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Good luck everyone with your respective goals, I hope everyone can achieve what they want to

My aim is to get Henry out and about as much as possible really! Last winter I discovered that he is ultra-spooky in indoor arenas (I doubt he'd ever been in one before!) so I hope we can improve on that. As for competing, we will be focusing on dressage and SJ, hopefully getting some good marks at prelim dressage and hopefully working up to 80/85cm SJ (though the issue with indoor arenas hampers both of those!). His sharer is taking him hunting every weekend whilst I'm still at uni, and from what I hear he's loving it and getting more confident every time. I hope that this will help get him super fit, and also improve his jumping and confidence! I will also be continuing with that when I'm home I'm also hoping to get my jumping confidence a bit better over bigger fences at home, and really focus on how best to ride him to get the best out of him as he's so different to what I'm used to.

 

[{97702}]

I'm waiting for my trainer to tell me my plans and goals I am also waiting for the physio to tell me what might be possible as well during J's appointment tomorrow, the idea is that we compete BE80 next year so lots of dressage and SJ over the winter, but at the moment we are grounded. Fingers crossed we can start moving towards jumping again before too long

 

[madamebonnie]

Nail the basics.
Forward, supple, decent contact. Enough that we can establish gears and lateral work. We have realised George really needs retraining in his reactions to the aids (maybe like a racehorse!?) So fingers crossed we sort these out we'll be wizzing ahead

 

[vam]

No real plans or goals as they often go belly up when I do. Last shows will be in November as my affiliation runs out after that. Want to get my last BN double clear if I can and try and crack 95cm double clears. After that just training and fitness work for both of us. Winter means more schooling so will try crack our niggles, strengthening and pole work. Possibly try some different things like gallops and xc, just keep it fun and not put any real pressure on myself. She is a big girl and only 6 so not going to lose sleep if she has time off in rubbish weather either. The rough plan is to start next season where I left off, anything more than that is a bonus.
That said my trainer may have other ideas! :biggrin3:

 

[SpottyTB]

I want to get in the school and get my 5yo going better on the flat, perhaps attempt a couple of small indoor SJ classes..all with a bit of hunting to keep him happy.

I've only done the basics and hacking until now, but i feel like he is ready to step it up a bit and then next summer really have a go at a few different things! This is until he has another growth spurt and ends up needing time to mature again!!!

 

[Ahrena]

I'm not really sure 😂

I need to work on my jumping more as I'm rubbish at jumping at home unless it's a lesson as it's hard to get someone to help and I don't do jumping alone to try and get my confidence back up as it's still pretty frail after my xc accident last February.

I think in my wildest dreams I'd like to jump a newcomers and my dressage instructor was making noises about attempting a medium after Christmas but privately I think she might be on drugs.

A more realistic aim would be to be confidently jumping discoveries - we did one a few weeks ago and it was relatively successful but confidence isn't the word I'd use. I'd like to establish changes too because madam's counter canter is so good now that she doesn't bother change herself SJ anymore and frankly it's a pain.

 

[silv]

Would like to get my changes consistent and for my horse to find them "less exciting" and also polish up the canter pirouettes.

 

[Ambers Echo]

Very good question! I am hoping to affiliate BE next year with Amber. There's a LOT that needs to improve before then though... She is still so green and distractible.

1) Fitness, sure footedness, rideability. I need to overcome my hacking fears/aversion and get her out regularly.
2) Dressage. She is coming along nicely at home but is pretty wild when competing. I scored a ONE for my last canter work in a prelim test: quote "disobedient, left arena". Oops. So lots of schooling and lots of competition exposure at intro and prelim.
3) SJ she is wild at home too! She locks on and launches. So I am just jumping twisty 'courses' of canter poles on the ground to establish some rhythm, brakes and steering. And lots of canter work in schooling. I would love to do some SJ comps this winter but I won't take her until she is more rideable so we will just have to see how we get on.

 

[Leo Walker]

Having finally gotten transport and got ten the pony super fit I've been ill for weeks which has scuppered my plans! I'm getting better and the pony has tweaked his back being a prat in the field. I despair!

 

[DirectorFury]

Molly - fitness, lots and lots of walking, trying to get some sort of forwardness without currently included panic in the school. If we can do an intro test within a year I'll be a) incredibly surprised and b) very pleased! She's tricky, if she doesn't start to relax with more regular work then she might be retired again - I don't have the time or inclination to work with a horse that's not happy to work with me. If I can get her fit enough we'll try a small hunt at the end of the season as that's what she'd be happiest doing.

Maddie - get her back into work without her killing me, general fitness, hopefully jumping 1m courses and back to working around novice level by March. Again, I'd like to hunt just once at the end of the season but I don't want to die so will give up on that idea before I even start . The reality is that she'll probably sit in the field all winter because I don't have the time at the moment.

 

[{97702}]

Ok winter goals now confirmed - endless straightening and strengthening work, combined with repeated physio treatments, to get J’s right hind working effectively. It’s gonna be a long haul.....

 

[AandK]

For me, the first aim is to still be able to ride! My horse will be 21 in Jan, so we mainly take each day as it comes at the moment and try not to make too many plans (which is hard as I love having something to work towards).
My general plan for this winter is to carry on as we are, he has been amazing the last 6 months and we've had a lot of fun - managing to go to 3 ODEs when I thought he'd not be able to again due to injury. Due to his age, I want to be able to keep him fit and strong over the winter. He's had the odd week off here and there throughout the year so doesn't need a holiday.

 

[Britestar]

For my big horse carry on with the training, my Riding Club does fortnightly evening training which is great, keeps you going. Would like to do some specfic jumping lessons with him too.

Also monthly online dressage, as its so much easier to do it on your own terms - no plaiting etc, and if it goes really wonky - start again! lol

Older pony hacking, on line dressage music classes, and having general fun.

 

[Wheels]

Ok winter goals now confirmed - endless straightening and strengthening work, combined with repeated physio treatments, to get J’s right hind working effectively. It’s gonna be a long haul.....

It's surprising how quickly you can get improvements when really concentrating your efforts on something particular. 6-8 weeks can yield excellent results and it's the right time of year to do 10 mins here and there

For us, we will be continuing our cross training we have been doing, something different every session, fitness work, slower muscle building sessions, polework / jumping, in hand / lunging all seems to be working well, the boys topline is doing fab, he has gone up 1.5 saddle widths in the 3 months since I bought him

I can't see me doing much competing before the spring but will do the odd dressage test and jumping training show in prep for more full on comps next year.

 

[ihatework]

My new, recently backed, 17hh Welsh x will be going out in the trailer somewhere most weekends for the next 4 months. No competing, just RC clinics, arena hires, lessons, clear round - until the Welshiness anxiety subsides.

Aim by the end of it is he is secure to the contact in all 3 gaits. Not excessively tense/looky & ready to go out affiliated BD/BE/BS

 

[rara007]

Fitness and strength! I want to make it to FEI 2* by midseason next summer so we can finish off abroad. He's never truely been fit so the work starts now (I have relatively limited time). He's been to his first ODE which was a success so physical strength is the main aim as the schooling is already nearly there.

 

[JustMe22]

It's actually summer for me as I'm in the southern hemisphere but training is training regardless so I'm joining in!

Horse will be done with all his african horse sickness vaccines by end of November so we can start cracking on. He's also rising 5 now and ready for some more serious work....and in need of it too, judging the Kevin phase which we seem to have found ourselves in.

He's an ex-racehorse so can be quite highly strung and very tense. Plan for him is to nail walk-canter transitions and get a better lengthened canter. Currently we only have trot-canter as the walk-canter involves a lot of over-expressive leaping and bucking which then makes me anticipate it and block him with my seat and hands, so we don't get the transition. Lengthened canter exists but needs to be a bit more instantaneous and have a more fluent return to working canter.

I'm aiming at him doing 5yo dressage classes next March. He's competing Novice at the moment with half decent scores but the unpredictability and misbehaving has got to stop now. I've made allowances due to his age but have decided for the next three months to be really strict with him and see if it helps. I suspect it will after seeing two pros ride him on separate occasion and realising how much more black and white they were with him than I am. Almost hadn't realised that I was slowly letting him get away with the small things, which invariably turn into the big things.

Would also like to try and do an 80cm SJ before the end of the year and then keep him at that height until next June or so.

 

[LeannePip]

We've had a bit of a confidence crash XC so will be repairing that over winter and mainly focussing on her flatwork.

We've just started making real progress with the lateral work, shoulder in is feeling fab and the leg yield's are getting way more grown up each time we try. We also had a quick look at some renver which she didnt object to so think the brain is finally catching up with the body we'll continue with that, and also keep an eye on the jumping. I want to jump a newcomers by April, so will see if we can make that work amongst it all!

 

[Notimetoride]

I would love to sort out my mare's attitude ! We are about 12 months behind due to her unpredictable'ness (made up word i think!) Its so holding us back. We should really be having a crack at elem now but we are only just starting novice due to her behaviour. Are all Welshie's the same i wonder ?? One day she's an old dobbin and wont move, another day so so anxious and wants to run back to her friends warming up, then once every so often knuckles down and produces a fairly decent test.
But in all seriousness, IF she will settle down, want to progress through novice, and also finally get my floorplan and music sorted for some FSM. Its my absolute livelong dream to do dressage to music and its starting to become a reality. Super excited !

 

[humblepie]

Working on me using my inside leg properly. That is the winter mantra. Lots of pole work as well.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Ok winter goals now confirmed - endless straightening and strengthening work, combined with repeated physio treatments, to get J’s right hind working effectively. It’s gonna be a long haul.....

Are you me ? T has had a few niggles, and has recently had a course of Cartrophen and both hocks jabbed after x rays showed bilateral hock arthritis. Her right hind is more affected. Physio gave her a really good treament last week before popping off for international duties (I'm so lucky to have her). Waiting on the saddle fitter coming out this week, as T has altered shape, then hopefully back on board for the long slow fittening and straightening work.