Youngster won't loose school?!

[HS6]

Not something I've ever had a problem with before... but how on earth do I train my youngster to loose school?!

I worry I may have desensitised my 2yo a bit too much... as no matter how much of a 'flap' I make at her (waving lunge whip, flicking her with lunge whip, waving jackets, shouting, clicking, ) she just wants to stand next to me in the arena/round pen and follow me around.

I've always had the opposite issue with loose schooling babies... they just want to fly around the school flat out with their tails in the air!

She is very people orientated and very relaxed on the ground in general, but never disrespectful or impolite like some over handled youngsters can be and listens to her handler.

I don't mind not being able to loose school her as she's only a baby, but I potentially may be selling her next year and wonder how I'll get any footage of her moving... And if I don't sell her I worry how I'm going to be able to lunge her when it comes to backing?

I fear a career in the police force rather than the dressage arena may beckon

 

[Fieldlife]

get someone to lead her and show her the idea?

 

[HS6]

get someone to lead her and show her the idea?

Unfortunately I'm usually by myself, but I did try leading her around myself and she would happily walk, trot and canter next to me, but as soon as I stepped away she resumed her role as a statue

I also tried clipping her onto the lunge line (wouldn't ever usually lunge a baby, but wanted to see if it gave her the idea) to no avail.

 

[AmyMay]

Why does she need to be loose schooling at 2? What is the aim??

 

[Tiddlypom]

Why on earth would anyone want to loose school a 2 yo? It's asking for trouble - horse jumping out of the arena, for instance.

She is too young as yet to learn to be lunged, but that may well come more easily to her in time as long as you teach her correctly. Start by leading her round in a circle and gradually over a period of days or weeks increase the distance between you and horse. Don't start with her out on a long line a long away from you waggling a lunge whip at her - build it up incrementally.

 

[stangs]

She needs a reason to move from the sounds of it.

Two options, presuming that your aim is just to get her showing off her paces, not to properly school:

1) If she'll happily follow you off lead, then 'play' with her that way in all three paces, with the aim of slowly moving into a driving rather than leading position and reducing the amount of movement you need to do to get a response from her.

2) If you're R+ inclined, you could train her to follow a target at all three paces.

 

[Jenko109]

What's the point? I would rather see a youngster trotted up in hand than chased around a school. I dont know anyone that insists on seeing a youngster loose schooled as a requirement for purchase

 

[Landcruiser]

I went to a loose schooling clinic recently - all horses started by relaxed leading on a loose line including stopping, backing, fig of 8 etc. Then try to do the same with no line, working up to being able to send horse round a cone, fig of 8, back up etc. I have always loose lunged my older horse and he does it beautifully and attentively - but this was a different level and much better for a 2 yr old physically and mentally.

 

[Poppy+MrDarcy]

She'll be a good one to back

 

[HS6]

Why does she need to be loose schooling at 2? What is the aim??

She's bred to be a dressage horse,

What's the point? I would rather see a youngster trotted up in hand than chased around a school. I dont know anyone that insists on seeing a youngster loose schooled as a requirement for purchase

I've never seen a dressage youngster advertised without loose movement video... for every single dressage youngster I've ever advertised (pretty much without fail) the first thing prospective buyers ask for is loose movement video.

Every dressage breeder I know will loose school their youngsters semi-regularly (as in every couple of months) to see how they look.

I'm not talking about drilling her around a school on a regular basis, just a walk, trot and steady canter every now and then to see how she looks (as I have always done with my youngsters, this one just doesn't want to play ball )

 

[HS6]

She's bred to be a dressage horse,


I've never seen a dressage youngster advertised without loose movement video... for every single dressage youngster I've ever advertised (pretty much without fail) the first thing prospective buyers ask for is loose movement video.

Every dressage breeder I know will loose school their youngsters semi-regularly (as in every couple of months) to see how they look.

I'm not talking about drilling her around a school on a regular basis, just a walk, trot and steady canter every now and then to see how she looks (as I have always done with my youngsters, this one just doesn't want to play ball )

Not sure why the first sentence is split from the rest! One day I'll get the hang of using the forum haha

 

[Poppy+MrDarcy]

Maybe wait a year or so till she's grown up a bit, I've understand that it would be nice having her loose schooling at a young age, but maybe she's a bit young for it at the moment?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Why would you loose school a 2yo? Or any horse it's an absolute waste of time and teaches them nothing, I've seen a few horses hurt themselves and smash into the arena fence doing it and I have never seen the point of it.

 

[Poppy+MrDarcy]

She's bred to be a dressage horse,


I've never seen a dressage youngster advertised without loose movement video... for every single dressage youngster I've ever advertised (pretty much without fail) the first thing prospective buyers ask for is loose movement video.

Every dressage breeder I know will loose school their youngsters semi-regularly (as in every couple of months) to see how they look.

I'm not talking about drilling her around a school on a regular basis, just a walk, trot and steady canter every now and then to see how she looks (as I have always done with my youngsters, this one just doesn't want to play ball )

Ah. I've absolutely no idea what to do then

 

[HS6]

Why on earth would anyone want to loose school a 2 yo? It's asking for trouble - horse jumping out of the arena, for instance.

She is too young as yet to learn to be lunged, but that may well come more easily to her in time as long as you teach her correctly. Start by leading her round in a circle and gradually over a period of days or weeks increase the distance between you and horse. Don't start with her out on a long line a long away from you waggling a lunge whip at her - build it up incrementally.

We have a lunge pen with very high sides, no jumping out risk. I'm not trying to 'school' her so much as just look at how the three raw paces have developed from last summer, perhaps schooling was a poor choice of words.

 

[Arzada]

I don't mind not being able to loose school her as she's only a baby, but I potentially may be selling her next year and wonder how I'll get any footage of her moving... And if I don't sell her I worry how I'm going to be able to lunge her when it comes to backing?

Take footage of her in the field. Surely the best way to see natural free movement. I'd much prefer to see that than youngsters 'fly around the school flat out with their tails in the air!'

And if I don't sell her I worry how I'm going to be able to lunge her when it comes to backing?

We backed without ever lunging.

 

[HS6]

Why would you loose school a 2yo? Or any horse it's an absolute waste of time and teaches them nothing, I've seen a few horses hurt themselves and smash into the arena fence doing it and I have never seen the point of it.

I'm not trying to literally 'school' her, just have a look at how the three raw paces look compared to last summer. I'm not really a believer in loose schooling as a training aid as I agree it doesn't really teach them anything, but aside from when they are stampeding towards me in the field it's really the only time to see the movement and correctness of a youngster until they are backed.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Just get someone to run around the arena with her preferably someone that can run fast

Thats what we did with the Arab youngsters as some would go too crazy loose in the arena and it got a bit dangerous.

 

[HS6]

Take footage of her in the field. Surely the best way to see natural free movement. I'd much prefer to see that than youngsters 'fly around the school flat out with their tails in the air!'


We backed without ever lunging.

I echo the fact that whizzing around the school shows nothing of their movement (everything moves like Totilas if it's a lit up youngster being chased around the school with a plastic bag on a stick! I ignore any footage I'm sent of youngsters for sale if their tail is up over their back), but you can see a lot from having them move around in a controlled manner.

My babies live in herds so I think it would be quite dangerous to try and get them moving together as a group and could easily end up with some flying limbs and skidding!

 

[sport horse]

Is your loose school oval or round? If it is round you may be able to train her yourself by pointing/flicking the lunge whip at her shoulder and making her stay away from you. If it is oval you will need a helper so that you have one of you at each end.
Please do not let any horse ever 'follow you around'. It only takes one thing to spook them and they run - right over the top of you. So, so dangerous. Please do not tell me 'my horse loves me it would not do that'. When something scares any horse and panic sets in, natural behaviour takes over and that is to flee from the scary thing - if you are in front it will hurt - rest asured I have seen it happen on several occasions.

 

[stangs]

Please do not let any horse ever 'follow you around'. It only takes one thing to spook them and they run - right over the top of you. So, so dangerous. Please do not tell me 'my horse loves me it would not do that'. When something scares any horse and panic sets in, natural behaviour takes over and that is to flee from the scary thing - if you are in front it will hurt - rest asured I have seen it happen on several occasions.

In other equestrian cultures, it's basic manners for a horse to follow behind you and follow you around. A horse has to be very panicked, and very close behind you, to forget that there's a human in front of them. And follow you around can also mean following you at the shoulder, wherein they're not going to run you over should they spook.

Even if that is a concern, you can always do any following work whilst working in protected contact.

 

[AmyMay]

It's really the only time to see the movement and correctness of a youngster until they are backed.

Rubbish. Teach her to walk and trot up in hand. Observe her in the field.

I’ve been around many well bred horses aimed for an expensive market. None have ever been ‘loose schooled’.

However, if you feel the need to follow the continental trend then your dressage trainer should be able to help you.

 

[TPO]

You need to teach her to yield to pressure.

It sounds like desensitising perhaps hasn't been done correctly as it shouldn't make a horse numb/unresponsive to "pressure".

All the training a 2yr old needs can be done at a stand still and walk. I don't think trotting or cantering a handful of circles will damage a healthy 2yr old.

Have a look at Richard Maxwell's Train Your Young Horse book and/or Joe Midgley's Good Horsemanship channel for videos of how he handles and trains youngsters from weanlings upwards