"Schooling" the young horse

[carrie17491]

So I have decided to further my horse's ridden job and have started looking into doing some schooling as she needs to get her fitness levels up. I have looked into feed types for her so now it's time to look into schooling exercises I can do.

I don't tend to school a lot - mainly hack but because I want her out ridden showing next season, I need to get her schooled. Initially I am just looking for some light schooling exercises for her, as she is young, unfit and easily gets tried and bored, I don't want to put her through too much. I am not very good at thinking of exercises to do either! she can walk trot and canter no issue but I would like to keep the exercises to a trot for now until she is competant at this stage.

I would appreciate anyone's ideas

[whp94]

How about leg yielding & shoulder in start off in walk and progress to trot. This can be done anywhere I.e. out hacking not just in a school. Also turn on the forehand & walk pirouettes, schooling over poles or raised poles will keep her thinking and not get bored. You could also do halt to trot, trot to halt and maybe when she's more fit etc. walk to canter etc.

[gillwales]

use serpentines, trot down the 3/4 line so that neither your mare or you are dependent on the boards to keep in a straight line, work on rhythm, it can ne useful to work to music. circles, a 15m circle and leg yield out to a 20m circle, half halts. really work on your transitions. put walk into your schooling, vary where you do movements within the school

[GinaGeo]

I'd have a good instructor as often as you can afford. They will help you to keep the training useful, good and moving forward. As a baby, you want to be working on her straightness, forwardness and suppleness.

I do a fair bit of spiralling work on circles with my youngster, but that may not be relevent to yours. He also understands basic lateral work and turns on the forehand and quarters, but I don't ask him to do it often at all in the school as I want him nice and straight instead of introducing any crookedness. Leg yielding I use in a basic form on the circle spirals. I'm also working on transitions to keep them snappy and keeping him soft throughout them. Transitions within the pace are useful for that too. I'm asking for true body bend and a nice long and low frame but still working up to the contact in a good rhythm. I only school in the menage once a week, most of it's done out hacking.

However, my youngster may be have different strengths to yours, so you may need to be doing different exercises! An Instructor really would be invaluable

[sarahp]

Don't forget that you are actually schooling your horse whenever you are riding him! So think what you intend to do and give clear aids at all times, make sure all transitions are crisp etc and make sure you spend some time on a long rein as a reward for the work you have been asking him to do.

[carrie17491]

thanks guys!