So I recently made the switch from hunter to jumpers and my mind keeps getting bored with flat riding and not wanting to ride. The horse I ride used to do hunters and now we are doing jumpers. On flat days we train on transitions, canter/trot over poles, do turning exercises, etc. I feel like ive been doing the same thing over and over again is there anything else I can do?
Sometimes when I get in that rut Iâll do groundwork, or trail ride.
You could start working some more dressage into your training, maybe even try to do a few tests.
I also try to pinpoint those things that I find myself avoiding doing (most likely because itâs tough) and focus on trying to get through that. Itâs very easy to only work on the things you know you can do successfully.
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Oh geez, yes. There are a million exercises you can do. There are some great books out there about pole exercises. Some are really challenging! And someone just recommended this book to me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570769281/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Off the top of my head, Iâd say spiral in/out, counterbending exercises, simple changes on a straight line (through the trot or walk), serpentine, lateral work, turns on the forehand/haunches, walking a square with each corner being a 1/4 turn on the haunches, extension/collection exercisesâŠthere are SO many good things you can do.
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Two words. Pole work.
Three poles in the middle of arena⊠a few strides apart. Trot them. Canter them. Practice adding strides and doing correct number. Come at an angle. toss 2 poles in corners and practice riding three poles then using other poles for change of direction or use one pole on an angle to pole in corner. Find jumper courses and simulate some of the course with poles rather than jumps and just learn to see what it feels like to canter wider out and canter tight on inside from the 2 poles. All of this should translate well to when youâre jumping again without the impact and wear and tear.
Use flatwork days as a way to see when your horse is best coming back to you. See if they prefer a long walking warmup or a longer cooldown. Do a prep like a jumper class⊠Start your pole work by entering ring and trotting⊠then walking⊠then picking up canter. Make it fun. give yourself one day to do lateral work. One day to do pole work. One day to really focus on transitions. Get a journal and write down what you liked and didnât like about the day. Keep it in your car or tack trunk. Holding yourself accountable makes it more fun and might give you a better advantage in the ring.
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If you get bored doing flatwork, you shouldnât do jumpers.
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Flatwork is part of any course; hunter, eq, or jumperâŠ
The jumps take up a fraction of the time in the ring. The rest is navigating the arena. Rideability is what you achieve with good flatwork.
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Being snarky will not likely get you more responses. Just ignore.
There is a book out there called something like 101 arena exercises. There are some fun things in there to try.
If you google âground pole riding exercisesâ and hit the images option there are all kinds of fun set-ups for ground poles which will make your ride more interesting, help with steering and tempo, etc.
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I subscribe to RideIQ - itâs been super useful in making my flatting days much more productive.
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What exactly are you working on in those rides? Exercises are things you do to achieve something with your horseâŠso what are you trying to achieve?
Have you ever heard the very common phrase âIf you think flatwork is boring, then youâre doing it wrongâ.
Usually this is because riders are just riding around, without any actual plan or goal. You do transitions and poles but what are you doing in those transitions. What are you focusing on? What are you perfecting? What are you strengthening? Can you tell when its not perfect? Do you try again until it is? These types of things are what makes flatwork interesting. Using your skills with exercised to improve yourself and the horse.
So share what you are actually working on, and we can share some exercise ideas for you 
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Wait, whhhhhaaaatt is this? I am so intrigued. I just went to their website. So, are these actual audio lessons that you do while you ride? Are you enjoying it? Is it hard to use your phone while youâre riding?
Yeah itâs been great. They have a bunch of âcoachesâ who do various lessons - all kinds of different warmup rides, specific skills, etc. The coach rides a horse as theyâre narrating the lesson and describes exactly what theyâre doing, what you should be feeling, what not to do, etc.
Itâs nice because I can decide what I want to work on with each horse on a particular day and download those audio files at home while Iâm on wifi so I donât have to depend on cell service at the farm.
I got some wireless earbuds and can set my phone on the side of the ring or wear it on a belt clip - either works well.
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Flat work gets interesting when you are actually trying to influence and school a horse. Dressage is fascinating. So the more actual training you are doing, like changing horses balance bend stride length etc the more interesting it becomes.
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The dressage levels are designed to keep both the horse and rider from getting bored.
If you are bored, the horse was bored long before you. You are bored because you are staying at the same level and on one track. Start your learning journey. Find out about lateral work.
There is a whole world of learning things to do during flat work. Enjoy and revel in it.
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My first response is to work on PERFECTING the exercises. For instance, practically no oneâs transitions are perfect. You can always work on making them more balanced, straighter, prompter. Work on downward transitions using only seat and weight, not hand and rein. Work on transitions within gaits as well as between gaits. Canter-walk-canter is a real test of balance and not-using-too-much-hand. Similarly with turning exercises (e.g., rollbacks) you can work on making them more balanced, and making them with leg, seat, and balance rather than hand or rein. With poles, work on getting a balanced, straight, rhythmic, steady trot or canter, not speeding up or slowing down. Also work on adding and taking our strides, without losing straightness and balance. And work on going over exactly the center of the pole, without drifting left or right.
Other exercises that might be appropriate include spirals, squares, serpentines (at all three gaits). Again work on perfecting rhythm, balance, straightness (and appropriate bend on the spirals and serpentines), and using seat, leg and weight rather than hands. For canter serpentines you can alternate between simple changes through the walk, changes through the trot, and flying changes. You can also do serpentines with counter-canter loops.
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The riders and horses with the deepest grounding in dressage are the most competitive in the jumper ring. Obedience to the lateral aids and suppleness are key.
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I think some are being a little unnecessarily harsh to the OP. They arenât denying the importance of flatwork for the jumpers. Some people thrive on instruction and may feel a little lost and unfocused in their hacks, leading to boredom. If I donât come in with a concrete plan of what I want to do and work on, I can trend that way myself.
Ride IQ sounds like a great suggestion if that is the root cause here.
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101 Jumping Exercises for Horse and Rider. First half of that book is just poles - and it has details on WHY and what NOT to do and how to fix common issues.
Also, maybe try keeping a riding journal! I just have a Notes file on my phone. I write down what we did, how he felt, things I want to work on. It helps me see progress and keep track of goals. You can also use it to pre-plan things to work on for each ride. I also try to use the drive to the barn (or the catch and tack up adventure) to plan what I want to do - rather than just listening to music or whatever else.
Lastly, if you get to the barn some days and none of this seems fun thatâs OKAY! Go on a hack around the property, ride bareback or do some groundwork. Even just hand grazing around and washing/detangling a tail can be a rewarding and relaxing way to refocus for next ride. This is supposed to be fun!
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OP, does your jump trainer ever spend part of your lesson schooling you on the flat before you jump? If not, I would find one that does. As McLain Ward says, use flatwork to improve jumping. That helps more than jumping more.
This is awesome! I just downloaded - looking forward to my âlessonsâ today.
OP, I also recently got the book âStride Control,â by Jen Marsden Hamilton. Many of the exercises are jumping-related, but there are tons of great pole-based exercises that incorporate a lot of flatwork (transitions, lateral work, etc.)
OP was rude to suggestions 
