Hi Everyone,
I’m hoping for some feedback/insight/recommendations for training exercises while riding.
My hacks in between lessons can be a bit unfocused at times and beyond working on items discussed in my lessons (i.e. straightness or pace), I don’t feel like I’m maximizing my riding time.
So! Curious to know if you all think about this as well or find yourselves in similar spots/ruts. And if so, what resources (articles/materials) do you guys use to make your hack time more productive?
Do you mean trail rides or do you mean unsupervised schooling sessions?
I never run out of things to do in the arena because I do whatever my coach is having me do in lessons for a warmup and then there are specific moves I want to work on.
On trails I focus on fitness and relaxing big marching walk forward trot canter sets, and two point for me if I need the fitness!
If you are a beginner without many tools in your kit, ask your coach for a routine to follow that works for you and your horse.
It’s a really important step to be able to ride independently and productively without the coach guiding every move so this worth putting time and effort into.
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹I can’t really suggest specific exercises without knowing your riding level.
I’ve been riding for 10+ years. I’m specifically looking for resources or hacking ideas for arena rides between riding lessons.
My trainer definitely provides specifics/items to work on, but that at times can feel closer into a drill instead of skill progression. For example, some items I’m working on can be as simple as working transitions while holding my horse’s shoulder from bulging… but having access to exercises that help to support those efforts and other skill progression is what I’m really after.
Hacking by definition does not require any “productivity” but is for relaxation and recreation outside of an arena.
Hack within the activity of equestrianism commonly refers to one of two things: as a verb, it describes the act of riding a horse out for light exercise, and as a noun, it is a type of horse used for riding out at ordinary speeds over roads and trails.
Then you are looking for schooling excersises for flatwork suitable for I assume a hunter jumper.
Do you have your own horse? Are you capable of teaching him new things?
When you say riding ten years is that mostly just weekly lessons? How long have you been riding every day and how old are you?
All the basic dressage work of shoulder in walk/trot, spirals, leg yield, square turns, etc will help with balance and bulging shoulder. I find if I do all my walk lateral work and then trot lateral work that’s a good half hour taken up.
What does your coach have you do? Are your lessons mainly spent on 20m circles and then jumps? Maybe ask your coach for a flatwork lesson that you can use as a model for an independent workout . Or if you aren’t actually learning much in lessons maybe another coach?
If you have access to poles there are many clever exercises for jumpers in things like the “100 exercise” series.
I had a dressage trainer once tell me: Ride a training level test and your horse will tell you what you need to work on.
@EquiFinale - in between jump lessons, I usually work on elements that we either worked on in the lesson, or basic lateral work, collection, jump Gallop, transitions, or my or horses weaknesses. For instance, her right lead circle is not very good so we do a few extra of those. And she does not like any contact with the inside rein so I have to work on myself with that. But every third day or so, I’ll go on a bit of a trail ride end up in an arena, and hack on a fairly loose reign. Sometimes I even trot her right out of the Arena gate, right out onto the property and go on a second trail ride. Then I might come back into the arena and ask for a 6 or 10 strides of. Canter each lead. My Trot sets are very short as well on those days. It’s a great way to have some fun with your horse. Not every hack session has to be drill drill drill, and it keeps her mind fresh. She loves it.
Dressage tests, courses of poles, all kinds of pole exercises - check out Horsephysio on Facebook for all kinds of pole work ideas. Rotate working on one element per ride - one day it could be transitions, another it could be suppling exercises like leg yields, spirals and serpentines, another day you could work on extending/collecting, etc.
Depending on the present level of fitness, I walk trot, and canter setting periods designed to help increase fitness. If a tree trunk or two presents itself, we jump it, otherwise, it’s time to smell the roses.
My week for my jumper usually looks like this:
Monday- off
Tuesday- endurance arena ride. Walk 5 Mins, trot 10 Mins, three 5 min sets of canter (build from 3 sets of 3 to begin), walk out
Wednesday- lateral work and adjustability
Thursday- lesson
Friday- stretchy day or trail ride, weather dependent (best happy hour around)
Saturday- interval training- working on extension and collection with lots of walking in between
Sunday- lesson
This structure makes sure I hit all the areas I need for my horse: endurance, adjustability, suppleness and helps me have a plan for the day. I usually set a goal ahead of my ride and an optimal time I‘d like to be one. AKA Tuesday is designed to be about 25 mins of active work max after he day off but Friday may be a 1 hour or 90 min hack on the trails. I’m also never doing the same thing on back to back days to keep from overstraining. I built up all of this over time and its really paid off with a well rounded and strong horse.
Hope this helps!
My weeks usually look like this
Monday : 20 minute lunge in side reins
Tuesday: rest
Wed: A ride focused on me. Lots of no stirrups, two point, one hand, etc
Thurs: lesson
Friday: Focus on relaxation and work on something from our lesson
Sat: rest
Sun: Lateral work and a pole exercise
Haunches in/out, shoulder in/out, leg yield, transitions, halt, back up, turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches, spiral in and out, counter canter.
9’ poles, set a line and add or subtract strides, circle of death, raised trot poles.
Riding bareback, even just at the walk, can be very helpful. Not only can you feel what the horse is doing, but they can feel you. Lightbulb moments have been known to happen without the saddle in the way.
Do you know/can you work on all the schooling figures? E.g., serpentine, half turn, half turn in reverse, bending line, quarter lines, etc., etc…You could also practice the USDF tests starting with intro and working up thru probably first level? All of that work is perfectly suited to hunters. If you have someone else to ride with you can practice leading, following, pas de deux, for all those same exercises
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