I often find brainiac horses are spookier when they are bored or not being challenged (sounds like this mare). And they get less spooky when they are engaged and interested. It seems counterintuitive, but sometimes getting out of the ring makes a horse less spooky because it’s interesting. I have a brainiac. He spooks at the same jump every time we ride in the ring because the ring is boring. He is far less likely to spook on the trail, unless it is something legitimate. Food for thought!
@ Edith. Whenever anyone asks me how I feel about going back to riding, I say “non, rien de rien/ Non, je ne regrette rien.” Not in exactly those words :).
Love your user name!
i keep a list in my pocket. it’s a combination of homework from my teacher and exercises i learned while auditing a clinic last summer (buck brannaman). i pick and choose from the list, and i try to mix it up enough that my horse cannot anticipate what is going to come next. you don’t want your horse to be like a teenager who says “i got it! i got it! don’t tell me!” when you haven’t even made a request yet. so don’t make this routine–change it up!
here are some things from my in-saddle list, in no particular order.
stand quietly while giving me vertical flexion on the softest possible feel
" " " " " lateral " " " " " "
forwards/backwards smoothly and without stopping: ten forward, ten back, nine forward, nine back, eight forward, eight back–etc.-- with NO resistance and in a laser-straight line and with precision.
circles
spirals
short serpentines
lateral leg yields at walk at trot in both directions, four steps left, four steps right, repeat
transitions on a loose rein, go back and forth:
slow walk/fast walk
fast walk/gait
gait/trot
slow trot/fast trot
transitions with collection!
hindquarter yields
forequarter yields
timing up the rein to the front feet
timing up the leg to the hind feet
trotting out on a loose rein for straightness
cantering on a loose rein for straightness
trotting over poles
shoulders in
hindquarters in
backing on a circle
backing into an L-shape
practice stopping–from walk, from trot, from canter
practice super slow walking, make the horse hang his foot in the air
trotting over cavaletti
one-rein stop at a fast walk, at a trot (don’t do this at a canter unless you can time it up right with the feet or you’ll make the horse stumble)
a one-rein stop should include a hindquarter yield. just pulling the head around will not control your horse!
figure 8s
and there is more…
make sure you do groundwork, too.
oh, and for the spookiness–collect your horse often. it will give him a sense of focus and security. he’ll stop being spooky when he feels good in his body when you are on him–he’ll trust you. so all the gymnastics stuff results in less spooky horse.
[QUOTE=Edith Piaffe;8449228]
Thanks for the advice everyone; it was so helpful!
I do have a dressage background (but haven’t taken a dressage lesson in months) and I can’t believe I never thought of working on dressage tests. Those are great for practicing transitions and bending, and I think it would be a great mental exercise for this horse. I feel like she can always predict what I’m going to ask her to do next, so the dressage tests would be a nice way to change things up. I like the idea of focusing on lateral work as well. We never work on that during my lessons, so that might be a fun learning experience for her.
Ground poles are a good suggestion, too. I thought about using them before, but couldn’t decide how to set them up. I suppose I could ask my trainer for ideas (or even check Pinterest).
I wish I could take her out for a hack, but she spooks very easily and I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking her out alone. It’s too bad, because there are some nice trails nearby![/QUOTE]
I was definitely going to suggestion dressage tests. When I was working towards a horse trial, I rode that dressage test on every single horse I flatted. It helped them all so much and really shows you the parts you need to work on. You an score it in your head as you go (shoulder bulges around the right turn?) and use that to keep in mind the worst movements, then work on those. Then reride the test a few days later. If you’re not seeing improvement in the movements you focused on, it may be a problem with how you are practicing: that whole “perfect practice makes perfect” not just practice thing.
I was very guilty of some aimless flatting from time to time, and have a pattern to ride and then getting an immediate feel for what did not work well was super helpful.
So many great suggestions, thank you all! Sorry I am so late in responding to this thread. I was swept up in holiday madness and haven’t had a chance to sit down and type out a response until now.
First of all, Scribbler thanks for the compliment on the username…your post made me giggle 
I started to implement some of these suggestions into my practice rides, and it seems to be working out well so far. For my last few rides, I’ve been working on homework from my trainer for the first half of the ride, and training level dressage tests for the second half (provided we have enough space in the arena–it’s crowded lately with all the kids home from school). If it’s too crowded to do the dressage tests, I work on straightness exercises and adjusting her speed within each gait.
What I’ve learned from this thread is to focus on working on things that will improve the HORSE…whereas before, I was focusing on exercises that would improve me as a rider. If I focus on the horse first, my riding will follow suit. Hopefully
[QUOTE=Edith Piaffe;8448830]
I’m an adult re-rider and have been back in the saddle for ~2 years after a 15-year hiatus. I recently started leasing a horse at my barn, who I will be showing beginning next month.
Since I began the lease, I’m riding 4 times per week on average, 2 of those rides being lessons and the other 2 are on my own. At my barn, we are only allowed to jump during lessons so my independent rides are all on the flat.
My concern is that I’m not using my time wisely during my solo rides. I often go to the barn with a few ideas of things to work on (based on feedback from my trainer), but I always seem to run out of things to do halfway through my ride…and then we just end up trotting and cantering aimlessly around the arena until it’s time to cool down.
I feel like I need a better plan for those days! Does anyone have creative suggestions for filling the time? Or should I just enjoy those unstructured moments and not worry about having an agenda for every second I’m in the saddle?[/QUOTE]
work on pole work… and grid work and or dont keep going same thing over and over as it becomes boring for you and boring for the horse
vary your flat work, boxes serpentines si hh ly… can do this outside on a hack to down quiet lanes or roads, well not the boxes and sepentines lol
figures of 8, variety is spice of life canter counter canter flying changes etc make it intertesting even putting obstales out to opem close go into jump or go through, scope and what you make it
lol its all playing with your horsey and building trust and a bond can ride with and without stirrups and if your really game pmsl and want to make more diffcult and interesting then set up some cavaletties ride with saddle on then off then hold your arms out so you just using your arse and undercarriage then get two cups of water ie plastic cups and set a grid and do it all again fun … how brave are you and how much do you want that bond as any horse will play along… haha
try dismount mounting again half on half off and get up, round the worlds both ways scissors… leaping on from side or bum
all these things you play at ,open your mind and let the horse in
its all playing with neddy as i call never serious all in fun… you and your horse will beneifit from the trust you build between you and from here you go from strenght to strength
I usually spend 10 minutes at a walk doing lots of serpentines, circles, backing up, side pass, other lateral work. Then I do 10 minutes of walk/trot doing circles, serpentines, transitions etc. Then we move on to all 3 gaits circles, serpentines. I rarely just ride an oval we are always making various patterns We do some dressage tests. No stirrups work. Trot poles. Some free walk. Try getting a copy of centered riding there are lots of different exercises in there. Make it fun! And if you can possibly get out on the trails that would be a wonderful change of pace for both of you.
[QUOTE=Mukluk;8458086]
I usually spend 10 minutes at a walk doing lots of serpentines, circles, backing up, side pass, other lateral work. Then I do 10 minutes of walk/trot doing circles, serpentines, transitions etc. Then we move on to all 3 gaits circles, serpentines. I rarely just ride an oval we are always making various patterns We do some dressage tests. No stirrups work. Trot poles. Some free walk. Try getting a copy of centered riding there are lots of different exercises in there. Make it fun! And if you can possibly get out on the trails that would be a wonderful change of pace for both of you.[/QUOTE]
Good ideas. Another idea is to set up poles on the ground in the formations provided in the 100 Jumping Exercises book. You can still practice a lot of jumping techniques, particularly turns and adjustments, using poles on the ground.
My concern is that I’m not using my time wisely during my solo rides. I often go to the barn with a few ideas of things to work on (based on feedback from my trainer), but I always seem to run out of things to do halfway through my ride…and then we just end up trotting and cantering aimlessly around the arena until it’s time to cool down.
I tend to have the opposite problem- I run out of time before I run out of things to work on. Even if I am just working on “straight lines, round circles, and balanced transitions”.
I think the trick is to have high standards for even the simple exercises.
What I’ve learned from this thread is to focus on working on things that will improve the HORSE…whereas before, I was focusing on exercises that would improve me as a rider. If I focus on the horse first, my riding will follow suit. Hopefully
Both work together.
When my horse is doing something wrong, I often find that focusing on MY position fixes the horse’s problem.
The horse-based exercises also show up MY problems. If we are drifting to the left on the straight lines-
Is MY weight centered?
Are MY reins even? Are MY hands in the right place?
Are both MY heels down?
Am I LOOKING in the right direction?
There are also some rider specific exercises, such as riding without stirrups, riding in 2-point , riding without reins, and so on.
Work on your accuracy. Do a transition at X spot. and it needs to be dead on. then go around and get even closer. Canter to halt. See how smooth you can get it. Walk to canter, no trot steps. And no head tossing. and then it needs to be totally invisible. Halt to trot. Same thing, needs to be invisible. Circles – need to be accurate. Round. Perfect. Same tempo all the way around with perfect bend. The down the long side and do it again keeping the horse straight on the long side and perfectly bent on the circle. Then across the long side and repeat the other way. Same at the canter. Then collect the canter on the short side and extend down the long side. needs to be invisible. are you riding evenly? Are your heels down? eyes up? shoulders back? do some two point. Do some no stirrups. post with no stirrups. canter with no stirrups.
Leg yield. Shoulder in. haunches in. Make sure your aids are precise and all these are distinct and moving the right part of the horse over.
Do some poles, don’t change anything about yourself. the horse should take then all in stride without changing anything. Then do 2 poles 60 feet apart or so and vary the number of strides you get between them.
I ride at home alone 99% of the time and even my green horses do pretty much some variation of these things most days. Sometimes we jump a few jumps at the end.
If your flatwork is so good that all that is easy, then the horse deserves a cookie and a short ride!
Books!!
When I need to get some ideas going for flatwork, I check 101 dressage exercises:
And 101 jumping excercises is really good too, there is a section devoted to ground poles:
Neither book is expensive on Amazon
There’s also some fun stuff in the Equine Fitness book
http://www.amazon.com/Equine-Fitness-Program-Exercises-Routines/dp/1603424636/ref=la_B001JS0GP6_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451504976&sr=1-3
I have all 3, totally worth buying.
Also - agree with Janet regarding focusing on equitation/balance, perhaps devoting an entire flat ride to it - I had a jumping instructor that would do 3 day clinics, and the first day was always “balanced ride” on the flat in a group where everybody worked on various balance exercises such as posting trot up for two beats, down for one; “backpedaling” the stirrups at all 3 gaits (freed up hips/ relaxed the seat); concentrating on “feeling the stirrups” at all three gaits, posting and sitting and 2 point. It was a good set up for the following 2 days of jumping. I think some of these excercises are similar to Centred Riding concepts.
