# Your 'best' schooling exercises?



## Hattiehorse (17 June 2010)

Well me and pony are finally getting somewhere (HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY) so I've decided to go through all my old horse magazines looking for schooling and jumping exercises. I'm then cutting them all out and sticking them in one place so it's easier to find what I want. Possibly a bit sad but 

So what exercises do you use? And what are they for?

And I may end up stealing some and trying them out 

Thanks.


----------



## JessandCharlie (17 June 2010)

I do that too! I tend to opt for good old fashioned transitions by the bucket load. So pretty boring really. Polework too so not much new Im afraid :s


----------



## TinselRider (17 June 2010)

ooooh I have many 


I do favour the "classic" transitions excercise, literally at every marker I either go up or down a pace or 2 (or go backwards ) riding from my seat and using my weight / voice, because it helps to get the horse listening and engaed from behind.


Also I like the following excercise;

* establish a good working canter on a 20m circle
* at the 1/2 way mark round your circle get your horse to stand (start with a downward transition to trot, then walk first to get your horse listening)
* Walk the horse on OR back him up for 1/4 of the circle then canter straight away
*repeat untill the horse is listening and soft over its back and you can canter on from a stand
*repeat on the other rein


Great for suppeling your horse, getting them off the aids and engaging their hindquaters


----------



## GGRider (17 June 2010)

First, get a good qualified instructor BHSII or BHSI for example. 

At least invest in a good book for ideas. 

My favourite it counter bend around a circle spiralling in and out and then, in time, build up to a change of rein out of the circle (now going into correct bend) followed by an upwards transition (W to T or T to C). If you can do counter bend, you can probably learn shoulder in which is the daddy. Counter shoulder (towards fenceline) in if you find true SI tricky.


----------



## Tilda (17 June 2010)

Well if your sad I am too as I was planning to do exactly the same thing with my magazines this weekend!

I have a horse that needs lots of variety to stem her spooking so my instructor gave me a really good exercise last weekend. You start by establishing a 20 metre circle at one end of the school and then one in centre school and then you turn these into a figure of eight. Once working on the figure of eight pick up working canter and each time you cross the middle trot for a few strides then take canter again. It was good for taking control of the pace as my girly tends to rush off if I let her. Ialso tried it in trot, walking for a few strides in the middle really got her listening. We also introduced a jump in the middle of the 8 so we could work on turning in the air.

I will be watching this thread with interest and maybe 'borrowing' a few ideas!


----------



## Coffee_Bean (17 June 2010)

One of my favourites is very simple, but I like it!! Establish a 20m circle in the middle of the school, in working trot, and then as you cross the centre line do a 10m satellite circle, then continue, and do another satellite circle as you cross the centre line. I also add transitions as you go onto the satellite circle. As I say it's simple, but good for getting the horse listening, and encouraging correct bend, and for suppling 

I also quite like doing 3/4 loop sepentines, but instead of going straight between the loops, over exaggerate the loops so they're really curvy if that make sense? Again simple but effective


----------



## girlmoose (17 June 2010)

It depends what I am looking for...

For more bend both ways I like to do some complex serpentines. (I think this is what they are called, all horsey things have gone out of my brain due to revision-chocy if anyone can remember name!) 

Lateral work and transitions to improve impulsion.

Circles moving into each other to slow horsey down and get him working lower, when he does work lower and slower I gently give him the reins so he has to balnce himself cos he tends to lean on my hands.

It so depends on horse though I always go for lessons for new suggestions!


----------



## Luci07 (17 June 2010)

For my boy who sometimes feels like he has completely switched off, transitions, 15m circles so he can't hug the fence. If he comes in and is not listening to my leg then riding him in a diamond shape in the school gets him listening! (think C to B to A to E). Collecting and then moving upto working trot on different size circles helps flex him. When we get into canter work I am a fan of simple changes so he cant assume he can just carry on - also helps with the SJ and sometimes I will do work in counter canter as that seems to really stretch him out and I have a much better quality of canter. Granted I am very generous with my turns at the end of the school but it does make him work properly and not motor bike!


----------



## only_me (17 June 2010)

The best exercise I know is to make sure you do something "fun" every time you ride the horse 

eg. Before any schooling I go for a hack, or after a schooling session I go for a hack. Short hacks though, 20mins.

Also something like fast canter or a jump - I school my horse for suppleness by jumping a small fence on a circle/serpintine/figure of 8!


----------



## somethingorother (17 June 2010)

*yoink* Going to try all these. Lost all inspiration after not being able to school for about 6 months (apart from a fortnight in march) And fatso isn't listening now 

Thanks for starting this thread OP, is a good idea


----------



## spotty_pony (17 June 2010)

That sounds like a good idea!  

Here's some of the exercises I use:

* Spiraling in and out on a circle (eg from a 20m circle to a 10m circle and back onto a 20m circle - great for getting your horse working from inside leg to outside hand

* Lots of transitions - helps to keep the horse interested and alert

* Leg yielding off the 3/4 line to the wall - teaches the horse to move away from the leg

* Extend down the long sides of the school and collect on the short sides (you can also do this on a figure of eight, extending across the diagonals) - extending will keep the horse moving forwards and encourage him to swing through his back and collecting will lighten the forehand 

* Serpentines - helps the horse to change from one bend to another and work around your inside leg

Have fun and remember that variety is the key!


----------



## YorksG (17 June 2010)

A very simple but efective way to get the horse listening to you is change the transition up/down every five or ten strides (helps to have a person on the ground making the choices for you  ) So walk, trot, sitting trot, extended trot etc.etc. Can end up with the horse anticipating or getting a bit frustrated, so best kept to short bursts, but it does work.


----------



## Twizzel (17 June 2010)

The most effective exercise I've found is working on a 20m circle but slightly on the inside track, ask the horse to leg yield out for a couple of strides and then a transition up or down- every 1/4- 1/2 of a circle either have a upwards or downwards transition... improves impulsion, bend, acceptance of a contact and really enforces the leg into hand rule


----------



## HollyWoozle (17 June 2010)

I have only been doing the most basic things with Belle (and I am not capable of more anyway!) but I really like the spiralling circles in canter - going from cantering a 20m circle, spiralling down to 15m circle and then back out again. I only tried this for the first time in my last lesson but found it very helpful. 

My instructor also puts poles out in a fan shape on one part of a 20m circle and this has also been great for Belle, she was always rushing at poles before but these really make her concentrate and, up until she turned into a looney last week, we were really improving thanks to this exercise. 

Good luck with your schooling.


----------



## horse01 (30 March 2016)

Hi I know this isn't a schooling exersice but if your like me and have a big horse in a small arena here are some suggestions :
(There more like non riding exercises)
-Try lungeing your horse with 2 lunge lines.Preferably you will need a roller and side reins aswell but I really helps them to bend there head in and carry there hindquarters more better.

-Try vaulting on to your pony/horse .

-Try walking your horse places rather than riding , I used to do this with my pony and I used to take him to forests and just walk him . It's great for building bonds.

Sorry I know it's not schooling but I hope it helps.


----------



## FlyingCircus (30 March 2016)

Use everything you have available.

I did some XC style water practice yesterday night in this...


----------



## LeannePip (30 March 2016)

Going to steal a lot of the above!

My favourite for encouraging focus and flexion is this one;







I find it hard to explain but hopefully the little diagram helps!  I incorporate it as part of my warm up in walk and then in trot, sometimes doing one circle in walk, then two in trot, 1 in walk, 1 in trot and so on, really helps her focus and discourages her from rushing, they really have to concentrate on what your asking because of all the changes of direction and more so with changes of pace.  I haven't tried it yet but you can then move onto more complex routes by trying to keep left flexion for the whole/half thing so on the left rein circles you have true flexion then counter flexion on the right rein circles and then add in a few leg yield steps on the diagonal lines.

ETS diagram is a 20x40 school and the circles should be 10m - so not to scale, but i find it works in any size school


----------



## Shadowdancing (30 March 2016)

Dressage trainer likes the bow tie- half-volte (tear drop) back to wall and repeat same side creating bow tie effect along one side of arena- ride in walk and trot- I like to add a ten metre circle in the middle as well (from B or E as approp) as usually trying to engage with my adhd mare.


----------



## EQUIDAE (30 March 2016)

3 loop serpentine with a circle at each loop.


----------



## Annagain (30 March 2016)

LeannePip said:



			Going to steal a lot of the above!

My favourite for encouraging focus and flexion is this one;







I find it hard to explain but hopefully the little diagram helps!  I incorporate it as part of my warm up in walk and then in trot, sometimes doing one circle in walk, then two in trot, 1 in walk, 1 in trot and so on, really helps her focus and discourages her from rushing, they really have to concentrate on what your asking because of all the changes of direction and more so with changes of pace.  I haven't tried it yet but you can then move onto more complex routes by trying to keep left flexion for the whole/half thing so on the left rein circles you have true flexion then counter flexion on the right rein circles and then add in a few leg yield steps on the diagonal lines.

ETS diagram is a 20x40 school and the circles should be 10m - so not to scale, but i find it works in any size school
		
Click to expand...

I do something very similar for my warm up with M. After a walk up and down the lane to loosen off I always start with these circles in walk but on a very loose rein, encouraging him to stretch and me to ride from my seat and legs. I then pick up trot and do 15m circles in each corner and slowly gather him up, picking up the contact without restricting the swing through his back and then getting him a bit more together and working through with transitions and spiralling in and leg yielding out on the circle. 

With A I have no set plan, it all depends on what sort of mood he's in. If he's receptive like on Sunday, I'll do a lot of what I do with M. If he's in one of "those" moods I'll do a lot more random changes of direction, transitions etc avoiding the markers as he starts to worry about going past them and rushing if I do things at markers. Last week I spent about 10 minutes doing a 15m circle in one corner until he accepted nothing was going to happen there so he didn't have to rush past it. Sunday we ran through the elementary test I'm practising with M and he probably did it better than M has been! 20 going on 5.  When he's really bad, one of the best things I can do with his is a sort of serpentine but only as far as the centre line and I try to get as many loops as possible into it. He so busy turning he hasn't got time to worry and get silly and it's done wonders for his suppleness.


----------



## asommerville (30 March 2016)

I've got a couple of good books cos I'm a geek!

101 schooling exercises 
101 jumping exercises 
Ingrid klimke Cavaletti for schooling and jumping


----------



## Shadowdancing (30 March 2016)

Love 101 schooling exercises you can download the app for your phone too!


----------



## smja (30 March 2016)

I'm a fan of left shoulder-in, right 15m circle and then back to left shoulder-in (and vice versa, obviously!), repeat. Great for warming up to convince horse that he can actually bend both ways.


----------

