Exercises on the flat for a "busy body"

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Exercises on the flat for a "busy body"
Topic Started: Feb 19 2009, 07:48 PM (228 Views)
TatteredDaydreamer	Feb 19 2009, 07:48 PM Post #1
Magical Leopluridon Posts: 769 Group: Members Member #779 Joined: February 15, 2007	Hey everyone! I'm starting to ride again and my favorite pony is Willy, and I was thinking about him this evening, hence the thread. Willy is very smart, very athletic and very agile. He also likes to be busy, always doing something different and most certainly not a "round and rounder". So suggest your favorite flat exercises for the horse that likes to be kept busy and engaged. We do a bunch of figure eights, serpentines, figure eights in half the ring, circling the jumps, transitions....but I'm running out of ideas. He catches on very quickly so I'm excited to try new things with him. He also likes to rush the fences a bit, and get flat. If I can keep him under himself and balenced he's a very nice jumper, and he's got the ability, it's just keeping him together. Suggestions for that would be awesome too. Thanks girls.



Brydelle Farm	Feb 19 2009, 08:50 PM Post #2
Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back. Posts: 1,021 Group: Members Member #509 Joined: January 20, 2007	If he is good at the longitudinal exercises, start adding in lateral exercises, ie shoulder in, haunches in, etc, and remember, half turns, half turns in reverse, volte, also, shortening/lengthening exercises, also cavaletti work. If you can, get out of the ring some too! Have fun!!



TatteredDaydreamer	Feb 19 2009, 09:15 PM Post #3
Magical Leopluridon Posts: 769 Group: Members Member #779 Joined: February 15, 2007	Thanks for the suggestions! Whenever I have someone else to ride with I'll hack out but I don't like going alone.....not with the green beans.;)



Delia	Feb 20 2009, 07:36 AM Post #4
Is the meadow on fire? Posts: 1,501 Group: Members Member #681 Joined: January 31, 2007	What Brydelle said! And work walking, trotting and cantering poles, cross-rails and tiny verticals into your flat work. That will keep him interested and you can work on teaching him not to get quick to the jumps. I also like setting up two poles on the ground 5-6 strides apart, and working on smooth downward transitions between the poles. It teaches them to relax, focus on you and engage their hind end, rather than zipping through the line and getting heavy.



TatteredDaydreamer	Feb 20 2009, 12:12 PM Post #5
Magical Leopluridon Posts: 769 Group: Members Member #779 Joined: February 15, 2007	Thanks, I'll certainly mention that to the BO......I remember last time we tried the pole thing and he still wanted to rush the ground poles, he just gets over excited and WHOOOOPPIEEE ish with the fences. He's not scared, just over excited.



Valentina_32926	May 4 2009, 02:23 PM Post #6
Weanling Posts: 7 Group: Members Member #2,494 Joined: January 3, 2008	Leg Yields ( when he gets it start zig zagging across the arena), Shoulder in, Haunches in, Half Pass and Half Halts out the ying yang!



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