schooling whilst hacking

[ceej]

Anyone got any handy schooling ideas for when you are out hacking? i have been doing half halts with the emphasis on my body with Harry at walk (he seems to have been trained very much leg to go and rein to stop only). I am doing this to get him listening so i can use my body more (as he tends to just lean ont he bit and ignore the rest of you a bit!) It seems to be helping a lot...

Any others generally? Its so easy just to end up sitting and admiring the view!!

[Blonde Donkey]

try half passing across paths but not roads, shoulder in, collection work extensions and things like that

[spotti]

Oooo, get you....half-passes and the likes! We'd be lucky to even go forward and stop when asked, let alone doing anything fancy!

Actually, that's a bit unfair because Faith is soooooo much better than she was, we just need more practise - taught her to turn on the forehand the other day, so I guess that's got to count for something! Oh, and we can now do entirely trotted figures of eight, circles, almost trotted serpentines and we can jump - calmly and quite nicely too! And her trot is lovely and steady and very pretty now aswell.

Can't wait to get back in the saddle and go for a hack - we might even be able to canter (for the first time ever!)...and maybe even gallop (she's sooo fast! Everytime I see her gallop I just wish I was going with her...*drifts into daydream*

As for schooling on a hack, the thing lots of people forget is to practise standing still! It's amazing how many horses can do facny dressage moves, yet WILL NOT stand still for more than a split second (of course, we have standing down to a tee, its just the moving forwards we have problems with!)

[kateflashy]

i try not to school when out hacking on harvey cos its his relaxing time and otherwise as soon as you touch the riens he works straight into the bridle like he's in a show ring
the othhers i do a bit of lateral work on tracks and half halts

[racaille]

I also find it useful to seek out 'difficulties', like puddles. You know how they always try to walk around them? I make Paco go through them, especially at a trot (on a non-slip dirt track). I also make him go into the river, or cross ditches etc. And when I see terrifying farm machinery, I say: Bring it on! He has learned to be quite calm with scarey stuff and is getting more obedient/trusting.
It's a long job, though!
Oh, and we do a lot of 'trottings' - half and hour at a brisk trot with a stiff hill which gets the back end working a treat and really gets Paco to put his back into it.

[Blonde Donkey]

Apr 28, 2008 14:49:06 GMT spotti said:

Oooo, get you....half-passes and the likes! We'd be lucky to even go forward and stop when asked, let alone doing anything fancy!

we can't actually do it well we go sideways and then back rather rapidly but thats just savvy

[abi]

try askiong for a faster walk, slower walk, collected walk, ect ect!

[abi]

try askiong for a faster walk, slower walk, collected walk, ect ect!

[haffyfan]

I do lots of lateral walk and changes within a pace - collected, extended... (or attempt to I should say)

Also like Racaille I seek out water (not difficult), ditches, logs, gates (not difficult either) and any other obsticles etc just to get them use to sights and sounds and differnt terrains etc

[brigadier]

Will always school when hacking, lots of leg yield on the way home (horse going forward naturally so makes it easy) always stand still for longer than necessary at a junction to teach the horse patience, start this by giving them a mint and letting them have a look around as standing still for a youngster is the hardest thing. It teaches them to relax. Never cut a corner always work a horse around it. Lots of slow steady trotting when horse is fit, big strides but slow slow slow. Walk fast-trot slow is the best muscler!
Brig

[Becca]

Transitions and hill work are fantastic! if you have a decent hill (don't know how you would define a decent hill but anyway) a good strong walk or steady canter will do wonders for their back end. I also circle or weave in and out of trees. Bernie has also become quite fond of turn on the forehand

[duckles]

I do tranisitions (walk:halt:walk mainly), leg yielding across the road. JB can be very forward on a hack hence the tranisitions. In trot I try to control pace by slowing or quickening my rising. I also try some sitting trot as well which can be difficult when he's forward! I only have canter and hill oppertunities on one hack. THe canter is on a twisty muddy track so I try to change leg of every bend (going back to trot first in case that sounded impressive). I go down the hills without my stirrups as i heard that helped your position and then trot up them. WIth Cori, my limited hacking oppertunities are even more limited as its a work in progress to get him hacking on his own. There is a little wood and I do a lot of circling around trees changing direction etc. He's great at this and loves it while he resists circling in the school!

[duckles]

I do tranisitions (walk:halt:walk mainly), leg yielding across the road. JB can be very forward on a hack hence the tranisitions. In trot I try to control pace by slowing or quickening my rising. I also try some sitting trot as well which can be difficult when he's forward! I only have canter and hill oppertunities on one hack. THe canter is on a twisty muddy track so I try to change leg of every bend (going back to trot first in case that sounded impressive). I go down the hills without my stirrups as i heard that helped your position and then trot up them. WIth Cori, my limited hacking oppertunities are even more limited as its a work in progress to get him hacking on his own. There is a little wood and I do a lot of circling around trees changing direction etc. He's great at this and loves it while he resists circling in the school!

[brigadier]

Hi Duckles youre here, thats fab, loved reading your posts on other site.
Brig

oh PS for thread- always pick a marker- such as a lamp post for transitions- that way you become practised at being accurate.

[duckles]

Thanks Brig- that's really nice. I have to say I always enjoy your posts or comments -and your advice is really helpful Good point about the marker for tranisitions - my accuracy is not always the best anyway and I tend to be even less careful hacking. The quote at the bottem of your posts - where is it from?

[brigadier]

Hi
Its William Blakes The Tiger- you know tiget tiger burning bright in the forest of the night.................and so on.

Love it and supposedly its my spiritual animal if you believe that stuff
Once went to this spookey gathering where we were all led through a deep meditation and part of it was where you go through some trees and into a clearing where there is a beautiful lake and there is an animal drinking from the lake which you get on then it flies off. I so wanted it to be pegasus but it was a tiger.
Later when we had a talk about what we saw during our meditation everyone had pegasus and I had the bloody tiger!
The Guru person said it was my spiritual guide and I should embrace it!

Okay so Im a fruitcake!!!!!
Brig

[duckles]

Of course the tiger- I knew I knew it but I couldn't place it. Great quote.

I think its kind of cool picking a tiger rather than a pegasus - less predictable. Do you kind it a good guide???

[brigadier]

I dont know really but I love tigers, and they do seem to figure in my life. We got married on the Tiger Beach at a big cat sanctuary, and I seem to dream about them a bit- other than that its horses horses horses and dogs of course and I like cats but am catless at the moment as i lost my 20 year old siamese last year and am waiting for another cat to find me!
brig

[racaille]

Brig, just given you a karma for having such an highbrow quote! ;D

[brigadier]

Hi Racaille
;D
Brig x

[duckles]

Married on Tiger Beach- now that sounds cool. There a fabulous picture of a tiger drinking from a lake- can't remember if its Cezanne or Matisse (or maybe neither but I think its one of them) I'm sure you know it

[finefilly]

i did a lot of my schooling on my horses out hacking. a lot of people use hacking as a wind down from a lot of work in the school but i think all the hazards you encounter out hacking are a learning curve for a horse and rider. Dazzle hates going through water and spent a lot of time getting him used to actually walking through a puddle or river. i even got off once and got very wet walking through a water splash, but it was worth it as he was a lot better. i did endurance on Dazzle and he needed to be able to go through rivers etc. as Ceej said, at first Daz was only used to the leg being to go faster and reins to stop. i did do a bit of work in the school to master this but then practised out on hacks

[only1wu]

Oh, Brig. So sorry about your Siamese. Being catless is not good. Know how empty your house must feel. What about a Burmese this time. They have been described as "Love in a Fur Coat" and will happily take over your life if you give them house room.

Thanks for all your comments: for a fruit cake you talk much common sense!!

[racaille]

Took Paco out for a little hack today as the arena were busy (it being Wednesday, so no school). He started out a bit snorty and wary, with his neck like the Eiffel Tower so I let him have 20 minutes of long rein walking to calm down, then asked for some proper work. With lots of transitions he started to listen, put his head down and I could actually FEEL his back end come under him! Yippee!
Then we went zig zagging along a little road, doing lateral work, which is good for me too as I can do it between telephone line posts and with the narrow road it meant I was not asking too much.
But I noticed in his shadow that he was opening his mouth a lot. He was in a nice outline, just his mouth was open and he was playing with his bit (french link). What do you all make of it? Is it good or bad?
PS he was just in a cavesson, not particularly tight.

[brigadier]

Hi Racaille, Was he doing this because he was using himself a bit more behind? If so I think he was enjoying the sensation of more engagement and giving him time to experiment with the bit and contact. Was he more frothed up when you got home? Youve read my thread re Basils strange tongue? Well he does this also but its not something Im concerned with, as long as the tongue doesnt start coming over the bit. Did he at anytime try and take your hand down and forward? Not a snatch but a steady pull forward? Need some more info to know for sure but he may be wanting to lengthen his topline and come up in the shoulder a bit.

Bit of a guess but if you felt the hind end come under him then the above may be accurate.
Also did he appear to be enjoying himself?
Brig