Where do you school?

[FirenLady]

Fire has been quite stuborn whilst schooling lately and not feeling very forward. He's been great out hacking happy as larry to jump the fences in the woods. But it takes a huge amount of effort to get him going forwards, and he is no where near tracking up in trot. I ride him on a grass field, its pretty flat and its got a well worn path around the out side. He hasn't recnetly had the same enthusiasm for his jumping either.

So this morning I decided to take him down to our neighbours and school him in his sandschool (sand and rubber mix). He was like a different pony, he was keen and forward, but he was very good not spooky at all, and there is a lot of stuff there to spook at! (He was tracking up too) He was quite bouncy and more like the Fire of 5 or 6 years ago. It was easy to get him to canter, and he switched onto the correct leg on the right rein. Then we found a rail and a tyre and oh stood the tyre upright and put a pole across it (it was about 2ft oh then rested the pole on the outside fence. Fire loved it, cleared it by a mile, kept up the canter and came and jumped it again. On both reins. Best hes jumped in ages. He was really taking me into the jump.

What I'm trying to figure out is, is he bored with the set up at home? Is the track to hard and the field a bit on the lumpy side? Was he pleased to be somewhere different, (we had to go past a dozen horses in stable to get to the school). Or was it the difference the surface made? or a combo of everything?

I was just wondering where everone did thier schooling, and if you are someone who sometimes schools in a field and sometimes in a school do you notice any difference in the way they go? I had been wondering if being mid-late teens was catching up with Fire over the past year but this morning he was like a different pony.

[haffyfan]

I mainly school out hacking as only have a lumpy field too and because it's 'home' they resent being made to work there too as I guess it's the playground really...especially murph who is usually sullen and stubborn and often just goes on strike! I get far more out of him out hacking as at least he is alert and listening to me...he seems to have a thing about schooling as even as a baby hated going in the school at old yard to mess about and point blank refused to lunge at all!

[maximum]

Its easy to say that you really should not school hi in his field as its 'his' space but thats not always possible.

Where possible I would avoid riding in his field but sometimes you have to- school if available would be much better. Just try and have one section of the field which is work rather than the whole area.

It could be he was just lit up by being out or its possible he is more comfortable in his self physically on the going in the school. Could be that the field is hard?

[duckles]

I am lucky to have an arena but I usually do a bit of schooling out hacking as well. It sounds as if Fire switches off in the field, could you possible just keep it for jumping and school in the arena down the road? I think you can go whenever you like, am I right? Of course it is much nicer to work close to home but perhaps he does resent working in his field. Maybe 'resent' is the wrong word but he might be able to relax and concentrate more in neurtral surroundings.

[FirenLady]

I think you guys are on to something actually. Its not really his field as he doesn't graze it (its a big open meadow that I've commendeared a chunk of). But when we ride on it he always has his ears flat back and is reluctant to go anywhere, so I think perhaps he does consider it his. Even getting a decent walk is a struggle. Took him down to neighbours again on Sat and he was loving it again! I've had him 11yrs and hes never ever picked up right leg canter straight away without the aid of a pole. trip, jump, walk-canter but he did it three times on Sat! *shocked*

The field itself isn't really hard but the track around the edge that we've worn is quite hard. I think your right abour keeping it for a jumping field duckles and schooling on neutral ground. I have come up with a lil plan. School him at the neighbours every other week, then have a course set up at home for one week in between and then some xc jumps set up for the odd weekends. I have bought Fire a lil pressie, will put a pic up when I get a sec Thanks for the help.