Some fun little exercises?

[Chickerdoodle13]

I'm looking for some little exercises to do in the round pen to keep my horse from getting totally bored. Now that it looks like we may get a small break in the rain, I'm hoping to get out there and work with Sedona every day. Today was the first day after all that rain and mud! We had all the horses hooves trimmed and the round pen was nice and dry.

So this is what I normally do with the horse when I bring her in the pen. I'll round pen her for about ten minutes or so. I get her to stop, turn in each direction, and join up. I don't over work her, but just enough to get her attention on me. Then I get on her back and I let her relax by just walking around. (I've been doing some work to find my balance which I've lost over the past couple years that I haven't ridden regularly) I also work on stopping (she's getting better) and backing up (Which she needs work on both in the saddle and on the ground). Once she's nice and relaxed (She's a very lazy horse, but I let her catch her breath often as she needs to get into shape) I trot her around. She needs a LOT of work on the jog/trot. She's too fast, holds her head higher than I'd like and she's just all over the place. Today I was doing a light see sawing with my hand to slow her down and that seemed to work both on her speed and her head. I need work on my balance as well, so I'm not doing anything crazy with her until we are both ready.

What advice do you all have for me? Any exercises I can do or anything I can do to help her find her balance and slow down in the jog? She's a very good horse, but only five years old and has never been finished. I'm hoping to finish her, but I'm always open for opinions and new things to do. We are currently using a D ring snaffle bit on her and I try to be very light with my hands, but she has a harder mouth. She doesn't go off the bit or shake her head or anything bad, but she's never been taught to neck rein (which is something else I'd like to teach) and sometimes it seems she needs that little bit of an extra push to turn. I'm working on my leg pressure and she's really getting the hang of it. She was backing up quite nicely by the end of our session!

So far she has been excellent for me to work with. No craziness at all. I wish there were more horse people around here that I could talk with to pick up little exercises and training techniques. I was working on bending her neck today and she did real well, but I'd love to find more exercises to help get her in shape and build up some muscle, especially in the flank area.

 

[Countrymom]

Not sure this will work in a round pen, but one of my favorite exercises to teach a horse to rate and to work in a circle. I start in the walk - always start at the beginning in the lowest gear. I keep the horse going in a even forward motion and start along a fence line. I ask them to bend into a small circle traveling off the fence and into the pen keeping the same even pace. I start with small circles and work them until we have the idea down. If the horse speeds up, I stop them, back a step, make sure we are at a calm state, and ask for forward motion again to continue and complete the circle. I would say it takes a few stops to get the ide. Always bend the horse's nose only about a quarter of the way and ask them to follow their nose into the circle. AS the horse gets the idea I proceed to bigger circles. I would say that I get about 2 small circles per side of a 100 foot pen or fence line. Then I ask for one big one per 100 foot side. **just edited to clarify that after one circle you continue straight on the fence until the next space available for another circle. Depending on the size of circle you want and the size of the pen you are working in**

A more advanced idea on this general exercise is to do one small circle and then immediately go into a larger circle by pressing them out with the inside leg. Most horses want to instantly speed up with leg pressure, so again stop and step once at least back and wait for a calm state before proceeding.

And as you progress with this start the entire exercise over by working in the trot.

If at any time that horse begins to push out at the shoulder, use that outside leg to keep the horse in place in the circle.

Just one idea for you to challange your mind and your horses.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Thanks country mom! That sounds like a very good exercise to try.

We actually do have a large arena, but since we bought the round pen, the arena has grown quite a bit of grass! We usually let the horses graze in it now, but once my dad gets the wheel for his brush hog in the mail, I will ask him to clear it for me.

I really do like working in the round pen, but sometimes I feel like I want more room to move. Its a large pen though, at 60', so its not like my horse is restricted to moving in a small circle. Its just more difficult to do large figure eights or even loping. I'm not really to that point yet though, so I won't have to worry about it for another few weeks. Right now the round pen is find for stopping, backing up, and slowing down her gaits. She's really lazy, as I said before, so I just think no one has ever worked on slowing her down! I think its funny when she realizes that its OK to go slow. She's sort of like "Oh boy, I like this speed!"

Any suggestions for working on head set? I don't need a dead western pleasure horse head set, but I like a nice level head and I feel it slows down the horse. I have draw reins, but since she doesn't neck rein yet, I'm not sure I will use them. It would be difficult to use both and steer at the same time. The see sawing seems to work, but I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Countrymom]

For head set I would work on flexing to the side. Not over flexing mind you. And then just basically ride the horse to get her tired. A young horse that hasn't had a lot of time in the saddle tends to have their head sky high. If you can get her to trot or lope several (like a good 20 minutes) of circles you will see that head begin to drop and her entire body began to relax. Otherwise you would be walking for like an hour plus to see that change. Then once the horse is tired enough you can began to work on flexing to the side and keeping contact on the bit with the head lowered more.

Now I find the above to be more effective in most cases, however, there are those who are just more naturally high headed. Some you can convince that a lower head set is good while others you just have to realize that is where they are.

If you still find that they raise their head up in anticipation or excitement of things like simply changing gates, you can try a german martingale. Make sure it isn't a running martingale. The german martingale is an expensive tool, but one that is basically quicker than your hands and allows the horse to control a lot of it's own contact...so basically he fights himself and not your hands alone. With this type of martingale you can set it at a longer conection and work your way up to a shorter one and allow your horse time to realize it is there.

Side reins are another thing you can work with on the lunge line - but not under saddle. They are straps you can purchase that have either an elastic section or a rubber donut on them that allows some give. I have a pair and do use them when I first introduce a bit to a horse - on a very light contact issues. And I have used them on a more tight contact situation for a horse that needed to learn a more english direct rein of going. I just find that in the long run they seem to give too much pressure and not enough give.

In all honesty, the hard work of my first suggestion will give you results that also allow you to ride your horse on a looser rein and not get you in the habbit of holding their face. And you can progress with collection (which is a lot more than head set) a lot easier once the horse's state of mind is ready for work and all the excitement has left.