Quick session ideas If time is your biggest adversary, then
F E AT U R E
Never mind the weather
opt for groundwork exercises to cut down on tacking-up time. Teach your horse to calmly and reliably move forward off a light aid, to stop from a light aid, and to move sideways. It is amazing the number of times I run through these exact lessons with clients when I first go out and meet them. Horses have either become a little dull to the aids over time or, more often, have not been taught these
If you find shorter days and inclement weather dampen your enthusiasm, it’s time to fire up your motivation with these hot tips from CHRISTINE ARMISHAW.
A
fundamentals correctly in the first place. Groundwork offers a time-effective approach to improving your horse’s overall way of going. It’s worth noting
s daylight dwindles, motivation
frustrated if you’re not able to keep your
can become an elusive beast.
horse in work the way you would prefer
Add to that dreary weather
due to circumstances you can’t change.
that the most constructive aids taught from the ground are those able to be replicated from the saddle, so your
and unsuitable ground underfoot, and
Unless you have an indoor arena,
horse essentially has the same lesson
what’s a rider to do? Firstly, being
outside conditions will to some degree
repeated once you are on board. For
mindful of the things you can control
dictate what you are able to do with
example, if you get your horse to follow
and the things you can’t will go a long
your horse. But never fear, options still
you on the ground when you start
way towards keeping you from beating
abound if you are willing to think outside
walking, how will you then turn that into
yourself up. There’s no point getting
the horse box.
a ‘go’ aid once you’re mounted?
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