Vary Your Riding
July 29, 2011
Have you ever been a part of a sport where your coach has your bored stiff from doing the same thing over and over? Maybe you have heard your kids or others complain about this very thing? Help your horse to not feel this same way. You will be amazed by the difference you will see!
Often times, we fall into a rut of doing the same thing with our horse. Either we always ride in the arena, always do the same exercise in the arena, always ride down the same trail the same direction, always ride in the exact same places, always, always, always! Falling into a rut is something we naturally do. Try to consciously make yourself get out of the same old routine with your horse. If you rarely work in the arena, ride a few time in the shade, enjoy the music and have some fun in the arena. If you rarely leave the arena, unwind by a leisurely stroll through the trees while listening to the sounds from the river. Just the change of scenery or routine can help your horse from becoming bored with your time together.
Have you ever been working on something and you just can't get it right? changing things up a bit can be a great help with this as well. don't think you have to train on a horse in one day until they get it perfect. Find a good note, and move on to something new. You might find great results the next day when you try again and see how much quicker your horse might be. This is a personals natural habit to push too hard on one thing. It takes time to get things right sometimes. Don't get stuck in a rut of pounding something into your horses head until you both are frustrated beyond belief. Look for the positive, reward by releasing when you find the positive, and maybe move on to something new until the next day. Your horse will surprise you with their gratitude.
You might also find another nice surprise if you vary your riding locations. Horses, just like people, have things they are afraid of. Sometimes we look at those things and say, "Are you nuts? This is nothing compared to..." Well, maybe your horse needs something to compare it too. Take for example my horse. She seems to be afraid of almost everything. We have to work through how she handles her fears quite often. Some places around the farm seem top scare her when they seem so small to me. So I took her on a trip to make her see the 'bigger picture'. We went for a ride to the ocean. Before our trip, she was fine with walking through the river. But when the river got really deep and had a lot of movement, she would start to act afraid. After riding in the ocean, she's decided the flowing river is nothing. I could almost hear her say, "River...whatever. Piece of cake", when we came home. I'm not saying push your horse beyond their limit. Just show them there is more to life than your regular surroundings and maybe their regular life will seem easier to handle.
Often times, we fall into a rut of doing the same thing with our horse. Either we always ride in the arena, always do the same exercise in the arena, always ride down the same trail the same direction, always ride in the exact same places, always, always, always! Falling into a rut is something we naturally do. Try to consciously make yourself get out of the same old routine with your horse. If you rarely work in the arena, ride a few time in the shade, enjoy the music and have some fun in the arena. If you rarely leave the arena, unwind by a leisurely stroll through the trees while listening to the sounds from the river. Just the change of scenery or routine can help your horse from becoming bored with your time together.
Have you ever been working on something and you just can't get it right? changing things up a bit can be a great help with this as well. don't think you have to train on a horse in one day until they get it perfect. Find a good note, and move on to something new. You might find great results the next day when you try again and see how much quicker your horse might be. This is a personals natural habit to push too hard on one thing. It takes time to get things right sometimes. Don't get stuck in a rut of pounding something into your horses head until you both are frustrated beyond belief. Look for the positive, reward by releasing when you find the positive, and maybe move on to something new until the next day. Your horse will surprise you with their gratitude.
You might also find another nice surprise if you vary your riding locations. Horses, just like people, have things they are afraid of. Sometimes we look at those things and say, "Are you nuts? This is nothing compared to..." Well, maybe your horse needs something to compare it too. Take for example my horse. She seems to be afraid of almost everything. We have to work through how she handles her fears quite often. Some places around the farm seem top scare her when they seem so small to me. So I took her on a trip to make her see the 'bigger picture'. We went for a ride to the ocean. Before our trip, she was fine with walking through the river. But when the river got really deep and had a lot of movement, she would start to act afraid. After riding in the ocean, she's decided the flowing river is nothing. I could almost hear her say, "River...whatever. Piece of cake", when we came home. I'm not saying push your horse beyond their limit. Just show them there is more to life than your regular surroundings and maybe their regular life will seem easier to handle.