Make the most out of free time for you and your horse
• Wear a watch! Plan to ride 30 – 40 minute. Groom thoroughly – at least a 10-15 minute grooming!
• After you get on, walk around the stall barn ( weather permitting ) before you go into the indoor. Enter the indoor and do 5-10 minutes of walking on contact in both directions. Practice square halts 5-10 seconds.
• Trot work for 10-20 minutes. Rising trot first – lots of circles and changes of directions. Find diagonal lines, work to change diagonals and add some halt transitions. On a 20 meter circle, walking and trotting, sit the trot and remember to change directions within the circle. While halted, cross your irons and do 5-10 minutes of sit trot and rising trot. Take stirrups back.
• Back to using the whole ring – get a good, forward rising trot. Walk, then canter. Plan to first circle half the ring in the canter in both directions. DO NOT canter without stirrups. After canter work, do lots of walking until your horse is cool and breathing normally. Groom thoroughly again!
NO NO’s
• DO NOT practice flying lead changes. Save them for lessons and the show ring. • NO jumping or pole work on practice rides
• Absolutely NO cell phones on your body while riding or grooming your horse