Home Gym

I like to think of my arena as a home gym. At the barn, there are several sets of trot poles set at different distances for collected, lengthen, and medium trot, and there are also a few 12 inch jumps to use every once in a while to strengthen the haunches in the arena.  It's not just an arena to ride in and drill exercises, creating the 'gym' feel to it will help your horse strengthen physically and mentally. It makes then more confident to stretch over the trot poles or over the cavalletties and gain the physical and mental power. It not only makes them less spooky, but helps keep focus when you are not doing the same move over and over and instead keep their attention. 

Even getting out of the arena will do good. Yesterday and the day before, I went outside of the arena and worked with a totally different side of Cody. We worked in gaining hind end muscle and power so he could sit for longer periods of time, we did this by walking, trotting, cantering up and down a hill behind the cornfields. As I was doing the hill work, I noticed that he was really having fun. I felt him pick up a bigger stride when we passed the mare's field and as we went up the hill, he would just swing up and up and up into the bridle. His canter was just phenomenal as he just swung up the hill, collecting on his hind end when we went slightly downhill and lengthening his stride as we continued up the hill. It made him more eager to get worked and come in from the field. Just getting outside of the arena will lighten up any training while still improving. Not only does working outside the arena change things up, it keeps your horse from getting burned out of the same 'arena' stuff. Maybe even end your outside workout with a trail ride to make it an even more positive experience. 

I know I can save this fun exercise as an every-once-in-a-while treat.