Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

So how does the ring differ from the trail other than mindset of the rider?  If you do circles in the ring working on certain things, why can you do that by doing circles in a field that you find while out riding on the trail?  If you are coming up on a section of trail that snakes to the right and then snakes to the left, you can practice a lead change there.  How is that different than asking for a lead change during a figure 8 in the ring?

 

My husband and I often do training rides.  During those training rides, we will ask for collection, we will do lead changes, work on extending trots, collected canters taking off with different leads, counter canters, and such.  I guess I don't understand how doing it in a 70 x 140 sand ring is so different than asking for the same things out on the trail.

 

Carolyn Burgess

Truman Prevatt <tprevatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Carolyn Burgess wrote:
>
> > I have to disagree with this. Now, if you talking about going out for 
> > a "hack", then yes, I concur. I am one of those riders who can't 
> > stand going around in circles in the ring. I'll be up in the ring 
> > working away, thinking I've been there for a LONG time and I'll look 
> > at my watch and 5 minutes has elapsed. Five torturous minutes. I 
> > will only work in the ring if it is a safely issue. I do all of my 
> > training on the trail. I do dressage work on the trail, I do lead 
> > changes, bending, gait changes, anything you can do in the ring, I do 
> > on the trail. It also teaches them that just because we are doing a 
> > ride, doesn't mean that I won't ask for collection, lead changes, 
> > different diagonals, etc.
> > 
> > Carolyn Burgess
> >
> >
>  */mkrumlaw@xxxxxxxxxxxx/* wrote:
> >
> > I don't believe you should use the trail to *teach* your horse the
> > correct leads and diagonals. 
> >
> I'm not a big fan of the ring either. However, I think most horse can 
> benefit from some good ring work and most horse can benefit from going 
> back into the ring every once in awhile for a refresher.
>
> A baseball player learns to hit a fastball by slowly turning up the 
> speed on the pitching machine. He doesn't learn to hit it walking out 
> and facing Nolan Ryan's 100 mph fast ball on the day one. I think the 
> same concept works for the horse.
>
> Truman
>
> -- 
>
> "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our 
> humanity."
>
> - Albert Einstein