Tex-Over Farms, Articles

minutes, trot and canter for ten to fifteen minutes, then walk him cool. With the mature horse I condense the thirty minutes of work for the green horse into a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, work for twenty minutes, and walk him cool.
     To avoid boredom and the stress of drilling, it is wise to vary the work from day to day. This is an example of a five day work week:
     One day of longing – to observe and strengthen.
     Two days of working in the arena.
     One day of working outside.
     One day having a play day under saddle (trail riding, cavalettis, jumping, etc).
     The progressiveness of training also applies to the amount of work. How much the horse can and should do is your judgment. Let yourself be guided by compassion for the horse and the need for progress in your training.
     You must determine where your horse is in its training in order to make this plan work for you. That is your starting point. Then you must judge how far your horse can progress realistically with you as his trainer. That is your ultimate goal. Determine your halfway point, shorter goals, and your work week. Now write it all down!
     After one week check your actual work against what you planned to do. I hope they match. If not, you need to change your plan or your work. Either way, this planning your work and then working your plan will give you a better awareness of accomplishment and a greater pride in your work.

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