Coming Back into Work After Winter: Making the Best of Just Walking Your Horse

If like me you don't have access to an indoor arena your horse may also be coming back to work after three months of terrible weather and not being ridden.

We all know we can't pick up where we left off in the fall. Like a human athlete, our horses have to be brought back gradually to peak fitness. And that starts with two weeks of walk, beginning with twenty minutes a day and building up to one and a half to two hours (in an ideal world).

That much walking can get pretty dull! Keeping it interesting and beneficial to both horse and rider can become a real challenge, but there are things we can do to put that single-gaited time to good use.

I start by addressing my personal riding bugbears.

First I practice sitting more quietly in the saddle and not working harder than the horse, to get a bigger and more active stride out of him. I ask him once with my legs, and if I don't get a response I ask more strongly until he's putting the required effort into his walk.

Another issue I have is not lengthening my legs enough. It's hard for me to do this and have them be effective. That's why it's so important for my horse to march forward right from the beginning. It's easy to have long, quiet legs and a quiet seat when the horse is moving actively!

Once I've addressed those two problems, I can get working on my horse. That first week we can't make tight turns or small circles, so after walking him in a straight line on a light contact, I ride him in very large circles and begin to supple him. Asking him to go long and low I bend him left and right - not too much - until he loosens up. After shallow serpentines on the long side I test how well he's listening to my legs with some shoulder-fore and short leg yields.

In week two I introduce shoulder-in, decreasing and increasing circles and longer leg yields. I even get adventurous and try the elusive renvers in preparation for Second Level (I can dream!). Some turns on the forehand and rein-backs, plus a couple of trail rides ridden with more contact, give added interest to our sessions.

By week two and the introduction of trot work, we'll be well in sync with each other and Cruz will be more than ready for the next gear.

Introducing a New Mare to Three Geldings: Mission Accomplished!

Despite the terrible weather and misgivings about introducing a new mare to my established 'herd' of three geldings, the process has been successfully completed. Hurray!

The mare's owner arrived at my house one day before the horse, and the mare arrived one day ahead of a two foot snowfall. She descended very calmly from the huge trailer which had transported her for hours and walked with incredible aplomb down to my barn. The geldings were naturally curious about her, but she stayed very serene, which kept my guys from getting worked up. I was impressed.

She then got one afternoon in a grass paddock facing my three boys in their field before the 24 hour blizzard came, and everyone was stuck in the barn for two days and two nights. There was a lot of mucking stalls to do, and luckily my friend, the mare's owner, pitched in. (She is also much more efficient than I am!)

Meanwhile we were off schedule for introducing Gigi gradually to the other horses before my friend had to leave for her house in the south. The mare and the geldings were able to go out on day three, but Gigi had to stay separated. The snow was simply too deep to allow for anyone to escape quickly in case of trouble. It would be like trying to run through sticky treacle. Gigi also needed a fly mask because the glare of the sun reflecting off the snow made her eyes water and start closing: this meant reduced visibility.

We did however mix and match whom Gigi slept next to each night. She began at the end of the barn with just one neighbor, then went into a stall with a horse on either side to rub noses with through the bars.
As it turned out, this was an ideal situation. She became acquainted with everyone despite the bad ground conditions.

Snow or no snow, we went ahead on day five and put her out with Kinley, my twenty year old mega alpha male. Gigi is an alpha female. We decided the two Titans should sort out their pecking order. That first day they were in love: Kinley followed her everywhere, and even shared his hay pile with her - something he never does. Phew! we both thought.

Then came day two. Kinley had lost the Christmas spirit and the honeymoon was over. When Gigi joined him at his hay pile he warned her off. She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and laid her ears back while advancing on the hay again. This time Kinley aimed both barrels at her chest - thankfully missing it. Gigi spent the rest of the day avoiding him and I was sorry they didn't get on after all.

Going for broke, we put all four horses in the same field the following day. To my amazement, there was minimal sniffing and squealing before everyone found a hay pile and started munching. I expected fireworks at some point, but we're now in week three without major flare ups. And now that Kinley has reasserted his authority over all and sundry, he is friends with Gigi again.

I think the enforced time spent in the stalls while the weather was so bad helped a lot. They each had their own space while being able to communicate with the new horse.