# What are your exercises on the flat?



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

hmm some of the more interesting exercises I've done:

- turning on the forehand and haunches all the way around the track of my arena

- sidepassing in a zig-zag from one end of the arena to the other

- playing games that require training lateral movements is neat too; you can set up an obstacle course that requires transitions, lateral movements etc..


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## brittx6x6 (Mar 4, 2007)

-we do obstacle courses everyonce in a while to let the horses move and have fun
-ride 10ft off the rail and make sudden turns so your horse has to listen to you and not rely on the wall
-zig-zags with 2 people where you zig-zag in and out of eachother (its really fun once you get it down, but it requires a lot of communication between 2 people)
-trot poles at every bend (set up at a bend so the go narrow to wide)


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## blossom856 (Apr 5, 2007)

JustDressageIt said:


> - turning on the forehand and haunches all the way around the track of my arena


So you end up doing a bunch of half circles around the arena? That sounds fun, yet challenging. I'll have to try that.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

blossom856 said:


> JustDressageIt said:
> 
> 
> > - turning on the forehand and haunches all the way around the track of my arena
> ...



Yep...


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

A lot of transition work, circles, serpentine and a lot of lateral work to get your horse to move off your leg. The lateral work I usually save for the end of my ride as I start to cool him down.


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

I have a love hate relationship with stirrupless riding. :lol: I also like doing lots of work at a 2 point. A great exercise someone showed me was to get up into a 2 point (holding mane) and squeeze your calf and thigh together as long as you can. It's an isometric exercise so your horse should not speed up. It will speed up if you ride with your toes too far out digging your heel into his side! If you don't feel a burn within 20 seconds you aren't doing it right. Everyone used to tell me I had a great leg but I can tell a noticable difference since I started doing this. 

As far as horse exercises people have already mentioned a lot of them. I like to really make them move laterally too. Zig zag using leg yields. Go down the center line doing a haunches in, haunches out, haunches in, haunches out, etc. Also great with a shoulder in/out. One rein stops are exellent even from a stand still. It's a GREAT way to limber up a stiff horse and teach a horse to give to the bit.


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## Equina (Jul 28, 2007)

1 - At the trot, post 7 strides, sit 7 strides, 2-point 7 strides, repeat! Do this while keeping your horse at the same tempo....OR doing working trot (post), collected trot (sit), and extended trot (2-point). When I change my horse's tempo, I usually do 11 strides instead of 7. Just do an odd number and you'll stay on the correct diagonal. Of course, try it without stirrups eek!

2 - Tie your reins in a loose knot and drop them. Ride with your arms behind your back, out to the sides (airplaine), or straight forward (superman). Try it with your eyes closed. Try the above exercise like this too! Great way to learn balance...and have your horse listen to leg aids.

3 - More for fun...grab something from a different discipline! I used to ride this Dressage mare and one day for fun we did a little "fake" Reining. I'd canter her forward as fast as I could, then at C, slam on the brakes. Jump right back into the canter, then at A, slam on the brakes again. After a few times, she got the idea and really started to tuck her butt for our fake sliding stops. It also made it very clear to my body that I needed to stay with my horse during a halt otherwise I'd flop forward.


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## hunterequlover781 (Dec 27, 2007)

We do lots of work with transitions and adusting our speeds. We work on lateral movement, extention, collection, ground poles, figure eights, circles, serpentines, small equ. paterns, and our flying lead changes. 
For my equ, we are riding without stirrups all the time.


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

I ride QH english pleasure i work alot on critiqueing our speed perfecting transitions, working patterns, working off rail, working on stride and mind set. Working on head set, working responsiveness, working on quick situations or tough situations ( like if your no prepared to canter right then and their, or you get boxed in or cut off in the ring.) Consistancy is a big one i work on too.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Transitions, & I do a lot of turns.  Circles too.
Figure eights also!


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## love-a-hero (Apr 3, 2008)

I do transitions, flexing in and out. I also do alot of figure of eights, lenghting and shortening strides, trot poles. And like Just Dressage It said about incorperating obstycles, that keeps then focused and have a bit of fun!


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## Rachluvshorses4eva (Apr 11, 2007)

Yet I haven't done some of these because I don't own a horse, but I have done some.

Cantering, sitting trot with no stirrups, good for the balance, but when I do this, I try and still keep my heels down and the normal leg position, just for practice. Trying to get your horse to do figure eights WITHOUT using the reins, using your legs to guide him. Rising trot with no stirrups, this is an absolute killer, but it really improves your balance, position and makes your legs WAY more stronger.
I also do heaps more, but these are just some of the ones I would do.


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## Ride4Life (Nov 3, 2007)

at my old riding place we had these bomb proof horses and on a really hot day we had water guns and went from point A to point B without getting shot but if we got shot we had to 2 trot around the arena 3 times without stirrups  haha thats like a summer game tho


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## Delregans Way (Sep 11, 2007)

> I do transitions, flexing in and out. I also do alot of figure of eights, lenghting and shortening strides, trot poles. And like Just dressage It said about incorperating obstycles, that keeps then focused and have a bit of fun!


Thats what I do too!!


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## librahorse94 (May 7, 2008)

for me-I usually do a 2 times around the arena in a 2 point to get my legs warmed up.(at a walk). and the trot i like to do stirup less and do circles. and at the canter i like to do a lot of 2 point and stirup less.


For the horse- I do ground poles and cavileties.
when i canter (to slow him down) i counter canter. and i do some simple changes. and at the trot i do changes in direction.


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## steff (May 4, 2008)

I do serpantines 10 metre circles in the loops halt transitions on the centre line, 20 metre circles spiral in to 15/10 metre circle leg yeld back out lots of transitions up and down, direct transitions ie trot to halt, halt to trot, walk to canter, canter to halt! cantering 20 metre circles leg yelding in canter, I also like to do the safety pin exsercize great for shortening and lentening.. canter 10 metre circle in short bouncy canter lenthen up long side shorten canter 10 metre circle in next corner lenthen up centre line then repeat on other rein or change excersize as my TB can get a bit hyped up with this excersize!! you have been warned!! lol


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## rezzi (May 15, 2008)

my trainer has me stay on a 20-m circle and she stands in the center and i spiral in, then i spiral out. it's really hard! especially on my horse who doesn't listen to my seat  it's really fun though when you are just fooling around 8)


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