1- Walk your horse for a full 10 minutes on a loose rein.

2- With light contact warm up your horse in a trot and canter.
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3- Shorten your reins for full contact and today's exercise will be riding a bold canter. I observe everyone riding on a daily basis and most riders here are complacent with a mediocre canter at best. Learning to be comfortable with a big bold canter and it's power will help you in the show ring, recognize and feel a good canter. Everything is about the canter, a good canter will find you a rideable distance. Watch the attached video. She explains how to maintain a good canter. Teach your horse to stay there without your constant nagging. Pay attention to what she says about if your horse breaks to trot on you and how to manage/eliminate that. I see lots of horses breaking to trot without the rider asking. Ride more efficiently and the result will be less work and interference from the rider and a happier horse.

4- Finish your horse with a three minute long trot.
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5- Enjoy a nice walk around the yard, get him out of the ring.

1- 10 minute walk on long rein.
2- Trot and canter warm up with light contact.
3- Diamond exercise: - Another exercise that many of you have worked on with me. Again, I do not have video to back it up. This exercise was taught to me years ago from Kevin Babington. At the trot and canter work on a diamond shape instead of a circle. Use arena letters or any visual marker for the points to ride to. At first establish the diamond track. Then ride the track with a little inside bend. Develop into looking to your next marker before you get to the marker in front of you to smooth the points. Finally on the straights of the diamond I like to send the horse forward. If done correctly, you will be riding a beautifully shaped dressage show circle not a diamond. One of those great exercises that trick you into riding correctly!
4- Repeat your pattern again and fix anything that needs it.
5-Jump exercise: Work on the same bending line again, if confident ride the 5, the 6 and the 4.
6- 3 minute long trot.
7- Finish with walk around yard.

​1- 10 minute walk on long rein.

2- Trot and canter warm up with light contact.

3- Flat exercise: - This exercise does not have a specific name and I will not have a video to back it up. It also takes a level of feel. However, do not get discouraged if you are not sure what you feel or don't. The first step to developing your feel is to start to be aware as you try. It will come with many miles in the saddle.

For the exercise ride with a longer rein. You are going to teach your horse to remain straight on a circle himself. Each gait will require a little larger circle. Start at the walk on a smaller circle that will accentuate the issues. If the horse falls in with his inside shoulder do a walking turn on the haunch to the outside or if he wants to lean out of the circle do a walking turn on the haunch to the outside. Show him where to be. Practice until you feel him start to maintain this straightness on his own. The trot and canter will be done with rollbacks, like you worked on yesterday. Stay away from the fence so you can turn either direction. I like this exercise to move the shoulders which loads the haunch as opposed to displacing the hind and loading the shoulders. Play around with it, the horse seem to like the exercise as it is unpredictable.

4- Repeat your pattern again and fix anything that needs it.

5-Jump exercise: I will set up a bending S line with three jumps. (I will try not to forget!) Ride the line 5 strides to 5, then try to do 4 to 4. Both directions. Practice until you feel that you can do them smoothly. Remember, you want to shorten a stride not slow it down. Have fun.

6- 3 minute long trot.

7- Finish with walk around yard.

1- 10 minute walk on long rein.
2- Trot and canter warm up with light contact.
3- Flat exercise for Thursday - Rollback to Fence. This is one of my favorite flatwork exercises from my western riding days. I use it a lot, I attribute my horse's excellent rideability to this exercise. Rollbacks are the easiest way to start teaching your horse to move his front end, work off his hindquarters, and collect himself.
When you're ready to begin, hold the reins with steady contact, with your hands comfortably out in front of you (short reins). Ride your horse at a forward trot. Now, begin making a large circle adjacent to one of the long sides of the ring. Every time you come around to the fence, you should be near enough that you could reach out and touch it with your hand. Complete at least two circles, or as many as needed to get your horse to relax. When he does, as you come around to the fence, approach it at a 45-degree angle. This will create a "pocket" for your horse to roll back into. As your horse comes up to the fence at a 45-degree angle, sit back in the saddle, say whoa (why that exercises was on Wednesday)a direct rein closest to the fence to tip his nose slightly toward the fence. Remember: You're not physically trying to stop your horse. You're simply redirecting his energy toward the fence and letting the fence stop him. At the same time, press with your outside leg near the girth to ask your horse to turn into the open pocket you've just created. He should rock his weight back on his haunches and jump his shoulders through the pocket. As you're turning, look over your shoulder into the turn. This will put your body in the same position as your horse's body, making it easier for him to come through the turn. You want to ride the rollback as you want him slow to come around for balance but then you want to power out of the rollback for push off. Once you feel like you have a feel at the trot, then move to the canter. Sometimes, you will not want to move to canter in the same session. So, if this is new to you just work the trot. If you have done this before then do both.
I have attached a video that demonstrates riding the circles to the fence and how that should look. At first you will want to get pretty close to the fence to halt and then turn. Let the fence teach them to rock back. Of course we do not want the sliding stop as in the western reining but it is a great demonstration video for you to get the idea.
4- Repeat your pattern from Wednesday a couple times.
5-Cavaletti: I will set two poles to ridden on a circle. Trot the circle both directions four or five times. Work on stepping over the center of each pole, pay attention to the shape of your circles. Remember circles do not have straight lines or corners. Keep the shape of the horse consistent with the track shape of the circle.
5- 3 minute long trot.
6- Finish with walk around yard.

1- 10 minute walk on long rein.

2- Trot and canter warm up with light contact.

3- We will follow up a complicated exercise with a simple one. Often I like to alternate the intensity of work day to day. For today's challenge get your horse familiar with the voice command whoa. It is very simple to do. When you want the horse to whoa from voice, always start with the voice command, then follow up with the normal aids. If you are consistent the horse will start to associate and respond to the voice, reward him. This is a very simple exercise and is very valuable. For example: riding into a tight and short line and you need extra help to fit it in, you can simply add a little whoa in the line and it works if the horse is well versed in it. AND you did not have to pull on the reins! Work on this today until he starts to respond from the voice, from walk/halt, trot/halt and canter/halt.

4- Pattern Work:
a. Trot a quarter of the way down the centerline.
b. Pick up right lead canter and turn right at X.
c. Walk to wall and turn on haunches to right 360 degrees. Then turn on haunches to left 180 degrees.
d. Canter left lead to X and circle left in medium canter.
e. Simple change at X and canter right circle at extended canter.
f. Simple change at X, canter to wall and turn left.
g. Extended trot to corner and Halt (use your voice)
h. Back a couple of steps.

5- 3 minute long trot.
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6- Finish with walk around yard.

1- Walk your horse for a full 10 minutes on a loose rein.
2- With light contact warm up your horse in a trot and canter, riding circles, figure eights and serpentines. Simple changes.
3- Shorten your reins for full contact and revisit your work with shoulder in from Challenge #1. Just get the feel back and feel like you are getting a little piece of it. Work both directions until you like it.
4- The new exercise will be Haunches in or Travers. In haunches-in, the horse bends its hindquarters slightly to the inside of the arena, away from the arena wall, so that the horse is bent in the direction of movement.
The aids for Haunches in:
The outside rein lies against the neck and allows the bend.
The inside rein maintains the inside shoulder from falling.
The outside leg is back and encourages the horse to bring his outside hind in and under.
The inside leg of the rider stays on the girth and maintains the lateral bending.
The outside rein allows the amount of bending in the horse.
The rider puts more weight on the inside seat bone.
The rider keeps his shoulders parallel to the horse’s shoulders and his hips parallel to the hips of the horse.
I have attached a video for Haunches In. I like her use of the small circle and coming off into the movement. Use this method to practice. Once you feel like you are having some success move onto #4.
4- I like to put the two movements together to prepare my horse canter. Working on a large circle, work in the shoulder in at the trot. Once that is consistent and steady, move into the haunches in. Once that feels good ask for the canter. This really sets the horse up from a nice balanced depart off that outside hind. Work on this a few times each direction until you feel like you are getting consistent good results in the upward transition.
5- Finish your horse with a 3 minute long trot. You want the horse to stretch into the bit. He will still need light contact with this longer rein and most importantly a working hind end.
7- Enjoy a nice walk around the yard, get him out of the ring.

1- 10 minute walk on long rein
2- Trot and canter warm up with light contact.
3- Flat exercise: - 3 loop Canter Serpentines with simple changes. I have attached a photo of the 3 loop serpentine pattern. When cantering a serpentine with simple changes, the focus is basically a canter trot canter transition between the change of bends. We want a good balanced transition. It is not just about getting the trot and then getting the canter. We are looking for obedience and suppleness. Each canter depart should use the same consistent aids. Your inside leg stays at the girth and will be the aid that sends the horse forward, the outside leg comes slightly back and encourages him to step under with his outside (push off leg). Consider your rein aids and be sure that you have an even steady contact. Be sure to maintain the leg position while you are in the canter. Before you trot, you want your canter to be a good even quality canter, even if you have to circle within the serpentine to achieve it and then continue when ready. Remember break down the patterns as needed and then put them together. Then you need a canter to trot transition for the simple change. Right before the transition you need to send the horse forward into the had a bit to get them to come under and lighten the shoulders. Prepare with a half halt and then you will need to sit up tall and stop your seat from following by engaging the core and bracing your lower back just a tiny bit for the transition down and then relax and follow into the trot and then repeat the upward into the canter. I have attached a video of canter to trot transition. She completely uses her seat for the transition and you can really see her do it. I thought it would be helpful.
4- Repeat your pattern again and fix anything that needs it.
5-Jump exercise: I will set up a simple line of two cross rails tomorrow morning. Canter the line both directions. You will want to be able to do the line in a nice normal to forward 5 and also in a regular to short 6.
6- 3 minute long trot. This trot is part of the work, not a vacation. I have noticed a couple people just letting there horses on the buckle and doing whatever trot they feel like. This trot is developing a top line for you. It must be with contact, yes the rein can be longer to allow stretch but must have contact and the horse should be very active behind.
7- Finish with walk around yard.

1- 10 minute walk on long rein

2- Trot and canter warm up with light contact, same as Tuesday.

3- Flat exercise for Wednesday - (Shorten your reins to full contact for all exercises after our warm up). Trotting Spiral In and Spiral Out to Canter. This is a great exercise to supple a horse and to find good balance. It is also like a valium for a nervous horse! Watch the video and notice that she does not counter bend the horse to spiral in. However, sometimes to keep the horses shoulder in front you must use the outside rein. Keep even contact in both hands and keep the horse's head steady and move the body in or out not the mouth or head. If the horse pivots his hind end when you spiral out keep your outside leg on to keep the haunch in check.

4- Today is the second day of the schooling week so we add a bit more work. Let's do a little pattern work ( I will post pattern drawing too in the comments for reference for the visual learners):
a. Trot down the centerline and halt at X.
b. Do a 3/4 turn on the haunches to the right.
c. Do a medium canter circle to the right back to X. Keep the circle about 20m.
d. Keep cantering thru X to the wall and turn right, halt before corner and do a 1/2 turn on the haunch to change direction.
e. Pick up your left hand canter. Stay on the rail and start a large circle at the end of the ring and grow into a very forward canter. Bringing the canter back to X.
f. At X do a simple change to left lead and turn left at wall.
g. Transition to trot and once the trot is nice, halt.
When you are working with patterns and come across a problem area, work on that issue before finishing the pattern. Use the pattern to show you your weaknesses, break it down work on them and then go back to the pattern. Work until you can negotiate the pattern fairly easy or at least with great improvement over the first attempt.

5- 3 minute long trot, same as Tuesday
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6- Finish with walk around yard.