By Michelle Grimmer
Well, it's getting close to the end of summer, and everyone has been doing great work with their horses. I am truly inspired by the progress I am seeing! Just today, Tucker (Jess' horse) learned how to do a half-pass, which turned into HUGE improvements in his canter transitions. Marilyn's horse, Dallas, gets softer and more balanced every week. Mary's girl, Regan is just about ready to jump a small house, and Charlie trots like he is floating on air.
None of these things would be possible without the hard work and dedication of the riders and their lovely horses!
Many of us who ride and train, are working to make progress towards some sort of goal. In order to do this, there must be a plan, and consistency. We can call this sort of thing a "program." No matter what level you ride, and no matter what your goals may be, a program is necessary for solid progress.
So what is a program? What does it look like? Good questions!
A program is a systematic routine that riders and trainers develop which can be consistently followed, and which should lead to a desired outcome. If your goal is to get your horse ready to go in the show ring as a jumper or eventer, and be competitive, you are looking at 5 or 6 days per week. A program for this goal may look like this:
Monday: Flatwork school
Tuesday: Gridwork
Wednesday: Conditioning (trail ride, hill work)
Thursday: Flatwork school
Friday: Jump school (coursework)
Saturday: Light flatwork, trail ride
Sunday: Day off.
If your desire is to have a nice riding horse who can consistently improve, you may possibly get away with fewer days of work per week with a lower level of intensity. It really depends on the current level of training of the horse, the current level of training of the rider, and the desired goal(s).
What next? If you need help, get some! For most of us, it is important to obtain guidance with our riding and training programs. Know when to get help, and try to get the right kind. While training horse, it is much better to get it right the first time, than create a problem that will need to be fixed later!
(Originally published August 2013)
