Practicing test patterns for fun

Did you ever think of practicing test patterns just for fun? I know not everyone has competitive aspirations but if you are looking for a challenge and variety in your play and practice, test patterns can be a good learning tool and can be used in many creative ways.

Horses like patterns and shapes because they give them and their person intention and a goal. They give the horse a sense of purpose and destination. It is also a great focusing exercise for distracted horses and fearful riders.

Test patterns come in all levels and abilities so don't think you are not ready to try them. They generally start at the walk, trot/jog. You can also walk the whole pattern, trot in canter sections, and modify the patterns to your level. You can gradually work toward doing it exactly in your own time.

Obviously riding patterns is one way to use them. But you can ride them Bitless, Bareback, English, Western, Gaited or any other style you may do.

Did you ever think of just leading your horse around the pattern? You can practice leading from both sides and if you have a young horse, un-rideable horse, or a horse being rehabbed. This is a creative way to use patterns.

Another fun challenge is to do them at Liberty. Can to get your horse to do the patterns mirroring you? Can you get your horse to circle around you? You could put treats along the shape of the patterns and guide your horse to them. Be creative, modify the patterns to your own liking. Make up your own original ones!

If you do compete, these are fresh ways to practice and make it more fun. See the links here with Western Dressage patterns and USDF Patterns and enjoy the video of some patterns I make up.
Western Dressage Tests
USDF Tests
USEF Tests

LLM: Lateral Leg Yielding: Liberty part 1

In case you are wondering what LLM is, It stands for Liberty, Line, Mounted. This next few post will be about using that progression to introduce Lateral work and Leg Yield from the Liberty exercises, to On Line (or In Hand) to Mounted. It's a really fun and flowing way to introduce any new communication to a horse and it make for an often lively conversation! The first video addresses Liberty warm up for this of movement.
http://fdhorsetraining.com/

Half circle pattern

Here is a nice pattern to work on balance, bend and transitions with your horse. Your circle can be from 15-20 meters (45-60ish ft). At each half (use the same spot each time to do the transitions, cones or dressage letters are helpful) you are going to do a transition. A transition can be a halt to walk, walk to trot, trot to canter, to halt, to trot etc. or any combination there of. Your goal is to change in the same spots each time and keep your horses' body on and as close to the shape of the circle. You are also trying to keep your circle as consistent is shape and size as possible. This is good for Energetic and low energy horses alike. If your horse goes way off the circle, leg yield him back to it or if he can't do that yet, guide him back to the circle until he understands the pattern. A nice progression to start with is energetic walk-halt-walk until it's easy. Then trot to walk to trot until easy and so on. If you have a very energetic horse you can use quarter circle transitions. Move on to canter when you feel the others a easy. More advanced riders can do lengthen stride to collected stride or trot or canters to halt. Have fun and let me know how it goes!
http://fdhorsetraining.com/
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Training Scale: Straightness

Straightness comes after Impulsion in the Training Scale and refers to Straightness in the body of the horse and not just going on a Straight line.

Straightness is confusing sometimes because it is about geometry and how the horses' geometry matches the shape you are riding. For example, If you are riding an actual straight line, the horse is literally straight from nose to tail. He is not looking left or right, and his shoulders and hips are parallel. This gets tricky when we want the same thing on a curve, circle or corner. Often on curves, horses shoulders or hips will be to the side of the shape you are riding. Try riding some straight lines and circles and see if you can notice this. A lot of riding is first learning how to feel and notice things and the figuring out how to visualize and ride the right thing.

If you have worked well in the Previous Training Scale elements, You should have a substantially straighter moving horse. Not perfect, but better. Remember as we add elements we continually dance back and forth with all of them until we can get them fairly consistent. There are lots of straightening exercises but as always I like to keep them simple and straight forward (no pun intended!). Riding pefectly straight lines is a great way to practice straightness and then graduate to curves which I think is harder. Best to get a feel for it on the straight line first.

Once you've found a spot to practice straight lines, pick a visual point to focus on like a dressage letter, cone, fence post, tree, husband, friend, etc. Start by riding toward it and just notice how straight or wiggly your horse feels. Keep riding the same line and gradually become aware of the your own body becoming straighter. Your shoulders stay parallel, and your hips stay parallel. Notice some more passes on the lines. What are you observing? As you improve your straightness, add some halts as this is a good way to learn square halts and practice stopping and starting straight on the same line. Here is a video of the exercise with a clip. Let me know how it goes in the comment section : ).
See clip at link below:
http://fdhorsetraining.com/Dressage.html
http://fdhorsetraining.com
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