Lazy horses
Spencer Wilton helps you wake him up
WHILE THEY SAY slow and steady wins the race, it can be hard to believe if you have a lazy horse. A horse that falls behind your leg makes a schooling session exhausting and can take the fun out of your riding. For this month’s instalment of Schooling Solutions, we meet Darren Hicks and his horse, Free Spirit. Darren often finds that Free Spirit can be lazy and he wants to try exercises that make her more responsive to his aids. Here, dressage pro Spencer Wilton shows simple exercises that you, like Darren, can try at home in an arena, or out hacking, to improve your horse’s engagement and sharpen his reactions.
Perfect your leg aids
It can be easy to feel like you’re alone in your struggle with a lazy horse, but it’s important to remember that even top riders like Spencer have encountered their fair share of sluggish steeds. “I have a horse that’s about to retire, but he could be so lazy,” he says. “Sometimes, I’d take him in the ring and I could feel him getting more and more sluggish as we went up the centre line. By the time we got to the salute, I’d have to really work hard to get him to do the rest of the test!” Getting your horse in front of your leg takes time, but it’s important to get the basics right and ensure your aids are giving him the best chance. Simply by doing this you can make all the difference to his reaction time. “A lot of people with lazy horses end up having their leg on the horse’s body for too long,” says Spencer. “When they kick, their leg will land on the horse’s body with a thud and stay there. This makes him go numb and desensitises him to your leg. “When you kick on, retract your leg away from your horse’s side as quickly as possible,” says Spencer. “Aim to lift your leg off as quickly as you put it on. This creates sensitivity to your aids and puts you in a better position to kick again.” Over the page, Spencer explains some of the exercises you can try to wake your horse up and get him listening.