Fantastic flatwork: its very real benefits
Don’t underestimate the value of schooling your horse on the flat, whether you choose to compete or not. Emily Bevan finds out why it’s fundamental to a happy, confident relationship
FLATWORK IS AN important part of any horse’s training and should be regularly included in their exercise routine regardless of whether or not they compete in dressage or jumping or are used solely for hacking.
“Flatwork will give your horse or pony the foundations to help them be more obedient, attentive, responsive and flexible. This will undoubtedly make your horse much more enjoyable to ride regardless of your ambitions,” says List 2a dressage judge and trainer Sharon Butterworth.
Ensuring that your horse has good fundamental training and can perform basic lateral movements such as leg-yield and shoulder-in will prove advantageous not just in a dressage test, but also when hacking or being ridden in a field.
“To be safe out hacking horses need to have balance, be able to perform decent transitions, listen to the leg and accept the contact,” says international event rider Vittoria Panizzon. “If a car is coming, you don’t want your horse spinning into the road or not stopping and ploughing through the bridle at a junction.”
International showjumper Yazmin Pinchen adds: “You may need to turn in tight areas or go through gates, and so you need your horse to move away from your leg correctly.
“If any of my horses spook at something ahead I flex their head in the opposite direction and use my leg to keep them looking away from what
“If [flatwork] is ignored then problems on a jumping course or out hacking will inevitably occur”
Dressage judge Sharon Butterworth
they are spooking at. It’s helpful to be able to negotiate a situation using different flatwork aids.”
Flatwork for jumping
Many behavioural problems or jumping issues are caused by insufficient basic flatwork training and can be rectified by building regular schooling work into your horse’s exercise programme.
“Even the most basic dressage exercises will improve a horse’s performance over fences. Remember that 90% of a showjumping competition is performed on the flat,” adds Sharon. “Flatwork is basic, and so if it is ignored then problems on a jumping course or out hacking will inevitably occur in one form or another.”
Training your horse doesn’t need to be complicated, stressful or difficult, and it doesn’t need to take place in an arena. Incorporating simple exercises when you are out hacking or riding in the field can have a big impact on your horse’s
“Flatwork is the essence of communication and is key for a good relationship between horse and rider” Sam York, FBHS
balance, obedience and way of going, and make him more pleasurable to ride.
“When I’m out hacking, I ensure my horses are in free walk so they are active but have length of neck, and I do a transition every time I get to a junction, so they have to collect and listen to the seat and leg,” explains Vittoria.
“I am constantly teaching them to go correctly so I have better control and their brain is focused. Because I hack constructively some horses may only need to school once a week in the arena or field.”
Be consistent
“I believe it’s important to do the basics in the correct mode all the time, otherwise you are training the horse to use the wrong muscles and then trying to retrain them when riding in an arena, which is confusing for the horse,” continues Vittoria.
Hacking or riding in a field can be a good opportunity to practise schooling movements as the horse is thinking forward, between the hand and leg, and
going in a straight line. It is also a less pressured environment than an arena.
Fellow of the British Horse Society and British Eventing accredited coach, Sam York, advises: “Use lamp posts or trees out riding as transition markers. Halt when you get to one, count to 10 and then move on. Take what you have learnt in the school outside and be creative.”
Make it a regular thing
Schooling your horse regularly allows you to work on their strengths and weaknesses and helps to avoid any imbalances, which can lead to stiffness, tension or injury. Ensure that your horse has plenty of variety in his workload and is not doing the same thing every day.
“Schooling for 20 minutes three times a week will have a big impact on your horse, and the more he cross-trains the better,” advises Sam.
“The more a horse stretches, bends, hacks and jumps, the fitter and more agile he will be to cope with different terrain or to negotiate a gate. The more riders incorporate a range of activities into their exercise routine the healthier they are, and it’s the same with a horse.
“Be systematic with your training,” continues Sam. “Make sure you are riding equally on both reins and repeat a simple task until you have improved it and next time try something else.
“Don’t be intimidated by schooling — start with a simple exercise like counting your strides between certain markers and then see if you can get the same amount three times in a row. Then set yourself the goal of doing more or fewer strides between the same markers.”
Set mini goals
Making a plan and having mini goals can be a good way to approach your flatwork sessions and helps to avoid riders feeling lost and overwhelmed by being in an arena on their own.
“What might be a small goal for someone else could be a major goal for you, but it doesn’t matter,” says Sharon. “Write down your goal for the month and then keep a record of what you do after each session so you can look back on it and see what you have achieved,” she suggests.
All horses are individual. Some will perform better if they school for half an hour after a hack, while others will prefer a few days of schooling and then a few days’ break. Try different approaches and find out what works for your horse.
“Getting to know your horse and how he is each day really helps you bond and learn about each other,” says Yazmin. “I enjoy doing flatwork with my horses because every day we can be faced with a new challenge and we overcome it together.
It’s very rewarding.”