Good morning everyone! Yesterday all I wanted to do was work on a pattern. We did the same pattern we have done previously using the question box. We did it only for 20 mins as he was hunting for the box, stopping in the box without being corrected and relaxing there, I finished up and gave him some licorice, is this enough for one session? (My downfall is not knowing when to quit, so I am really working on that).

Working equitation barrels pattern is all about perfect circles and nothing about speed. Holding equ distance around the barrels, crossing your lines (meeting the other circle) and correct flexion - this pattern is way harder than it looks. This helps horse learn to bend around the centre and keep their bodies aligned.

One of the safest and most effective patterns for so many reasons. This pattern helps horses that rush, that don’t go forward, that don’t travel straight and that have balance issues….its the go to for young horses, horses being retrained and for nervous riders to gain confidence. Ride the rail - just that, and only a few technical details required. The horse must trot (or canter later on), must stay on the rail, at the speed you determine, on a loose rein. If the horse rushes or changes gait bend them into the rail and then release to continue on. You must ride this on a loose rein if you want to achieve balance and cadence. You’ll be amazed how good they feel when they get it (and you will too) Remember this one can take a while - trotting for 5 minutes is common - so it’s great for rider fitness too!

This is the power of allowing a horse to find balance itself. This is the cloverleaf pattern - literally a minute or two in and the horse has softened and started to think. The bend in the ribs gets the mind and body soft

One thing that happens a lot with a fig 8 pattern is people end up doing eggs instead of circles. This pole pattern helps you stay circular - look for the centre of the pole always and you’ll nail it