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Is your riding arena suffering due to the weather? Or perhaps you don't even have one? Even without a training arena, you can certainly set goals – and, more importantly, achieve them. Here, you'll find five tips for training your horse effectively, even if you can only do it in the open.
If you're comfortable riding your horse on paths and roads, you can definitely use them to practice some exercises and warm up. For example, you can work on lengthening and shortening your horse's stride in all its gaits. If you and your horse are experienced in road riding and the traffic allows, you can increase the pace to a trot. However, we recommend walking on busier roads.
Another thing you can take advantage of are hills. Being able to train in varied terrain is, in fact, one of the biggest things missing when riding in an arena. It's an excellent way to train your horse's muscle strength and the rider's balance.
If there's a fallow field, a meadow, or another large grass area (which you have permission to ride on, of course), it can definitely be used! In many places around the world, both jumping and dressage are practiced on grass fields. However, due to the relatively wet (and therefore slippery) climate here, it's not something we Danish riders often do. Nevertheless, with a pair of good studs, you can definitely use open natural areas for more than just a leisurely ride. The advantage is that you can practice exercises that require more space than what's available on a road or path. You can practice leg-yielding, circles, shoulder-in, diagonal lines, serpentines, pirouettes, and much more – obviously depending on your riding level. Just get out in the grass (if you have permission, of course. You don't want an angry farmer on your tail afterward).
When riding out in nature, it's often only possible to trot or canter for short distances at a time – but don't see this as a disadvantage. On trails where it's safe to increase your horse's pace, you can instead practice a lot of transitions. As a rider, transitions are some of the hardest things to master, and it's often one of the exercises that gets "forgotten" in focus. However, when you don't have access to a riding arena, you're almost forced to practice your transitions, so you could end up being really good at performing them.
Read also: Bridles – When and how should they be used?
If you're lucky enough to have a beach nearby, it would really be a shame not to also use it for more ambitious training. Both the sand and the water are superb for training! The part of the sand that's still slightly moist from the waves often resembles a real riding arena surface, where you – like in the grass – can go all out with the exercises. Additionally, the water is perfect for training your horse's topline. Walk, trot, or canter your horse along the water's edge for a delightful experience while building muscles. The best place to ride is where the water covers about half of the horse's cannon bone. Training in deep water, which goes over the horse's knees, will cause it to push its legs through the water rather than lifting them and activating the back. If you use the water and sand correctly, you can make significant progress with your beach training.
When you don't have a riding arena, you instead have a good excuse to take your horse to lots of clinics, lessons, and courses out of town. Do it, for example, once a week and use nature to train the rest of the time. If you're dedicated enough, your trainer will definitely notice that you're making progress in your home training despite the lack of a riding arena.
Read also: Part two: Strengthen the bond with your horse – environmental training
In reality, not having a riding arena shouldn't be seen as a disadvantage. While it may be a limitation, it also means that you can practice some things you might otherwise tend to avoid – and even with a beautiful view! The biggest advantage, however, is that you can train in varied terrain, thereby strengthening your horse in a way you never could in a riding arena. And of course, we must not forget the horse. It will surely love getting to work in the great outdoors.
