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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 540
 
Location: My own little world :) | Some may think this is a really stupid question but I do not have an arena at my house but I do have an old hay field that is pretty much just dirt with a little grass on it. My horses are not running the pattern yet...we are just walking and trotting. Im just wondering if it is alright to work the pattern on that type of ground as long as I go slow? Or could I even work into a slow lope? I just don't want to cause any issues with my horses and their soundness but it does get old always trying to haul my horses somewhere to practice especially at the stage we are at. Thanks! |
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Location: South Dakota | Zanadoo88 - 2014-04-14 12:14 AM Some may think this is a really stupid question but I do not have an arena at my house but I do have an old hay field that is pretty much just dirt with a little grass on it. My horses are not running the pattern yet...we are just walking and trotting. Im just wondering if it is alright to work the pattern on that type of ground as long as I go slow? Or could I even work into a slow lope? I just don't want to cause any issues with my horses and their soundness but it does get old always trying to haul my horses somewhere to practice especially at the stage we are at. Thanks!
I do slow work with my horses on grass...walking, trotting, and slow loping to barrel, and slow down to trot around.... |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I don't have an arena at home either so if I do any slow work, it's walking and MAYBE trotting because mine are set up in one of Dad's hayfields. Luckily, it's only a 6 mile drive to the local saddle club arena, but I only take the horses to town once a month or so. I do a lot of walking the pattern with my two off the track horses so a small pattern on grass works pretty well. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | I think the riders that do more circles, patterns. Over and over again cause more damage then anything. Deep soft ground is not good either. To have horse go around the barrel repeatedly to try to perfect drives me nuts .I can almost feel the horses legs lol |
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | Bibliafarm - 2014-04-14 8:27 AM I think the riders that do more circles, patterns. Over and over again cause more damage then anything. Deep soft ground is not good either. To have horse go around the barrel repeatedly to try to perfect drives me nuts .I can almost feel the horses legs lol
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 Dr. Ebay
Posts: 8507
Location: Land Of Oz | Riding on harder ground will build bone density. Also, they will learn to handle the less than perfect ground conditions as they will learn to keep their hip up underneath of them. For the speed you are talking, you should be fine. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | I thought I was the only one who liked to work horses on crappy ground? lol My theory is that if they can handle the crappy ground at home, then when we go to some rodeo that has bad ground, I have no worries because my horse will be confident on that sort of footing! And that is correct about building bone density! Hard ground builds bones, soft ground strengthens tendons and ligaments! Just don't take it too far and make a fast run. Be careful and listen to your gut! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 540
Location: My own little world :) | Awesome! Yes that was kind of my thought...although I did not know that it built bone density. But I always thought that it would help them handle tough ground in other places. I will not go fast because I don't want tear anything and also don't want to slip and fall! I'm glad others also use crappy ground! Thanks guys! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 915
Location: SE KS | My pasture is where I ride, I have barrels & poles set up, that's what I have that's what I use!! The fastest I go is a lope, I do more work on positioning my horse into & out of the barrel, so that when we get to an arena some of my work is already done!!
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Miracle in the Making
Posts: 4013
| i can/t ride now but i would never lope a circle or anything but straight line i grass i had 2 go down on grass . i shatterd my foot they almost took it off so bad
the next brok plevic bone when she put a hoof between my legs getting up major ouch
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | vjls - 2014-04-15 9:03 PM i can/t ride now but i would never lope a circle or anything but straight line i grass i had 2 go down on grass . i shatterd my foot they almost took it off so bad
the next brok plevic bone when she put a hoof between my legs getting up major ouch
Ow Ow Owwww! Glad you are okay! Yeah, grass scares me! lol I will breeze in the pasture, but in a straight line and when I know the footing is okay! |
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