Five things to do with your horse that aren't riding

I do a lot of things with my horses that aren’t riding. I love riding but it’s not why I have horses and if I could never ride again I would still get just as much joy from being around and interacting with them. Here’s some of the things I do when it just doesn’t feel like a riding day to me:

1. Go on a walk

I think walking with our horses is such a powerful way to let them know we enjoy their company and care about them. Horses in the wild spend a lot of time walking and exploring together so why wouldn’t we do that with them too? Most of my rides with my 4 year old pony are a mix of walking and riding, so both his brain and body get a chance to relax a bit. Try slowing your breathing right down and matching your steps to your horse. You can also let them nibble on most hedges and trees (avoid sycamore and oak) and forage for blackberries, cleavers, rosehips and willow branches on your travels.

I recommend teaching your horse a cue for when they can nibble - I use “and graze” for Eddie so he knows that’s when he can eat.

2. Try some massage techniques

I’m far from competent at this but I have enjoyed trying some TTouch (developed by Linda Tellington Jones) and it released a lot of yawns for Henley. I’ve also tried following some Masterson Method videos, again resulting in a lot of relaxation and yawning. I sometimes take a break from poo picking the fields and do this loose, so the horses can decide whether or not they are interested at that moment too. Search either on YouTube for some ideas to try.

3. Basic groundwork

Activities like yielding the hindquarters, backing up and walking over poles (or branches) are all brilliant and gentle exercises to help your horse condition their hind end. When yielding the hindquarters, make sure they step under and cross their legs. When backing up aim for diagnol steps and don’t ask them so hard that they get tense or raise their head. As your horse gets stronger you can start to back up for a few steps up a gentle slope or ask for a change in direction.

4. try out some Obstacles

Test your horse’s bravery by setting up some obstacles. There are all sorts of general house items you can use; the obvious are tarpaulin, bunting or balloons. You could use leftover bubble wrap from deliveries, a cut up old sheet as a flag, or cut into ribbons in a stable door way to practice brushing through.

5. Just spend time in the field watching them

Maybe the easiest of all of these but in some ways the hardest in the stressed out fast paced world we live in. Allowing ourselves time do nothing is so hard, and it can be really hard to just be doing nothing in a field when you have a list as long as your arm of jobs that needs doing, bills that need paying, admin that needs to be sorted etc. But you really deserve that time to focus on your breath, notice all the little sounds around you; the rustling of leaves, birds, the chewing of the horses, the swish of a tail. Notice the colours around you, the season, the changing sky. Enjoy forgetting about the rest of adult life, even if it’s just for 10 minutes or so.