Oklahoma Dressage Society

Ok, now this is too much rain! But I'm still grateful as the footing will be great when it drys out. So, what do you do with your horse when it's too wet to safely ride due to slick conditions? I use cavaletti work (suggested book: Cavaletti by Reiner and Ingrid Klimke )in walk (or trot if it's not too slick) either with tack and loose sidereins or just the lunge caveson or a halter if the horse is calm and not prone to playfulness. I have Blocks to adjust the height so I can get the amount of "work" done I want from each horse. It's really interesting to watch a horse learn to be more rhythmic and balanced over the cavaletti and raising the height increases hock and back flexion. This must be done slowly, first just poles on the ground until the horse masters the timing and relaxation necessary to build confidence and physical strength,
then in a week or two, add height to increase the difficulty.
If you haven't used cavaletti before, definitely get the book and get some lessons in their use as improper use can cause many problems including lameness.Learning to use cavaletti is one more step in your growth as a rider/trainer of your horse and it surely worked for the Klimkes!