bored mare.

roxychix

i am finding my nine year old mare tbx is getting very bored of flatwork lately. she get outs load to the beach and the horsewalker and cross country etc. which she loves and when we are doing something exciting she is full of beans and her skitty lively self but once i drag her into the arena she does everything she can to not listen between napping, jogging between gaits no concentration, distraction of birds, cars, and other horses. now i know it could have to do with my riding but i cant really say it thats either up until the last couple of months she put her full heart into flatwork. like today one of my friends was in the arena jumping her horse and as soon as herself saw it she was full of beans again. but not happy when i wouldnt let her jump it. i do change up my exercises everyday and dont jump a lot cause she cold do with the rest after a hectic spring season. dont know whats wrong because it like shes a bored teenager at school.

ailbheg

Do you only ever do flatwork in the arena? The occasional jumping session won't do her any harm, you don't have to go jumping massive fences, it sounds like she enjoys jumping.
You could also try incorporating your schooling into hacks. Do some of your schooling sessions in a field/on the beach. There's no rule that says a flatwork session must be in an arena. You could also try doing a couple of jumps at the end of a flatwork session, just to vary things a little. Even if you are varying your exercises, she might still associate the arena with going around in circles, doing "boring" stuff (I'm not suggesting that's all you do).

roxychix

enjoys is underestimate. she adores it. have tried schooling on the beach but no real spare fields to work in. i try cavelettis and grind poles trotting poles etc. no i change up not just circles but all sorts shes not at all interested its a battle all the time. shes not got any badness in her. shes just bored.

ailbheg

If she adores jumping, and is bored, I'd suggest adding some jumping into your schooling session. Either that or jump one day, do flatwork another, head out for some xc another, vary things as much as possible.

Ave Sodalis

Hey, I ride a mare who is exactly the same. She has to be pushed around the place and is quite defiant when being pushed forward. The key is to do different things when in the arena, not just every day. Do plenty of transitions (i.e. don't go for a lap without one), circles, reinback, turn about the forehands etc. Then try transitions within paces. Slow down and speed up in walk, trot and, if you can, canter. Also, use the whole of the arena, not just the outside track and around and around. Change rein a lot in random places, use the inside track or just go where ever you feel like.
As with my mare, you said your horse loves to jump but you want to do flatwork. A good thing to try is raised trotting poles. This is where you have your standard trotting poles but one end is raised slightly and they alternate (so one end is raised on one, the other end is raised on the next and so on).
Have you tried bending work? Putting barrels on the ground and weaving through them? Or pole work but with the 2 poles lying parallel on the ground, get closer as you try to trot your horse through them? See how close you can get them without falling out. I seen a horse fit through a space only the width of one foot so don't worry about them being too close.
The key is to get the horse listening and responding to you. If the horse thinks it's just going around in circles, doing the same thing all the time or something similar all the time, it'll stop listening.

Omentum

To be honest no amount of varied exercises in the arena will eliminate the problem. They may however reduce it to a degree. The problem is that your mare has learned to associate the arena with boredom. The good thing is though, often it is simply that particular arena.

My suggestion is you try to incorporate transitions into your hacks. Try and ride on a field during the summer if you can. Hack to a friends, having warmed up and use their arena. Basically spend as little time as you can in your own arena. Flatwork can be done anywhere, even while doing cross country. The sand arena often becomes a prison for horses, and in particular mares in my experience. Also maybe give her a rest if you can for a few weeks out with other horses.... Best of luck

roxychix

hey thanks for the replies but there will be no jumping for a while cause the silly girl got her leg cut on the horse walker dramatic story. she just got a bit over excited. so she'll be off not to deep but superficial but the position its in mean ill be walking her and lunging her mildly to reduce the swelling. so she definitely going to be bored now.