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Training Exercises With Iain Hyde

Photo: Julie Wilson

Photo: Julie Wilson


The Five Cones Exercise.

Iain Hyde is a respected horseman, competitor, breeder and trainer from Tasmania, who has years of experience in both showing and judging Australian Stock Horses, as well as coaching all over Australia and internationally.

Aim:
The idea is to master riding the exercise with minimal hand movement, at a trot and a canter. The exercise gives the rider and the horse the ability to increase or decrease the size of a circle without changing the horse’s head position.

Setting up the pattern:
Cones are set on the corners of a 15m square, with one cone in the centre. Make sure you have adequate space around the outside of the cones.

The exercise:
Use your legs and seat to guide your horse through the two half circles (one about half an 8–10m circle on outer cone, then half a 20m through the centre).

When travelling left, all cones must be on your near side. If starting at the centre, the order is: around 1 and through the centre, around 2 and through the centre, around 3 and through the centre, around 4 and through the centre to 1 and so on. Repeat for 10 circuits before changing direction.

When travelling right, all cones must be on your offside. If starting at centre, the order is: around 1 and through the centre, around 4 and through the centre, around 3 and through the centre, around 2 and through the centre to 1 and so on.

This movement requires the rider to hold the horse’s ribs on the 20m half and the horse’s hip on the 10m half, keeping the soft flow in both.

Iain’s Tips
Remember to keep the cones on the inside of every half circle.
Push the horse’s ribs back to enlarge the half circle.
I like to ride about 10 or so laps of the four outer cones, all in the same direction. Staying in the same direction helps the horse to understand the cues.
The horse must be going kindly in its pace. Young horses might only be comfortable at a trot for some time — it’s about being rhythmical.

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