NO RING, NO PROBLEM

There are some serious perks to not having an arena as your primary riding space.

- SHOSHANA RUDSKI

Let's face it: Sometimes having an arena to ride in is a luxury. Not every boarding facility has a ring, and lots of kids who have their horses at home make do without one, too.

While it can be discouraging to see others riding in perfectly manicured rings with fancy footing every day, riding outside of the ring as your usual riding space actually has many perks! 

MAKE A BARRIER

Riding in an open space can seem intimidating, but just because you have a massive field to ride in doesn't mean that you can't mentally section off an area as your primary riding space. Pick a tree, or other landmark as the corners of your space. Mentally staying in a smaller area will help you feel more in control of the space, and therefore safer working without physical boundaries.

If you want to make a more physical barrier, you can get four cones, ground poles, or even milk jugs filled with sand to mark the corners of your riding space. While there is no physical wall, these markers will help you stay focused in your riding.

GEOMETRY

When riding in an enclosed dressage ring, it is fairly easy to practice correct geometry. For a 20-meter circle in a large dressage court (20 x 60 meters), you just need to split the ring into three equal parts. Out of the ring, this can be more challenging.

Try placing two cones just over 20 meters apart and work on making a circle between the two cones. You don't need an arena wall to work on accuracy!

Once you figure out what a 20-meter circle feels like using markers, you can try to replicate the circle without the boundaries. As a benefit, when you get to a show and riders who only ride in a ring are struggling to practice a 20-meter circle in warmup, you will have it mastered, thanks to your field riding practice!

RIDING BOTH SIDES