So to keep her mind fresh and still continue to maintain our groundwork, I change our ground activities up a bit. After all, if she won't listen to me from the ground, she's not going to listen when I'm on her back--which is so crucial not only for safety reasons but also for our growth. I also find that groundwork is a great way to start off each day so I can see how she's moving and how she's feeling. And as I'll note in future posts, sometimes I have to go back to ground work to simply get us back on track from a small derailment.
Some things I with Nen is to vary where we work. Sometimes I work her offline in the smaller covered arena. Here we work on sticking to the rail and her listening to my commands. Once she's warmed up, I change speeds often and in different parts of the arena to keep her guessing. Sometimes it's a whole lap at a canter and sometimes it's half at a canter, half at a trot. I ask her to change directions--sometimes at a walk and sometimes at a canter. My goal is to keep her engaged and I've found that it works.
When we work in the outdoor arena, I usually use a lunge line. The arena is large and it gives me more control. Plus I use it as an opportunity to set up obstacles. Using PVC piping I lay them at spaced intervals which makes her look down and pick up her feet as she goes over. Sometimes I also add cones to the mix to provide a distraction--and I'm cruel and make her go through them.
I've found that this has not only strengthened the bond I've worked so hard to grow and nourish, but it has really provided Nenya with great mind exercises (along with the body). And of course some times I let her just play offline in the arena too--a girl's gotta find some relaxation!
