bored of arena riding---exercises for bending?

My horse and I are getting really bored of riding in our riding arena and we can't yet ride in the fields all the time bc of rain. What can I do with her while working on the flat? Any ideas especially for bending?

Oops, meant to post in the riding not training section...

There are many on the ground exercises that you can do with your horse. You can practice your showmanship skills. Such as, backing up your horse, yeilding the forequarters and hindquarters, side stepping on the ground. You can also do lunging exercises.

Do an obstacle course, and ask her to shoulder-in or haunches-in around the obstacles (except poles of course, go over them in between them.) Lots of figures.. winding circles starting huge and getting smaller. Play a game with the arena rails. On the short ones you canter or lope, long ones you trot or jog. Do one rep (all four sides) and then cut across the diagonal into a stretchy, maybe even extended walk. Then repeat.

Another thing you could do with her, is ground work games while your horse is free with a nice bareback cool down at the end. Meaning you could play with them loose, send them over things either on the lunge line or if you're really a good communicator (it takes practice) completely loose over obstacles. You could sack your horse out to things, you could walk, and trot your horse in-hand. Then after you're done, hop on your horse and just walk with them enjoying the day.

Hope that helps

Moved to riding for you :)

As for bending exercises under saddle, why not start working on some leg yielding or shoulder in between cones or poles? Leg yield in a zig zag pattern between cones, try working on getting a leg yield down the outside track of the arena etc.

I will sometimes ride my green/young horses like a 'cowboy' - sorry western people, I'm a fancy schmancy dressage rider so it's just what we call dropping the reins and getting the horse to follow its nose :P!
So get the horse warmed up, and then allow them to reach forward until you're riding just on the buckle of your reins. Work betwen poles or cones, and practice getting the horse to turn entirely off your legs and seat. Once you've practiced a bit, I like to make the turns tighter and tighter - a horse will learn very quickly to go forward off the hind legs so it doesn't fall on it's head doing this exercise!!

Thanks for the ideas! And thanks for moving it kayty. Doing the "cowboy" stuff would probably help her a lot, I've been working on her stretching in trot and a bit in canter and she is still a bit difficult to maneuver around but getting better.
Sky- I so wish I could have her loose in the arena, unfortunately its not nearly enclosed lol we have no indoor or anything. She would probably just think I was a loon anyways :p maybe I will try some in hand/bareback though. Hopefully the boney back she's got doesnt kill me though haha
Thanks again

Need some ideas too- subbing to this:)