riding and stopping

I will take pictures tomorrow when i bring him out of the field...i am doing it everyday now...

could you explain what all these terms mean if you do not mind?

All you'd need to do it lunge him a few times a week at the walk, trot, and canter. Work him under saddle w/t/c as well

will you be on tomorrow?

I would squeeze with your legs when you want him to go, or a little boot wont hurt him by the least, he is a 1000 pound animals but dont use it consistanly.
Also move forward a bit, i can get you a video of me doing it when the weather gets a bit better, its raining but your pretty much making a forward backward motion on his back, should cause him abit of discomfort and to start going.

A lunge rope is a rope afew feet, it can go from 6' to 12' and so on.
Its like a really long lead rope, hopefully the horse is trained to lunge, do not do this alot in the winter,inless it is walking, if he doesnt have a barn to be in and blankets, your better off leaving it for the summer because he could get hypothermia.
Lunging is just getting your horse to walk,jog/trot, or canter or gallop etc, which is different gaits, if i am correct.
its a good way for ground work and having a horse listen to you, you can use his cues such a clucking or a lunge whip which you DO NOT Hit the horse directly with, but abit away's on the ground to create a cracking noise i believe so the horse goes forward, etc... Im sure if i didnt explain this properly someone else will correct me :)

ok i will try all that...regularly, before we ride him we were told to warm him up a bit and when he is saddled, to have our wipe, (which i made out of a fishing rod and rope...works well i never hit him i just wip it behind him he runs around me in a circle, he does that well...and when i am done i say woh and he stops right away...im thinking it might be the saddle. i will take pictures tomorrow and post them in my album and come back and see if someone can take a look and see something i ofcourse cant :)

I want to thank you all for such wonderful help...day by day we will become pros heheh;)

thanks,
Elaine & Doodles!

What you just described above, about him running in circles, is lunging. =]

Your best is going to be boredom or the saddle.

Ok i got the pictures of the saddle without the padding...to me it looks awful small for him...without the padding...with the padding it looks normal...but what do i no...can anyone tell me if it is ok were i place it ?

thanks,

Elaine & Doodles

umm, yes, I'd say that is too small. If you could, take a picture from the front just for confirmation, but by the looks of it, the pommel is sitting RIGHT on top his withers. The general rule of fit in a western saddle is with the horses head down in the grazing position, you should be able to look down his back at one end of the saddle and see light on the other. When the horses head is up, you should be able to put your flat hand through the pommel and be able to slide it in and out no problem. I had this problem with my horse stopping as well, you're going to either need to buy a saddle with a smaller tree, or buy a riser pad of some kind to bulk that up.

I use a Roma Pro Tek riser pad. Its more of a temporary fix, but hey, it costs twenty bucks and my budget is tight. You have to put it on over the withers (I actually use it backwards and put that chunky smaller end over the withers) and then put on your saddle blanket/saddle.

i just uploaded the other picture of the padding that goes under the saddle...i usually put it on that little bump on his shoulders..and the saddle right below that....i have also a picture of it from the front...

that "bump" is called his withers. Even though the lighting makes it a little glared, I stand by my statement that the pommel of the saddle is RIGHT on his withers. get a riser pad or a saddle with smaller bars.

Ok i will do that :) thank you so much for all the help :)

Im sure doodles will be very thankful too ;)

Elaine & Doodles

I can't see the pictures. Would you mind linking them to me? Thanks. I'd like to see them.