Won't slow down OR won't speed up?

Would you rather have a horse that is difficult to slow down or difficult to speed up & why?
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I'd rather have a horse that's difficult to speed up. Mostly because I was raised on them, but nothing scares me more than a horse who's inclined to bolt or run away when he's scared. I'm very used to riding the bucks of stubbornness slow horses usually produce. I also like it when my horses take their time thinking about my cues, rather than just jumping into them. I'm also pretty good with a crop... lol

Nope I want my horses to react to what I want Fast. Do what is needed ASAP. If I spur it don't mean maybe it means NOW. I think its unsafe to have a lazy horse that wont speed up. If you need to get away from something or out of a area fast you want to have your horse able to fast.

I agree, and by hard to slow down I didn't necessarily mean one that bolts, but one that likes to run & is harder to slow down because it gets excited.
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Safety wise I want to say hard to speed up, but in reality it may be easier to train one to slow down as opposed to speed up. I just do not like to feel like i'm sitting on a bomb waiting to go off with a horse that is too excited!

Hard to slow done. My two horses love to go faster. I actually looked for one like that. They will walk, but unless made to they love to fast gait (walker) and trot (Appaloosa). Walking isn't a speed they agree on with the rider, but will do. The walker you need to let him get a little energy out first. We ride our trails fast paced with these two, but if others are with us we slow down. I can get them both to walk, while others can't. Neesless to say I just sold two horses because they where slow pokes.

I'm a big chicken, so I would prefer hard to speed up. That being said, I sure wish my girl would speed up once in a while. I have never seen her canter under saddle, but she sure does in the pasture...especially at dinner time!

I have always found it is way easier to teach a horse to slow down than it is to teach one to speed up. I actually hate getting on a horse that you have to push push push to go. But I have always worked cattle etc with my horses and you need to have a quick horse under you to do that, even when you are only slowly moving the cattle things can go wrong in a hurry. In my experience, the ones you have had to teach to speed up are the ones that you get hurt on when things do go wrong. They just never learn to react quickly enough.

Add me to the list of those who would rather have a horse with lots of go than with lots of stop.

Bonus if the horse is bold and courageous.

I'm lucky that while my girl is sometimes a little sleepy in the arena, she is full of GO out on the trails. She'll trot all day long out there, canter at just a shift of my weight to the inside, and a little leg on the canter turns it into a really cool hand gallop.

Nothing more awesome than hauling the freight on a two point gallop.

I would prefer my horses to react when I ask them to do something. As soon as I ask I want them to react. Its is better to have more impulsion than not enough. I reward them when they overreact to my aids because it was the forward reaction I wanted. Horses that plod along are a pain and seeing I do dressage - can't stand them.

its all good if your into trail riding, but when you are competing dressage, one of the things you are judged on is impulsion and willingness to work. They must be forward and using themselves- even in the collected paces and also must be extremely responsive . That is why they are trained to react to the slightest touch of the rein or leg. Could you imagine a plod along doing the manouvers required in dressage? It would be awful.