Anybody Else's horse do this?

Last Night I went riding on my mare Summer; it was a relatively short ride for us at just under an hour. I started out lunging, then bending, then I saddled and bridled. Since my bridle is also the bridle my uncle uses, and his horse is in a different location, he has our usual bride, so I had Buttercup's. It has a snaffle, like she's used to, but it's a different kind and after I rode her, she just didn't like it, and since I'd rather her be used to the other one and not fuss over this one, I just took it off and rode her in a halter and lead rope. She did fine and responds the same way with that, so it doesnt bother me any. So we walked, trotted, and cantered. As I was riding, I noticed something that I had never noticed about her before..She is VERY sensitive to verbal and seat commands, for instance if I lean forward enough, she will go faster and if I kiss/cluck to her she goes with no leg pressure at all. If I put leg pressure on her, she drops her head and moves forward, like she was taught to. But, after riding other horses for a while that like to test you, it just made me realize how easy she is.
Doe anybody else have a horse that is sensitive to things like her?

My horse will move forward with just me leaning forward or using my voice or my seat. I need my reins and legs to stop and change directions most of the time, although on a good day we can do a little without.

My appy was very sesitive to EVERYTHING you did. When I first got him any leg pressure meant RUN! so we had to work on his impulsion....getting him more relaxed and calmer and to realize that if I put my leg on it didn't always mean go faster....it could mean go sideways, turn on the haunches, hauches in, swing the shoulders in the canter, bend around my leg on a circle....all kinds of things. Once he was calm and I put a better foundation on him, any little shift of movement I did he responded to immediately, this time in a positive way! Extroverts are so easy that way, introverts are the ones who will test the rider's ability and understanding of how to sensitize the horse to the leg instead of throwing on spurs. My warmblood is a total introvert but he doesn't act like it under saddle when it comes to going off my leg and aides....I've had to sensitize him to everything I do.

ha. if I lean forward my mare goes and goes, like shes a race horse. The stoping is a different story thou.

To stop her, I either pick up the reins or just lean back a bit..and if I lean to the side a certain way, sometimes she turns, but not always.

How did you do it?

Absolutely. One of my mares needs only verbal and seat commands. The only leg commands I ever use is to ask her to canter so she gets on the correct lead.

I consider it a blessing. I think it shows that your horse is incredibly attentive.

It all started with ground work. Getting him trusting me and getting his impulsion on the ground balanced first. I'd do a lot of yielding with my hands in the areas my legs would be (front end, hind end, sideways) and just overall balanced him out (mentally and emotionally). That way when I went into the saddle I'd be ahead of the game.

Once in the saddle I made sure I had lateral flexion and started at the very basics...move your front end over, move your butt over, back up, take a couple steps sideways. Especially with impulsive horses the rider NEEDS to have control over each part of the horse's body independently. Then, on a loose rein, I worked on using the slightest suggestion to go (squeeze my butt lol) and at any time he got impulsive, even a tiny bit, I would bend him with one rein so he had to disengage his hind end...when a horse does that it kicks in the 'thinking side' of their brain and takes all the power away from them. Then I did walk-trot-bend to a stop transitions. Just nice and slow, giving him a nice feel on the reins at all times. I also worked on circles, that way if he got impulsive I could put him on a circle until he calmed down. I did A TON of the above exercises, especially the yielding. I took my time and never rushed things (but I certainly didn't tip-toe around the issue). Then I was able to increase the speed and amount of what I did once he was calmer.

High Five was trained a cutting horse, so naturally you barely have to touch the reins with him, even when we are barrel racing.

I lerrvvee him, and wish that he would teach my other horses his ways.

Forgot to say that when I was working on slowing down and stopping I was VERY clear in my body before I ever touched the reins....that way he could feel a change coming and start thinking before I interfered with the reins. I focused on inhaling for go, exhaling for whoa and really making my energy say Stop or Slow Down. It was really cool, once we were fairly advanced all I would have to do to get him to do a walk-canter transition was inhale and shift my hip to 'open the door' for that lead and he went right into the canter. He was the coolest horse, I learned a lot from him. I miss him dearly.