I'm having a hard time keeping my horse's gaits under control. He wants to trot all the time and if I don't let him, he get's mad and pulls on the bit. I've started riding him outside of the pasture and he always tries to drag me down to the road. I've done a lot of half halts and I talk to him to try and calm him but I can literally him tense and wanting to run. His previous owner did a lot of galloping and fast work with him and he seems to thrive on that. Unfortunately I have very limited areas to ride because we still have a couple of feet of snow on the ground. I'd love to lunge him but I don't have a place to do it, and he's never been trained to lunge before, so I'd like to get a trainer to help me.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to control his speed and keep him relaxed? If he ever did seriously bolt which would be the best way to stop him? I've heard that turning him in a tight circle works. I've also read in a book that the best way to discourage bolting is to make him speed up and when he tries to slow down, speed him up again. Apparently it will discourage him.
When you try to slow down a horse that wants to go you just add to his frustration. Give him something else to do--doesn't have to be fast. When you feel him start to tense up ask him to move his hindquarters, side pass etc then go forward again. I don't know about letting him bolt and then making him run--I haven't heard that but it seems to me that would just add to the problem. He will get fitter and fitter so the making him run will get longer and longer before he is tired. Turning him in a small circle will slow him down but not necessarily stop him. He needs to learn "disengage his hindquarters" which is simply turning in a circle with his hind legs crossing. He can't run if he back legs are crossing. Before I learned about disengaging hindquarters I had a little filly I was training bolt and I tried to turn her in a circle and found out she could run with her head turned to almost touch my knee and completely ignored my leg cue. I now teach the disengagement of the hindquarters from the ground and reinforce it every time I ride.
Running them out when they bolt is a good way to go. But you need to know what you are doing and have pleanty of room to do it. Giving him something to do as was suggested is probably in your situation the best way to go. Set up some cones and figure 8 him. turn him in circles and in general don't give him the chance to think straight down the road.
That sounds like a good idea. I do a lot of patterns with him in the pasture and I should probably apply the same consept while outside in an unfenced in area.
try wearing a neck-strap and keep your heels down, if he bolts grab the neck strap, heels down, try to get balanced and push him forward with your leg!! this might discourage him, so when you ask him to stop he will probably stop.
Well once my Pa had a horse bolt on him.
So he mad it gallop up a hill and kept kicking him and kicking him to go forward. After that he never bolted again! :shock:
my old mare used to never want to walk because at her previous owner they strictly used her for cantering.the tight circles worked for her and the half halts.Good Luck
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