How To Stop A Horse Pacing

Hi just wondering if anyone knows how to stop a horse pacing. I am trialing a horse called style for 2 weeks. He has been under saddle but only tried to trot twice. Any tips???hes coming on friday..

In what situation(s) does he pace?

he paces under saddle when I try to trot

I don't know much about that kind of thing, but look up David Lichman. He specializes in gaited horses and is a phenominal horseman.

My first horse was part gaited horse, and he could pace like a demon. I always had better luck getting him to trot if I posted. If I sat, I was a lot more likely to get the pace. Ground poles help, too, just make sure that they're correctly spaced for your horse's stride. I can't speak for all, but my guy did best if I kinda helped him keep rhythm by humming or singing (I still have an arsenal of tunes with rhythms that really matched his trot, lol). A quick command to upshift helped, too. If I started too gently and tried to ease him into the trot, I almost always got a stiff pace. A quick "goose" of my leg usually put him right into a trot.

It really depends on the horse and how ingrained the pacing is. My horse was over 15 when I got him, so he'd built up pacing muscles for a good while. You need to build the right muscles for trotting. I eventually got to where I had a walk, pace, trot, and canter on cue. My sister could never get a trot out of that horse, though, he would only ever pace for her, lol.

If you don't plan on showing, pacing really isn't a problem. It's a good bit smoother than a trot, and once you get used to sitting it isn't too bad to ride. Although, if you want to show anything outside of games or in hand classes, a horse with a solid trot might serve you better.

If your horse is anything like mine, you can look forward to a gorgeous rocking chair canter. My sis would canter him bareback and stirrupless all the time, she just loved to sit on that canter.

Best of luck!