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Suggestions On Training A Rambunctious Horse To Slow Things Down!

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  countryryder 
#1 ·
I have a 12 yr. old Saddlebred\Arab mare (she is bred for speed and endurance and is used to going fast) that thinks everything is her cue to gallop! Any gathering of the reins,leg pressure,tongue clicking,no matter how slight,and she instantly tries to bolt into a run,which gets annoying when you're just wanting a nice trot or jog,or even a faster walk.Also,she will fight you when you ask her to slow down.She is pretty good when you are on the ground,but as soon as she has a rider on,she gets completely pumped,doesn't matter if she's been lunged or ran around the paddock or whatever other method to take the edge off. I'm looking for suggestions on how to get her to respond calmly when I ask her to for more speed or a gait change (walk to trot,trot to canter),getting her to slow down without her fighting for more speed, and just how to teach her to control all that speed and energy. I know that she is high spirited and being asked to go fast is what she is used to,but I would like to break her of some of these bad habits she has developed.. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Have you had an experienced rider and trainer on her? Does she do the same things?

The reason I ask is based on your description of the horses behavior and my own experience it is likely that it is not entirely the horse's problem. Without a video it is hard to say but my guess is that you are tense on her because she is naturally quick, she picks up on this nervousness and becomes nervous and flighty. I'm also assuming you trying to slow her down involves pulling back with the reins, which is prone to making a hot, flighty horse hotter and more flighty because of the imposed restriction on their heads.
If this is the case, you can either learn how to manage a hot, flighty horse (relax, stop her with your body, etc...) with the aid of a good coach or perhaps look for a more suitable horse which you can enjoy as you are.

Good luck!
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#3 ·
Yes,she does the same things(she's seen two trainers before I got her),doesn't matter who's on her.I'm used to riding spunky horses,so fear/nervousness isn't an issue that I have problems with,and I use my seat,body,voice,ect.as forcefully as I can to settle her down,as I know hauling on her head isn't going to do anything but make her upset. I'm sure her issue is that she is used to cues like clucking,leg pressure,ect. always meaning "go fast",and she doesn't know any better;but I'm wanting to teacher her that they can mean different things besides "gallop full steam ahead".lol.Going fast isn't a problem to me,I enjoy it,but I want her to learn that slower is ok too.. :)
 
#4 ·
Then you need to make sure you are being clear with your aids and when she responds how you want, reward her and when she doesn't, correct her. Not by punishment, but get her to where you want and then reward.
You need to also have your legs close to her so she knows where they are - make sure your aids aren't coming from out of nowhere.

Finally, when lunging Do Not let her run around like a crazy horse. Lunging is practice for undersaddle and should not be used to get rid of excess energy, but instead to focus her on your voice aids. I would lunge the horse with the stirrups down and flapping and make her focus, every day. Put a voice aid on walk, trot and canter, speed up and slow down - these can be utilized undersaddle. Lunge her until she is focussed and learning and don't work her over 45 minutes. If all you get done is Lunging one day, that's fine. She should also be on a consistent schedule every day. She needs to be at least worked with doing some ground work every day.

Good luck!
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#5 ·
So she's good on the ground? Yes? If so you have an excellent place to start!!

I would teach her everything from the ground. First thing I would teach is giving her head to pressure and moving her hindquarters around as you rub her side. This will translate to the saddle as you pulling on one rein to ask for her head, and then putting your calf to her side so she yields her hind. Then, when in the saddle, if she decides to bolt, ask for the bend with the rein (called a one rein stop). When she slows, move your calf into her side and ask for a yield. This tends to calm them down. I would also teach her to move off light pressure (backing, leading and moving over) so that she can understand those cues on the ground before you ask in the saddle. When training her, try to envision how it will feel for her if you are asking in the saddle, and mimic that on the ground.

It takes a while to teach this technique, but it is priceless. Then rest of the problem will just take time and work. I would also suggest lunging her with a person on her back. This may help her understand that she cannot always run with someone on her back. Also, leading her while someone is on her may help.

Also work on lunging, verbal cues w/t/c/, so that she has that to reinforce it too.
 
#6 ·
I would try to excersize her mind and not her body. Any horse can run and still ignore you, but if they are thinking... well, you simply cannot ignore your thoughts. If she is like this while riding, you should definately go back to basics. Get a good trainer who can really help you get 100% control from the ground up. You can't build a good house without a good foundation, just like with horses. You have to build your relationship with your horse from the ground up.

Going back to ground work is crutial! Work on her following your pace. Have her walk shoulder-to-shoulder with you and keep up with you. Walk slowly, walk quickly, but keep her pace by you. Then you can trot with her and apply the same principal. Obviously this isn't going to be the only thing you do but it will help with an understanding. When you get back in the saddle get her working on different paces at the walk. Ask her to do stuff and keep her mind occupied. Weave cones, go over poles and the like. Just what I would do.
 
#7 ·
She's great on the ground and on the lunge line,it's just when someone is on her back,doesn't matter who, that she becomes so impatient to run and hyped up if you don't let her. She's good on the ground;leads,backs,moves over nice,responds/gives to pressure,all that stuff.And,except for sometimes wanting to "lean" on the line,she lunges well at all gaits,no crazy running around,responds to voice cues,ect. And she knows this stuff when someone is on her too,because if you let her gallop for a while til she gets it out of her system and decides to slow down,then she's good as gold and responds perfectly to everything you ask of her. Just got to get through to her that she's not allowed to run just because she has a rider on.. :)
 
#8 ·
Hehehehe, sounds a bit like Ace once she had settled down here, always ready to go go go.

I kept her in the round pen and the arena and just walked for ages, if she tried to speed up or change gait then I just started a spiral in, or a serpentine anything to slow her down, get her to listen, then bring her back down to a walk again. As soon as she was walking quietly again back out onto the outside track and walk on again. I literally spent over an hour one day just trying to complete one circuit of the arena at a walk.

It's a great exercise, a good time for you to focus on your own posture and most importantly breathing. Although I didn't realize it I was making the whole thing worse by stopping breathing, not through fear but because I was concentrating on trying to stop her. When I kept her on a fairly loose rein, started breathing deeply and rhythmically it helped me seat to relax down even more and I gave her less unconscious cues to speed up.

It tool a long time in walk, then we had to do it all again at the trot, but we got there. Good luck with your girl, she sounds like fun
 
#9 ·
To my girl,loose rein = ALRIGHTTT!It's time to open up them jets and flyyy,YE HAW! LOL.Actually,it took an hour,literally, the other day,but I did get her to walk a whole 100 or so feet on a loose rein! Think it's about time to sign her up for a Western Pleasure class! Hehe
 
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