How to train/cue for a sliding stop
 

I took a few reining lessons a few months back, and now I am scratching my head as to how she told me a finished reining horse is cued. (Dang winter and school and a hurt horse has put a cramp in my riding.)

I thought I remember that you want to progressively squeeze harder with your thighs as you do your rundown to pick up speed, and then remove pressure from your thighs and let your back, seat, and legs "go limp". Of course, keeping little to no rein contact on their mouth because you don't want them to gap their mouth or lose momemtum by raising their head. Although you may need to provide some cue when training, of course.

Is that totally wrong?

And of course, no sliding stops unless you have the proper arena ground and the proper shoeing.

Subbing! I've been wanting to know this aswell
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There are people on here that could tell you better than me...

If I was doing a rundown and stop, I pick up the correct lead and slowly build up speed, depending on the horse, it is more like the center of the arena when you start to really drive him with your hips, you want him driving up over the bridle and rounded, I was told when you feel him reach out with the leading leg that gives you enough time to sit down, drop your ribcage, and take your legs off(don't lean back and brace) and lift up on your reins for a stop(this will encourage him to round up even more and keep his shoulders up), by the time you have done that his back legs have come up underneath himself and he can sit down. If he has been trained already he has learned to keep his shoulders loose and pedal with his front feet. With a young horse it takes some shoulder exercises and continue pushing him through to teach the pedal.

Well I trained my mare a little different then most ppl I imagine. When I stop her, I put weight in my stirrups. At a walk, I would say and hold wwwhhhoooaaa and put my weight in my stirrups. Give her a second to respond, if she didn't I'd pick up on her and back her up till her head dropped and she was putting effort into it. That was just the beginning, to get her to understand that whoa meant get back. Always after I back, I have her stand for about 10 seconds to soak it in. Turn her around and do it again. It's a great cool down exercise. Other then that, I would say to be careful practicing run downs all the time that include building speed and stopping each time (or often.) That's how you end up with really chargey horses. They should lope down nice and good unless you ask them to speed up. And you really shouldn't stop them until they are running free and calm...as in not anticipating the stop. Also, always look up, never look down at where your going to stop!! Hope this helps. Every person and horse is different, esp training methods.

So, should you touch the bit at all??????

That is depending on the horse and the level of training. What I described above was a description for a horse already trained for the sliding stop. When training, yes I use the reins to reinforse the seat and leg cues. Also to help "pick up" the front end.
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I hold them, but dont pick up till i say whoa and give the seat/leg cue. Then, if they dont stop, i pick up and pull the, into the ground. I always give my horse a chance to stop correctly, before i correct them. Just my way thoughb:-)

I am trying to get into reining and am exercising a ranch horse for my friend. She said the horse could do the sliding stop and she told me how to do it but, I haven't quite got it yet. (sorry if it is a weird looking reply, I am on my iPod)
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Each horse is trained slightly different, at least that has been my experience. But, reins are only used as a reinforcement as needed. A well trained reining horse will not need them. I also put my weight in my stirrups and push my legs forward. That is my horses cue, as well as the "whoa".

I was also taught to practice riding rectangles, gaining speed on the long side (sometimes, not always) and not stopping everytime at all. You do NOT want the horse to start to anticipate the stop, as it will cause them to slow prematurely, and you will not get a good stop. One thing that is basic to reining-keep the horse guessing. Do not repeat the same thing in the same sequence often. Shoot-I even have to be careful loping my circles, as my guy (and I) get too relaxed and then when I ask for something there is a slight delay. You, and the horse, have to stay responsive.