English gone Western.

Hey all!
My horse is a gaited STB, broke to trot. Her trot is soooo uncomfortable. I can slow her up and collect, but we're english, so it's not all the relaxing.

I've decided that I'm going to start re-training her to be western.
I love that jog. Deep down I love western, I started out western.

Today we fitted her with a saddle and a girth.
I also made her a training fork, it turned out pretty nicely.
I'm keeping her in my english bridle and my nice thick snaffle.

Does anyone have some advice or warnings?
Is this a bad idea? Anyone have some nice training methods?

We're both really patient so I don't care how long it takes us. I just want it to be as simple and not stressful.
I don't want my horse to hate what we do!

TRAITOR! I imagine riding Alibi western would be similar to riding Blue, they have similar trots. GET A SEAT SAVER or your butt will hurt lol HEY but you know I do still have that really cute western bridle for sale it would look great on Alibi

Why the training fork?

My instructor told me to use one, and so did her daughter who trained my favorite horse. Hahah

Oh and Rachel, I'm broke. If I get some money and we're all finished up, if you still have it, I'll buy it

My QH ccan get a nice slow trot that I LOVE its so smooth and its pretty much a little step up from a walk. Im training my moms horse to do that because his is kind of hard to sit, I just keep slowing him down and after some time he gets it and after 10 to 20 feet I let him walk he's starting to get it. My paint has a nice big trot, but I can sit it or post so its nice.

I would skip the training fork. It is really easy to use it improperly and get the horse evading the bit. Plus, it does absolutely nothing to teach a horse how to use it's body and collect up properly...all it does is force a headset.

Are you wanting to train her to be a western pleasure type horse? If so, I will suggest this method. It will teach them to actually use their body and not depend on a piece of equipment to keep them in a "frame".
The Road of a Horse Trainer: Teaching "Cruise Control"

Thanks!
I wouldn't be keeping it on her. As soon as she responds, it comes off.

I really like that article. I'll have to try that

I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate the "stop and back" method of trying to teach a horse to slow down and "collect". This is super popular with backyard "western pleasure trainers" whose horses never hit the breed pen. It is not fun riding a horse that is expecting a stop every few strides and it does NOT teach a horse to properly round up and drive through.

Often you end up with a horse that is locked in the shoulders, neck, and jaw and a shuffling, short gait. Forward motion and drive is necessary to have a round, cadenced gait. You get drive by riding the horse forward into the bridle, not by making them back.

In addition, if you are on a horse that is easily intimidated or nervous, you'll end up with a horse that is expecting that back every single time you stop. Using a back as a correction is so wrong. Ever been on a horse that shoots backward anytime it thinks you are about to get after it for something? Not fun, at all.

There's a post in this thread I made about slowing down a horse's jog. You can use a martingale doing these exercises. Going in with your leg and driving the horse through and into the bridle is key, but especially important any time you add a training aid like a martingale.

Need help slowing down horses jog.

Remember, that as a gaited horse, yours is probably going to struggle a lot with a jog and you may never get a good one.

Good luck!

Yep, that's why none of the horses my Dad trained that way ever made it to the world show in western pleasure (ApHC and AQHA, before he started refusing to train those jab-n-yank "peanut rollers" when that fad came out).

Oh, wait, yes they did .

It only causes a problem if you're doing it wrong.