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Advice on Loping! Help needed!

2K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  Luce73 
#1 ·
I recently (2 months about) got a new horse. He is a six-year-old appendix with too much energy for his own good! He is very good in a walk and trot and I have done lots of groundwork with him already. As soon as I push him into a lope, he takes off like a bullet. He will not slow down no matter how much I talk to him and try to slow him down, all my strength cant slow him down. If I do get him to slow down, he throws a fit and bucks. I don't know what to do to teach him to slowwww himself down. I have tried groundwork and lunging... he will slow down there but as soon as it's in the saddle he feels the need to take off. Help! I have tried everything I know how to do. Multiple trainers have tried to help me as well and they can't get him under. He's so good with everything else except for loping. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!
 
#2 ·
I don’t know what you are comfortable with, but what I do in that situation is let them run. I keep them in a circle, and when they want to slow down we lope a couple more circles. Pretty soon they decide that doing less is a better plan.
 
#3 ·
Yes, what Knave suggested, is one method that works with some hroses. By taking the ability to slow when they want to away, pushing them beyond that point, then the horse learns to try and not put himself in that position again, OR he just becomes more fit!
How are his transitions? If he launches into a lope, out of forward momentum, your lope is going to be incorrect right from the start.
Put the basics on him, at the slower gaits, so you can have him pick up that lope, by driving up from behind, while keeping topline. Hold and drive, until he does so, then reward with a looser rein and less leg
Don't lope endless circles at this point. Lope one or two, then stop him. Do a turn on the haunches, tot he outside, and lope off again in opposite direction-no trotting steps. This instills 'wait', versus 'let's go.
Correctness and control first, then speed
 
#6 ·
I get that there are exceptions, but I’ve been lucky and all of my horses are good about right thing easy, my colt being a bit more difficult about it in certain circumstances because he is very fit, but not because of loping circles. :)
 
#13 · (Edited)
My boy is one of those too lol. He will tire eventually, it's just that usually I tire FIRST! haha.

All jokes aside, I've found that working on lots of transitions for the first 20-30 minutes of a ride really helps. Holding on to his face tends to make my horse more hyper, but sitting deep will usually help. I also have a whistle I do when I want him to slow down/calm down (works when standing or the vet/farrier too) that helps.

The transition exercise I do is starting by 10 steps walk, 15 trot, 10 walk 15 trot etc, then slowly make them succeed quicker: 5 walk, 5 trot, 3 walk, 5 trot etc. It makes his transitions quicker and more correct as a nice sideeffect :p

When transitioning down I try to do it mostly off my seat and maybe voice, then halfhalt to make sure he 'gets' what I'm asking. By the 5th or 6th transition he's usually coming down off of just my seat. Once he feels 'with me' as in, he's listening for my next aid and paying attention to my seat, I will add in a few strides of canter. Maybe just 5 at a time. so maybe I'll go 10 medium trot, 5 canter, 10 extended trot, 10 collected trot, 5 walk etc. Just play with the numbers. If he rushes off he gets to stop and stand until I say we can go, and then we go at a walk. Repeat walk trot again until he's listening, then try again with a few strides of canter.

Once he's going into the canter without rushing off (this will take several sessions) you can try extending a bit on the long sides, and collecting on the short sides or on circles.

tl;dr (sorry for the novel) work on his adjustability with walk/trot/halt transitions and transitions within those gaits, then add in canter a few strides at a time. Make sure his transitions are balanced and 'up' rather than on the forehand 'falling' into canter.

Edit: another thing that really helped was to trot my horse on a longer 'loose' rein. He was so used to being held on to all the time as he had a reputation for running off, that he didnt trust his rider to lead anymore. Basically he as always 'forced' to comply rather than being part of a partnership. Trotting him (circles/serpentines etc) on a loose rein helped him understand that I needed him to listen to me even when I wasnt 'controlling' him. He started doing his thing himself, and got more confident, and accepted me to lead him. He will now also jump much quieter (he'd take off before), I can jump him in a snaffle, I trust him not to misbehave and he trusts me to lead. Sounds cheesy and weird, but having that mutual relationship really helped with the rushing/bolting/spooking he was known for.
 
#8 ·
Good luck! There have been only three times in my life that it took much longer than I expected, but truly it did make a huge difference. A run away barrel mare, and an Arabian actually (he wasn’t fast really, but determined and an *** lol). I hope it works out for you.
 
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#10 ·
LOL, two rules in life....a horse who is slow and and reluctant to lope, take them out on the trail, with company if possible, and let them enjoy it.

Horse who is too fast and keen, get them in an arena if possible, and work on patterns, circles, ask for the transition, let them lope a couple of steps, transition down, lots and lots and transitions and circles.
 
#11 ·
I recently (2 months about) got a new horse. He is a six-year-old appendix with too much energy for his own good! He is very good in a walk and trot and I have done lots of groundwork with him already. As soon as I push him into a lope, he takes off like a bullet. He will not slow down no matter how much I talk to him and try to slow him down, all my strength cant slow him down. If I do get him to slow down, he throws a fit and bucks.
How much training did he have before you purchased him?

Did he do this with his old owner?

What bit are you using?

Does your saddle fit?

I am assuming there are holes somewhere in his training. It usually doesn't "add up" that a horse is absolutely perfect at the walk and trot, and is a runaway freight train at the lope. There's usually subtle problems at the walk and trot that just escalate when the horse is asked to lope.

Multiple trainers have tried to help me as well and they can't get him under.
So in only 2 months time, you've had him to MULTIPLE trainers?

Can you explain better?
 
#15 ·
How much training did he have before you purchased him?

Did he do this with his old owner?

What bit are you using?

Does your saddle fit?

I am assuming there are holes somewhere in his training. It usually doesn't "add up" that a horse is absolutely perfect at the walk and trot, and is a runaway freight train at the lope. There's usually subtle problems at the walk and trot that just escalate when the horse is asked to lope.



So in only 2 months time, you've had him to MULTIPLE trainers?

Can you explain better?
Not sure whether he did this with old owner... they weren't ultimately honest. They did tell me to keep him in a tie down and that he likes to run so I'm assuming that he did do it. He is in a twisted dog bone... they had that on him since he was four so I haven't tried anything else. We had a prof. saddle fitter out so the saddle does fit. And multiple trainers have come to me, as in I have had lessons with multiple trainers and so they just got on him and tried him out and couldn't seem to get him to slow down. He reared on the last trainer... we are having difficulties figuring out why or what is causing him to act like that as it is so strange he is so gentle all the way around until you get him loping.
 
#12 ·
Two important things to consider when trying to slow a horse: be sure you’re not squeezing with your legs – tense legs alone can get a horse excited – and be sure you’re not pulling consistently on the reins.

When asking for the lope, “whisper” your cues. If you need to use the reins when trying to get the horse to slow down, use a smooth “take and give” action, not a continuous pull that allows the horse to lean on the bit and run off with you.
 
#14 ·
Bottom line, get basics on your horse first at the slower gaits. If things are not right at the walk and jog, they sure won't be at the lope.
By 'right', I mean that the horse gives softly to the bit, and when you do take hold, he waits for that release, versus demanding it by pulling, flipping head up, ect
The horse should have acorrect hind end stop,on a loose rein, back with finger tip control, half pass, side pass,yield hips and shoulders.
I want to slow a horse, mentally, and not by loping him down, although, it is a backup method for some spoiled horse-lope that sucker in a plowed field,until he says 'uncle, LOL!.
When I am out on a trail ride, I want a horse reasonably fit, or course, but I have no intention of loping circles in the early dawn, before riding him out, after that hrose has been tied up all night. Sure, the horse wants to go, but the 'slow' wait, is a conditioned response, that allows you to get on and just ride
I don't lope a horse down, warming up at a show. Instead, I do some basic ingrained body control exercises,and that includes good transitions at all gaits.
If your transition into the lope is not good, you then wind up trying to fix that lope,versus just having a good lope,where you can rate that horse on a loose rein
OTTBs esp are taught to run on the bit, and the more you hang on to them, the faster they want to run.
Just the fact that 'all your strength,can't slow him, shows me you are trying to outpull the hrose, and that is a no win scenario
 
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