I ask my horse to gallop by shortening my reins, lightening my seat
and squeezing with my legs.

 

I shorten my reins and get light in the saddle, jockey style. Sometimes I gently pull back on the reins a little because Woodsy is an X-racer and thats how he was trained. Of course I squeeze him and then hes off...But I've learned not to do that anymore, because he does not like stopping, lol

 

I do the same, shorten the reins, pressure with the leg but I do the "click click" kissy thing to speed her up. We rarely gallop unless we are on the way home and then I try to keep it to a minimum. I also don't like to do it unless we are someplace with a soft landing like a plowed field.

 

Cool. So am I the only person who using a very strange voice command to get the gallop? Lol.

 

Nope your not alone lol. I shorten my reins and tell my mare "hut, hut" with a firm voice and she gets going. But her favorite word by far is whoa.

 

H aha so far! I click my tonque when i want faster. Also get up out of the saddle. Don't always shorten my reins, sometimes I just let them have their head and run, except on Bundy, cause he thinks a good gallop is also a good excuse for a buck :]

 

Vidaloco -- you run home? Wow. I almost never do. I run out and walk back.

I guess I shorten my reins too (sometimes she gets a bit excited), squeeze and do the throat "g g" thing... know what I mean? I don't know how to type it. I just realized I lean forward too... I wonder how much? I'm going to pay attention more next time and see -- maybe I'm throwing her off balance and that's why she gets bucky... hmmm... Thanks for the good question!

 

First I just drive with my hips more. Some horses instantly switch gears, but others you have to squeeze more. I also encourage them with my hand and weight. I lean forward just a bit more and "push" with the reins. It really depends on the horse though

 

Lol. Cool.

I also run towards home... my mare is cool about it... I can have her in a full out run towards home and stop her and make her walk and she's perfect on a loose rein after coming in from a gallop no matter how close we are to home.

It's amazing how differently we all ask for the gallop, lol.

 

Well, seeing as I don't have very many places clear and long enough for me to do a full out gallop, there's only one place I do it. My pony usually knows what it means when I'm gathering the reins and asking her to collect a little bit before we make the turn onto the straightaway. She's usually jigging by the time I've made the turn, and it's really just a matter of me giving her clearance for takeoff after that. ^_^ I'll give her the reins and off we go. I'm lucky, having a pony who's nearly bombproof but also loves to get up and go.

 

Our girls know that when we're in a field or a long straight and I give them free rein and a little leg, it means they're free to go....

 

I do the same as many of you. :]
I get light in my seat, shorten my reins, squeeze with my legs, and I always add in a "GIT UP!" Ha ha.

 

Lol. Cool...

 

I think 'I might have a gallop' and moo picks up on my thought and off we go, lol.

 

I go galloping all the time it is sooo much fun! Its like flying! I dont really have a specific word, i just sort of raise my voice and get all excited, shorten the reins a little and sit lighter. I dont have to squeeze with my legs when im on my 10yo paint gelding, as soon as i get excited and let him go, he is off!!!

 

I have been trying to get Starsky to gallop, and he won't. He just stays in the lope, no matter what I do. Any tips?

 

Um... try what some of the people on here have said that they do... or carry a crop or switch with you and pop him when he won't gallop...

 

We in Germany make that very complicated. Horse is inward placed, made exterior leg to the rear and pressed there. At it with the internal leg also pressure. Naturally there are also which, which make only the outside leg to the rear, as I. That is many more comfortable.

 

When I ask for a run, I leave my reins how they are for regular riding, lean forward a little bit and apply firm pressure with both legs. They will go into a lope and when I keep the pressure on, they will begin to gallop. If I need them to explode into a run that instant to head a cow or something, I will do the same only with more urgency and hiss or say (not shout) "come on" into their ear. When I do that, I better have a firm hold on the saddle horn or they will leave me in the dust. LOL

If starsky is a young horse, sometimes it takes them a while to figure out how to run with a rider. When he lopes, just keep the leg pressure on then if he doesn't respond, you could give him a soft pop on the rump with a bridle rein and that should be cue enough to get him to gallop. Be happy that he is content to stay in a lope, I know too many people who's horses will not lope at all. With them, it is a dead run or nothing at all.

 

Galloping home probably isn't the safest thing to do...

 

Galloping home probably isn't the safest thing to do...

Perhaps not... but a few people do it often, and as long as the horse will come out of a gallop while galloping towards the house and walk on a loose rein, I've never seen a problem with it. I know a few people who teach their horses to canter and gallop by turning them towards home and letting them go... As long as the rider knows what they're getting into and the horse is willing toobey the rider, I don't see a problem with it.

 

Dumas was more of a fast loper....he didn't gallop unless you ASKED for it. Then, like smrobs, you needed to be hanging on!!! He shifted like a dump truck. :lol:

The magic words were, "get it"

Twister on the other hand liked to buck with his gallops. You had better pull up your reins, get your butt just right and hope for the best. :roll: If he had any slack where he could get his head down you were going for a ride. He got too excited!!!

With him a good squeeze or a hard hip bump would get him going. (reins were also a cue)

 

I'm all for a little bit of pressure with your legs and a kissing sound.

 

I Go 4ward 2 Light Seat And Click!
My Horse Is An X Racehorse So Hes Jst Straight Off! I Dont Shorten My Reins Coz I Find He Stays At A Steady Gallop If The Reins Are Loose But If I Shorten Them He Jst Goes Faster! X

 

I have this sudden urge to take Denny to the track and see what he's made of.