My OH cant seem to stop.............

[joey_olop]

Ive started taking my OH out on hacks now(Im teaching him to ride at the mo!!)
He has mastered walk, trot, a bit of canter & he can do transitions walk-trot, walk-halt etc.

Now on hacks he is having trouble stopping when Im in front, now Blackie can get a bit excited, I find this when I ride him behind another horse, he gets excited bless him!!

Without seeing what OH is doing how can he get Blackie to stop?? Ive told him to use his weight & to push his heels into the stirrrups, but its not working!! We arent going fast only trotting but OH is saying he dont feel safe........................

Help:confused: :confused: :D

[Purple Hugs]

err no ***-respect but he may benefit from some lessons with instructor (i'm assuming you are not trained, forgive me if i'm wrong).

[Skyhuntress]

I would agree with PurpleHugs. Get him with a qualified trainer if he truly wants to learn how to ride.

[KateWooten]

Work on teaching him how to stop correctly, with good seat aids, good reins etc. In the meantime, make sure he and the horse have their one-rein-stop down to perfection. That way, he has a back up - he can ask the horse to slow .. if the horse simply ignores him, because he knows he can, your OH can one-rein-stop him. All of a sudden, Blackie will find he's not quite so keen to ignore the polite request, because he knows it cna be backed up.

If your OH is anything at all like mine, or anything at all like almost every other man I've ever met, there's not a chance he's going to be persuaded to put on jodhoppers and go take lessons with the little girls at the local riding school.

[Floob]

Also for your part, perfect trotting with the reins in one hand whilst looking back over your shoulder to see what your OH is doing. It is tricky but can be done on most horses (we all had to learn when training to become a ride leader. Also talk him through what he needs to do while actually stopping.
Another one is if the horse you are riding and blackie get on well then instruct him to steer into your horses bum at all times so that Blackie cannot get past and you are in effect regulating the speed.

I'll just add that these are ride leader tips, not from a riding instructor. I cannot teach but can safely take out hacks. They are also not permanent solutions.

[joey_olop]

If your OH is anything at all like mine, or anything at all like almost every other man I've ever met, there's not a chance he's going to be persuaded to put on jodhoppers and go take lessons with the little girls at the local riding school.


Yep thats him!! Ive just about convinced him that wearing a hat is for his own safety-he didnt want to wear one:rolleyes:

Thanks for the advice:)

[The Flying Irishman]

WHy not try just walking out on hacks and doing lots of walk to halt transitions, to get Blackie listening and to give your OH confidence. Once this is mastered then progress to trotting on hacks

[*Sez*]

My RI will give private lessons pretty much anywhere you want, so long as there is a safe arena to work in. Maybe he would feel more comfortable with that sort of set up, so that he can have 1:1 tuition and won't have all the little girlies showing him up ;) :D . Kudos to him for wanting to learn - my OH will come to the yard under duress to take photos and film for me, but doesn't like to have to touch or smell the horses and would certainly never be persuaded to get on one! :rolleyes:

[flintybaby]

Some people cant afford lessons though and joey_olop seems to want advice that she can pass on.

You seem to have got some really good advice from people on here which I would only be reiterating. Why do you have to be infront? If you OH goes in front would the horse take off? The only reason I ask is that you could see how he manages to stop and guide him through it. Tell him to persevere though - he'll soon get it!!

[NoviceNic]

Is he gripping with his knees??? This is one of the main reasons why the horse may not be stopping...;)

[Afellpony]

Tell him to lean forward and put his hands over the horse's eyes, then he will come to an immediate stop!!! Hee hee!!!

[*Sez*]

:o Sorry, I got the impression that he just wasn't keen on joining in with a group lesson

[Skib]

I learned to canter and indeed to ride, by following a teacher out on a hack.

First is to teach your OH in walk to leave a safe distance betqween you and the horse in front. he should be able at least to see the hind feet of your horse. May be more.

Then you have to learn to turn in the saddle to watch him.
This is harder if you are in a body protector but my RI showed me that even I could do it. You may need to take the reins in one hand and put the other hand on the cantle of the saddle behind you? or raise yourself slightly in the stirrups, sort of likepeople playing polo.

But a teacher should be able to turn and observe their student behind them.

Then as people have said, teach your OH downward transitions and how to slow a horse. Explain herd behaviour and how horses often want to catch up the horse in front. So show him different ways to slow trot. Like half halts, rising miore slowly, putting more pressure in your thighs. Do everything in walk first and then trot.

Another exercise when two ofyou are out together is to make the pupil's horse more independent. Ask him to halt while you walk 10 paces down the track. Then ask him to walk up to you and go ahead ten paces and then stop. Then you catch him up. You can do similar in trot.

I am a great believer in learning to ride out in the open, but you are right to ask how to teach, and have to think out things to do, just as if you are in the school.

The real test is with canter. We started going up a slope. Me riding second and only a few steps. The teacher watched and stopped pretty soon and the following horse stopped too. But the real test comes (as you have seen in trot) when you go farther and the second horse wants to catch up the leader. This is where using alternate pressure on the reins and avoiding pulling comes in.

It is worth telling your OH these things like how to slow trot at home over a meal. Not when you are actually out? I used to go to my previous lesson teacher with questions like how to slow the horse and she would tell me and I would go off on the hack and do it. And find it worked.

I still do that with my present RI. And she mentioned at one point that for some adults, it is easier to have the info and think about it and go away and do it, than it is to do things instantly obeying instructions in a lesson. Once the lesson is happening or the horse is trotting too fast, your OH is under stress.

If your OH is on a horse that gets excited behind, you should let him go in front perhaps. I much prefer to ride my current horse going first as she does get very fizzy if held back and some teachers do have their student ride first, so they can watch them more easily. But a horse suitable for a new rider like your OH should be able to go first or last.

Some instructors do throw up their hands in horror at how I was taught out hacking and how you are now teaching your OH.
Do take care, but I wish you both well.
Because for me it was the right way. And what you describe would be a normal aspect of learning out in the open with two horses out together.