maintaining control

[scout4361]

I was riding a new horse last week who has the most beautiful trot-- I have never felt so comfortable on a horse ever before!!! Anyway, being new to the barn everytime we would come up to pass another rider, naturally he was curious and wanted to slow down to have a look. I managed to catch him the first couple of times and urged him on, but then once I wasn't quick enough with my leg aids and then he slowed to a walk. I've had this problem before- I can go from a walk to a trot, but if the horse has his way and manages to slow to a walk ( the walk being his idea of course) then it doesn't seem to matter what I do, I can't get him into trot again. Now, I know ideally the thing to do is to never let him take over control and catch him before he slows , which I will certainly try to do next lesson---but what to do when this happens. How do I do the correction to get an immediate response???? I squeeze and squeeze with my legs but to no avail. I was supposed to try canter and was looking forward to it on this horse, because his gait is sooooo smooth, but I never got there because of problems maintaining the trot. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[snailspace]

my school horse was like this when I first started riding him (and still is if I let him get away with it - lazy guy). This is where a tap of the whip can come in handy. He's just ignoring you, and you need to show him that ignoring his rider is very rude and not allowed. I was always taught to try using legs once, twice, then tap with the whip. Make sure he understands what it is you're asking, though, or he won't understand why he's being punished.

I used to have a real problem with the horse taking advantage of me, and I think it just had to do with not being a confident enough rider to know when I should just "demand" instead of ask. So the horse would find some excuse to go to a walk ("oh, look, there's someone out that window"), and, because I was not anticipating the transition, it would send me off kilter a little and then I'd ask for trot again but would feel so discombobulated (love that word) that I was afraid I wasn't using my legs correctly so I wouldn't back it up with the whip because I didn't want to punish him if he didn't understand me, and it just ended up with me working very hard and Blackjack not working at all! Did that make any sense whatsoever?

Anyway, now that I am much more secure in transitions, I know he's just ignoring me, so he doesn't get away with his "I don't wanna" attitude as much. It also helps that I've become much more aware of his needs, like I can (usually) tell the difference between him seriously being worn out or in need of a break and just being lazy (I had to ask my instructor before), so I'm better able to make a split-second decision when he starts acting up.

Hope my ramblings helped a little!

[scout4361]

Yes, thats it exactly!!! The only problem is that we aren't given a whip to hold, sooooo I think I will just have to be authorative and confident from the very beginning and catch him before the transition happens.

[Debutante]

Originally posted by snailspace
I was always taught to try using legs once, twice, then tap with the whip. Make sure he understands what it is you're asking, though, or he won't understand why he's being punished.

This is how I was taught too, ask first with the leg and then if no response is forthcoming, a tap with the crop is warranted. My instructor never considers it punishment, she calls it 'a reminder' -- like tapping someone on the shoulder just to get their attention. It's like saying "HELLO! yoooooo-hoooooooo... It's ME up HERE that is calling the shots, my friend." :o

Meanwhile, I think you're doing wonderfully well to be able to anticipate that your horse is about to slow down and then correct him. Most people (including me half the time) don't realize it's going to happen... until it's too late. :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Debutante

[Shady_Indigo]

i agree, a whip is a very important tool to have!
In keeping with the example giving before about tapping someone on the shoulder to get their attention...
Would you rather yell at someone (nagging legs!) Excuse me! Hello? Listen to me! Hey, i'm over here! I want to say something to you! Hey! Listen to me! LISTEN TO ME! <insert hissy fit here>
Or would you rather tap them on the shoulder and say "Excuse me can i talk to you for a second?"

Which one would you prefer?
Which one would they prefer?

[FreedomStar]

Yes, though many people see the whip as cruel, see it as an extra aid to help you. I was taught to first use your legs, then your voice, then your crop. Just a firm tap, or a small smack to get the horses attention back on you is enough. But not too hard. This is telling the horse that you're still working, and you're in charge.

[scout4361]

That sounds very logical to me, but we aren't given a crop to use on a regular basis, so what to do??? I've only been riding once per week for the last 4 months and am put together with other beginners, so I think the instructor doesn't want to give us a crop probably suspecting that some may use it instead of using leg. Should I ask her to carry a crop or would that seem pushy????

[snailspace]

There are a couple of reasons I can think of that your instructor won't give you a crop:

1) She doesn't want you to get dependent on it - it's very easy to start using it INSTEAD of your legs, especially as a beginner whose legs don't seem to want to do what you ask of them (been there - still there sometimes:)). I've never had a problem with that, though, and I was carrying a dressage whip from lesson 4 on. If you keep in mind "ask, tell, demand", knowing that the whip only comes in during the "demand" part, I think you'd be fine.

2) She's afraid you will accidently hit the horse because, as beginners, we tend to not have control over our own bodies at times:) This is a legitimate concern because a horse can get really confused if he keeps getting touched with the whip, but he has no idea why. He'll eventually decide to ignore it altogether, and that's not what we want! Also, if you're in a group lesson, there is the fear of your whip accidently hitting ANOTHER horse, which could be very dangerous!

I would ask your instructor if maybe she would let you carry a whip only when you ride that one horse. Some people on here might disagree with me, but I think there are some horses that need their rider, no matter who it is, to carry a whip, especially when the rider is at that stage when their legs aren't quite coordinated enough to get demanding! Sometimes you don't even have to use it, just carry it. If she sees that you can use the whip properly, and still use your other aids, then maybe she'll be more apt to give you the choice when you ride.

A good instructor should listen to your concern and frustration and give you ideas on how YOU can solve the problem, not how SHE would solve the problem. Lots of walk-trot transitions could help. When I got all off balance, my instructor would say "get yourself back together before you ask him to do anything". If you get your position back to where it's supposed to be (even if you have to do it at a walk - it was a long time before I could successfully "fix" my seat at a trot!) before you ask the horse something, than you will be sure that he has no excuse not to listen to you.

Sorry this is so wordy. I'm sure the instructors on here would be able to help more. But it wasn't so long ago that I was having the same problems (see - you're not alone!:) ) Keep us updated!

Oh, and I agree with Debutante that you're doing well to be able to anticipate what the horse is going to do. I'm really bad about that (my instructor would tell you I'm really, REALLY bad about that:D )!!

[Shmon]

If your instructor won't give you a crop, you can always reach back and smack the horse on the butt with your hand :) There's a schoolie that is totally dead to kicks and hard to get going (but once he's going he's fine) - a crop is not necessary with him, all he needs is a little smack on the rear! :)

[FreedomStar]

I see your problem there. Well, then use the extra part of the reins and just snap it against your horses neck once or twice. It works. I've tried it with several horses.