halting .heathers way

[angel]

i have tried halting my young mare by squezing my buttocks together and top of thight but she still carries on till i have to pull a little on the reins not hard but i was hoping to halt her with just a light contact any help much appreciated. oh by the way took her out on her own with my daughter walking yestrerday then angel took the lead she went very well as she used to be very nappy. it is a route she is used to though so i am very pleased at the mo.

[Maci]

Well, I STILL don't have my own copy of Enlightened Equitation (stupid book company miss-placed my order :mad: ) so I might not completely know Heather's method to halt, but I'll give it a shot!

*When you halt, make sure you keep your body still while your giving the cues to halt. If you stop your body movement, the horse should stop also. Keep you hands light, with a bit of tension and contact on the reins.

Hope This Helps A Bit!
Maci :)

[Edited by Maci on 30th Apr 2001 at 08:35 PM]

[floppy]

i have trained 'my'horse to lsiten to my voice commands
and she halts pretty much everytime i tel her but onl y in walk or trot. All i have to do is stop using my legs and squeeze my buttocks and she stops...but with other horses aroudn it doesnt work yet so you have to use the reins too..BUT we are working on that :D

[intouch]

To begin with you will probably need to use a little squeeze on the reins to stop, along with the seat aids, until your horse begins to understand, then gradually reduce the hands. If you've got the position right, it should come.

[floppy]

failing that when you do stop you could give you horse a little treat so he knows he has really done good!

[Tammy]

Angel, I found that a good way to introduce this way of stopping is by riding bareback at the walk. My mare has a big walk so my following hands and seat have a lot of movement. When squeezing your rear and upper thighs also stop your following motion with your hands and hips. In the beginning you may still need to put a slight pressure on the reins to stop but your mare should understand quickly. Good Luck!!

[Maria]

Angel

If you're riding in a GP saddle with forward set stirrup bars you may not be able to get the correct angle of your thigh to get the pinch to work. That's probably why Tammy found it worked best introducing it bareback.

My mare didn't twig immediately what was wanted but soon picked up what was required. Play about with the balance between buttocks and thigh - Carrie needs a relatively strong squeeze with my thighs.

You may also find it helpful initially to raise your hands very slightly - you're less likely to pull back on the reins unintentionally.

Maria

[angel]

yes i think the saddle could be the answer. i have tried pinching but i find she will not stop at all then today she just pulled and pulled in the end i stopped her by sitting totally still. she is starting to work to weight aids as i can start to turn her vby sitting slightly heaveier on my seat bone is this right ?

[Maria]

Think more of moving your inside hip slightly forward. This automatically puts your outside shoulder back a fraction and your outside leg behind the girth.

Back it up by holding the outside rein against the next (not across the withers) and raising your inside hand very slightly. Don't pull back.

Maria

[CarolineR]

I also have a youngster, he's 5 but very very green, however, this has worked in my favour as I can train him to the way I wish to ride, which by the way is using the lightest of touches and with out putting any undue stress in his path.

I first began teaching him to halt from the ground (infact I taught him everything from the ground first, as being a novice rider I did not want to confuse him with too many aids at one time)to stop whilst being lead, from the field, from the stable in-hand walking etc. So that he understood that when I stopped and said stand, he was to stand next to me and not move (he used to shake his head in protest and spin around to look at something else) Once this was established, I then went onto prefecting the ridden halt transistion. I found that from the ground as I asked him to stand, I also breathed out and relaxed my back and leg muscles, a natural movement when walking then stopping. So I did this in the saddle along with my voice command.

So long as my legs are kept in gentle supporting contact with him, to keep him straight, all I now have to do is think stop, my own body naturally relaxes to a still position and he halts without moving or shuffling wherever I ask. It has taken me and my horse 2 months to get to this stage so patience is a virtue and you must remember to tell him how good he is for even the tiniest improvement he makes. I am sure in time he will understand and give you what you want without you having to make him do it.

If I were you, I would try the groud work first and concentrate on your own body's natural movement into a halt and then try to emulate this in the saddle, which in turn will make you more relaxed and hopefully not have to fiddle and pull a little on the reins.

P.S. I am lucky enough to have never had to fiddle with the reins in a halt, but I do believe that each horse will learn at its own pace in its own time, and therefore patience is an essential quality when riding and there are no set standard that can be applied to each horse. All you can do is the best you can and all he can give you is the best he can.