Stopping Issues.

[kgj66]

I was riding a 13.2hh pony at the weekend before it was looked at by someone who wanted to buy him.

He is a very sharp pony and has done BSJA and stuff so is still full of energy! I found that we had severe stopping issues! He was fine at the start, just walking and trotting but as soon as the trot was going nicely he changed into canter. As he is a child, or young teenagers pony i had to be light with my hands so as he doen't get a hard mouth.

However, he paid almost no attention to many, many half halts and i eventually had to just run him into a fence to get him to stop. He got slightly better at the end, only cantering when i asked him but still it took about 2 laps of the school to get him to change down to trot.

If i was ever to ride him again, what would you recommend i do to get him to have better downwards transitions whilst being light with my hands.

PS. there is nothing wrong with his back/teeth/saddle/etc.

[hApPiNeSs]

i wish i knew - i have EXACTLY the same problem!

[ZAULTAG]

how is his mouth compaired to what bit they use to ride him in?

[Harry Hobbes]

If you wish to train the horse to transition down, then train the horse to back up well (i.e., light, energetic, and responsive). (A horse that backs up well, stops and transitions down well.) There are several methods to train the horse to back up well, and probably the easiest for the rider is Parelli's Nine-Step Backup, published in his Level 1 program and also in his Natural-Horse-Man-Ship book available from Western Horseman Publishers.

Alternatively, if you wish only to cause the horse to transition down (rather than train it to listen to your aids) then you can just bend the horse's head to one side (using one rein) until the horse slows down to the speed/gait that you want, then release the bend.

Best regards,
Harry

[cvb]

what was your aid/cue to stop and/or slow down ?

I was working on walk-halt at a clinic this weekend and may have some helpful hints, but depends what was going on !

[GoingStraight]

Make sure your shoulders are well back, weight down into the legs but not with legs shooting out forwards.

I think it sounds like the pony is disobedient. Do you think that if you had been allowed to give the pony a sharp pull (in the mouth) it would have stopped? If yes, then perhaps it is badly trained, rather than badly behaved.

Is it a pony you are familiar with and have ridden before? Sometimes the small BSJA flying ponies kind of go off (body)weight aids. Mind you, having seen several do laps of the arena after the last fence, perhaps slowing down and stopping aren't really in their repetoire?!

:)

[kgj66]

Is it a pony you are familiar with and have ridden before? Sometimes the small BSJA flying ponies kind of go off (body)weight aids. Mind you, having seen several do laps of the arena after the last fence, perhaps slowing down and stopping aren't really in their repetoire?!

:)

i've figured him out. I think i was just riding him with to strong a contact, when i relax the reins completely he's fine, just has very fast paces! We left a 17Hh horse beind today on a hack. lol.

Thanks for all the advice

[Morgan_girl]

learning to back well does help him to learn to yeild to the bit. Also if you know he is not going to stop easily right away. Keep him cantering. When he goes to stop on his own. Keep him cantering, at least a few more strides. Do not let him stop on his own. But then you know he is ready to stop and you can ask him. He will do it right away since he wants to. When he completly stops, give him a good patting. Walk a bit and then ask him again on the other lead. You know by that time he will want to stop. Do over do it. He will learn because he will want to.
I had a horse that would bolt with me. When hje was done playing and tried to stop I kept him going. Soon he learned that it was not his choice to run. He actually had to work.
Try not to move to a harsher bit, especially if he is working fine otherwise. Keep his mouth soft.