Need Riding Help Asap

[TXHORSEMAN]

Hello Im new to the site and to horses. Im 22 years old and just purchesed me my first horse. She is a 4 y/o palamino, I need to know what i can do to practice balance and proper riding skills.
I ride westren pleasure. My horse has a REAL bouncy trot and is hard to stop. She was only rode twice in her life intill i got her and i ride every day. I ride with a hacklemore. My friend rides with me and he rides a 3 y/o palamino and if he canters past me my horse will try to race it and keep up PLEASE HELP ME. THANKS OH YEA there are NO riding schools arond where i live.

[qwerty]

I'm not sure I can help you woth western...there are loads of western riders on the site though!:p In English riding, to practice balance we ride without stirrups. Balance also comes with practice. To stop a cantering horse, we half halt (geantly apply pressure to the outside rein).
I don't know if that will be of any help to you or not!:D

[floppy]

im learning to teach my horse how to stop western, she is also a bugger whilst out riding with her buddy and will always try to race. ITs going to take alot of time and patience. You need to go back to the beginng and get your horse to obey you from the ground - i.e when you tell the horse to move over with your voice he will. If you tell your horse to back up he will...

Get a book on TTEAM- this will give you all you need to knwo in training your horse from the ground to actually riding your horse!

The quickest way i got my horse to stop was to say hoo and then when she did stop i gave her a treat every so often. I can offer more advicce but i dont have time right now so i will come back later!

[TXHORSEMAN]

I accept all help i can get i went to the library and got me some books and learned alot. My horse dont back up either. Her hoofs have never been trimmed and there kinda long but im getting her shoed on tomarrow could that be some of it and could that affect its bouncy trot!!!!!!!!!!

[horselover]

Hey! Welcome to the site and to riding! Palominos are my favorite color horse.

Too bad Outrider(another member) is away right now- he rides western and lives in Killeen, Texas, so he could help you out.

I ride both western and english, so I will try to help you out with some of your questions if I can.

First- sbout the trotting. You know what I think ? I think that the posting part of English riding is the most fantastic aspect of it! And the best thing is, you can do it in a western saddle. Now, you don't want to do it all the time, because it isn't proper, but it does help to so it occassionally. What I would do if I were you is post to the trot and attempt to sit it every few strides for just one or two strides before posting again. This will let you gradually work up to sitting the trot more naturally.

Posting is when you rise with the outside shoulder's forward movement and sit when it goes back. So, if you look at the outseide shoulder when you are on a horse, watch it move forward- you should go up. Watch it move back- you should go down. Since posting isn't a major thing since you aren't riding english, just get the general up down movement and that's fine.

I recommend you practice this mostly when your freind isn't around- I tend to get ragged on if I post in a western saddle. Even though it is really saving on the horse's back- and mine if it's a bouncy trot!

As for stopping your horse- if she is young and green, well, what can I say but don't expect too muh right now. you are going to have to teach her all this stuff like stopping and slowing down- she doesn't know it yet. It will take time and patience, and perhaps help from riding friends. What Floppy said is so true- unless your horse respects you on the ground, she is not going to respect you on her back. Get out some stuff on Natural Horsemanship and roundpenning work- Monty Roberts, Frank Bell, Pat Parelli. I recommend Kenny Harlow and Clinton Anderson- they are both great.

Subscribe to Horse Illustrated or Horse and Rider. magazine articles are a great source of information on both riding and general horse care. Horse Illustrated features articles by Clinton Anderson quite frequently.

Hope some of this helps. I could go on and on but I have to get to class. If you have other questions, please post them and we will all give a little help!

[horselover]

Oh, about the backing upthing. Try teaching her to back on the ground first. Use the word "Back" when you are teaching her so she learns to associate the sound with the movement. then, when you are in the saddle, remeber not to just pull on the reins- you need to squeeze with your legs too.

[floppy]

seeing as you are riding western you is going to be wanting to teach your horsey western first right?
well defiantely we need outrider here for more help but you could also have a look for EponaUK because she is a western rider/trainer.
I cant really help you with that bacause i am just learning western myself after 15yrs + of english riding.
Before you attempt to get your horse listening to you around other horses you have to have her listening to you when you are alone,
All this begins with ground work. Everything you do whilst riding can be done from the ground so its best to start from the ground.

Have you only ridden out with one other hrose? or is ther eother horses you can ride out with? because i know that with my 6yr old if you ride out with her buddy she wont stop, she doesnt like being left behind and if you canter/gallop she races. BUT i fyou ride her out with a strange horse then you can control her speeds and make her stop, hold her back etc.

First things first - a stop.
walk your horse forward and say 'whooa' or something and if she doesnt stop use the reins to stop her. when she does stops pat her and give her a little treat from your hand and wait a few seconds, then ask her to walk on. Keep doing this...alternating between giving a treat and just a stroke and she will pick up quite quickly what stop means and that to stop on comand is a good thing..it will coem to the point that she wont be expecting a treat every time. But when i mean give her a treat dont over do it otherwise you will end up with a hrose that stops everytime you itch your leg or something..
IF that does happen then to undo the problem keep reaching down on both sides as if you ahve an itchy leg or something and encourage her to keep walking forwards instead of stopping...
This is how i taught the hros ei ride...might not be the best way but it worked for me and she stops on command.
Once you have done this then try the same exercise with trot. By now you wont need treats..just a nice stroke will do... and then once she does it quickly in trot try in canter....
Once you have mastered all of this then try it out when riding out with another horse!

[tess]

Hi there
Went on an enlightened course with heather moffett a few weeks ago. Try this. walk your horse then at the same time as saying Whoa gently, squeeze the muscles of your seat together, this works on every horse weve tried it on. It has the effect of lifting your weight slighly and your horse will feel it and respond. ie stop
You can do this in the faster paces too but i spose you will need to practice. when we demonstrated this in the school, onlookers really thought we has cast a spell on the horses cause they cant see u do it!!
Hope it helps let us know.
Tess

[SweetHillsGurly]

no offense, but if you're new to horses, you shouldn't really just buy one. i mean, MAYBE lease, but you should be riding a year for that. and a four year old is too much horse for a beginner. you should get an older horse, who can teach you the ropes. do you have lessons? and um, hackmore..... not hacklemore.... no stirrup work helps.... go bareback.... but if your horse is really this hard to stop, then i would go to a lesson barn and do it on a lesson horse.... get an instructor..... and a trainer and work with her... subscribe to the mags, do the monty, pat and linda thing... along those lines.

[TXHORSEMAN]

Well ive gotten my horse to stop and also fixed her bouncy trot and i never said i WAS NEW to horses i just said i bought MY first horse. Any ways most of you all helped me and i found that a snaffle bit works the best for reining. Oh yea for that last lady that replyed to me The reason i dont want an older horse is you cant rope off an older horse. Why would i want to buy something i might only be able to ride for a year or 2. That kinda defeats my purpose doesnt it?

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP PEOPLE......................

[SweetHillsGurly]

just what you said kinda confused me.....

"Hello Im new to the site and to horses"

umm.... and i didn't know you wanted to rope.... maybe you said it and my old(young) eyes missed it....

[B W]

TX: How did you fix the bouncy trot. And the stop too. I just bought an 8 yr old QH gelding and I am new to riding and horses. My horse is green but broke. He's doing better but I would be interested in knowing how you trained your horse to stop. We are working on that. Also, we are working on going forward when I ask. He likes to back up. Then we do many circles until he decides to listen to me. I'm 55 yrs old and just started riding last year but the horse I bought was 16 and now he is hurt and cannot work. This is as young a horse as I want because "I'm old" :D But since you're young, you can handle it. Look forward to your reply and the stop and bounce!