Posted 2014-03-24 1:54 PM Subject: Teaching them to not run?
Regular
Posts: 95
Last week there was a post on here asking how to get more speed out of a horse and some of you had mentioned that you had held a horse back so long that now when you do want it to run it won't. Is it possible to teach a horse to not run? I mean, can it get to a point where they associate the barrel pattern with a slow lope? And, if so, is it possible to unteach this so that they will run?
Posted 2014-03-24 1:59 PM Subject: RE: Teaching them to not run?
Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
I don't know. I am one who has a horse who won't RUN until we are around the first barrel. He does move out on the rest of the pattern ok. Could be faster, but he has a huge stride so it may be in perception on the 2nd and 3rd. I've heard to go an breeze them, but that isn't going to help all the time. Some horses it may be fine, say a young horse who is unsure of RUNNING with a human rider. But my guy is 9 or 10 and he will run in a straight line with me, just not to the 1st barrel. I did teach him this. He is so stiff that I never thought he was going to make the turn, so I never let him RUN to the 1st. I've now learned that even tho he may seem stiff compared to many horses, he's got the move when he needs it, but he doesn't get it that I want him to increase the speed to the 1st now. I keep trying, hoping that one of these runs he'll give it to me so I can positively shower him with love and praises and hope he does it again!
Teaching them to not run?
