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 Expert
Posts: 1631
   
Location: Somewhere around here | !First off, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend! It was pretty crazy at my house with a lot of family over but everything went pretty smoothly!!
Ok, down to business. When I was training colts and getting tips from two older horseman, I was shown to stop a horse the reining style, where you but a lot of weight into your feet and put your shoulders back. After watching one of Fred Hunters videos on stopping, I seem to be doing my stops all wrong and I need to put more weight into my seat and less in my feet, and I need to keep my back more hunched over. This is probably why I've been having such a hard time not bouncing so much in my turns. For the past week or two I've been really working on keeping my feet lighter and hunching over when I ask for a stop but I'm having a really difficult time learning how to sit down deep, or melt into my saddle. I always try to force it and it just makes my butt muscles tense up instead of melt down. Please please please, if you have any tips or anything to help me I'd love to hear it! |
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 The One
Posts: 7998
 
Location: South Georgia | I have been working on this a lot lately with my mare. At a walk, at a trot, etc. I will do nothing but roll back onto my pockets heavily and say whoa. Now she stops the second I sit deep. Before she did not. I started at a walk, I'd let her go a few strides, and then I'd sit deep, say whoa, and THEN pick up my reins. After a while, she was stopping with just me sitting deep. Then I moved on to a trot. I'd let her go a few strides on a loose rein, and then I'd sit deep, say whoa, and then pick up my reins. However, it was easier since she had already mastered it at a walk. I only had to pick up my reins a couple times. The body usually was enough. Now after about a week of doing these drills, she will stop dead in her tracks with me just sitting deep on my butt. I love it. We are still working on the lope though becuase she tends to be a little front-endy in that gait. We will get there. It takes her about 4 steps from the time I sit deep in the lope to stop.
Edited to add: I do not put any more weight into my stirrups, I just round my back ever so slightly and tuck my butt under to sit on my pockets.
Edited by horsegirl 2017-11-27 7:41 AM
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 Some Kind of Trouble
Posts: 4430
| When you go to your horn, pull your elbow into your side/hip and use the motion to help push your hips under you. |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | The best piece of advice ever given to me was to exhale really hard when you get to your rate point. I tend to hold my breath, so this has worked really well for me. Do it just sitting and take a mental note at what it does to your belly...it automatically hunches you over and helps you melt down into your seat.
Edited by WYOTurn-n-Burn 2017-11-27 3:33 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | Take your stirrups up one hole. Quit bracing up at the turns. Put your chin on.or over the saddle horn. Your chin controls your upper body not you eyes. Shoulders square to the ground. You want to be even or just a bit ahead of the horse. Feet straight under you. Your knees are shock absorber. Watch a cutter in turns. Use your shoulders. Lead in the turn with inside shoulder finished with outside shoulder. Chin between the horses ears. Push down harder on the stirrups. Keep them right under you. Or just a bit behind the plane of your shoulders. Lead with your shoulders. Hand in front not pumping them. Be still. Look ahead right in front of you. Down the track to the next turn. Ride to the turn. Drop down. Stay in front of the saddle. Melt into the turn. Breathe. Do not lean. Keep the withers under you balanced. Try that |
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 Veteran
Posts: 133
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-pc92JFOIY
An interview about turning with Mr. Clampitt...
Edited by SaritaStorm 2017-11-28 10:47 PM
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Needing help sitting down in my turns