|
|
 Expert
Posts: 1210
 
Location: Kansas | ..to work on a nice stop? |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
 
Location: Southern Indiana | I don't really do exercises to put a whoa on them...I just have a method and when teaching them I ask them to stop frequently. Once they lean what stop is you may start backing them to teach them to drop their hind under them. |
|
| |
|
 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | My gelding had a very nice natural stop on him even the first few rides. When I went to a reining trainer for some lessons he had be add some roll backs on the fence then about the 4th one ask for the whoa instead. Back a few steps out of it, then quarter turn before I walked out of it. The roll backs helped get them soft in the ribs, obviously also helps keep the hind end up under them. Backing keeps them thinking break over in the loin area and the quarter turn before walking out of it keeps them from sneaking out of the whoa. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1210
Location: Kansas | When I had an arena that I could haul to nearby, I would do a lot of roll backs along the fence so my mare would really have to sit back, but I moved and I don't have a fenced arena near to do this. I do a lot of stopping and backing a couple of steps, but I don't want to frustrate my mare with the same thing allllll the time. |
|
| |
|
Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | Yes, the reining trainer that I went to also warned me about the same thing. He didnt' want me to over work what came natural to my gelding. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1210
Location: Kansas | Any other ideas? |
|
| |
|
 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| Most of my horses are off the track and pulling back means go. I start out at a walk and head straight into a solid fence -- like pipe. A few steps out I get my butt in position, down in the saddle, feet out in front of me, say "whoa" and pick up on the reins. After a few million times at a walk, I move up to a trot and do the same thing. Then I move up to a lope. My horses stop when they feel me get back on my butt without picking up the reins. They also stop when I say "Whoa" Sometimes I back them up a step or two and sometimes I don't. This certainly helps when you want natural rate in a barrel horse. Butt down, time to rate. I never do rollbacks on my horses. If my trainer did that I would pick my horses up. By the way, my horses are not trained for reining.
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1210
Location: Kansas | I think I'll try that! Thank you for the idea! My mare is very anxious so I'm always needing to change up her routine, and the more things I can do with her the better :) |
|
| |
|
 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | I like to do a lot of transitions while exercising and getting that downward transition by sitting DOWN in the saddle and having the transition be nice and easy and calm. Eventually he'll just melt into the stop. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 5293
| I try and do as much " Training" as I can OUTSIDE the arena. Its amazing how much whoa, roll back, flex, bend, yadda yadda you can teach one out in the middle of an open field, in a forest of trees etc. I have an almond orchard behind my house. Rows and rows of trees, evenly spaced. Amazing how you can own a horse for 20 years and never go around the same tree twice.  This is really good for youngsters who get bored easily, or have attitudes, but still need to learn the skills necessary for running barrels or whatever else you want to teach them. I really try and stay out of the arena at all costs. |
|
| |
Folks on-line