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 I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
   
Location: MD | I recently bought a 5 yr old mare. She's broke but needs more of a handle. She has a hard time loping a small slow circle. It seems to help if I keep her head tipped. She also wants to get into a fast trot before she lopes. I'm used to putting your outside calf on my other horses and they can slow lope from a walk. How do I teach this horse collection?
Edited by CE's wrapn3 2015-08-25 8:50 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| I think she just needs riding time and getting really responsive to cues. I like a horse to lope off right away too with just my leg and a kiss as well. For me, that comes from lots and lots of times where I ask for the lope and stop them and ask again if they trot off.
As for slower circles. I always lope circles with their nose tipped in slightly, starting off walking and trotting circles with them tipped slightly.
I also teach mine to slow down when I hum. It's like the beggining of whoa. When they are walking and trotting I teach them to slow down or break to the next slower gait from me humming. When teaching them this, just like everything else, I walk along, hum, then pick up my reins and whoa/slow down. Then repeat until the slow down/stop when I hum and don't have to go to my reins. Its helpful later on when they start going faster so you don't have to use your reins to much for speed control. People look at me when I say that I hum. I'm not talking about humming a song. Just a quick, hmmmmmmmmmm. Longer and drawn out at first, then later, when they get it, a short "hmmm" is enough. |
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I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | OutlawsLastDance - 2015-08-25 9:55 AM
I think she just needs riding time and getting really responsive to cues. I like a horse to lope off right away too with just my leg and a kiss as well. For me, that comes from lots and lots of times where I ask for the lope and stop them and ask again if they trot off.
As for slower circles. I always lope circles with their nose tipped in slightly, starting off walking and trotting circles with them tipped slightly.
I also teach mine to slow down when I hum. It's like the beggining of whoa. When they are walking and trotting I teach them to slow down or break to the next slower gait from me humming. When teaching them this, just like everything else, I walk along, hum, then pick up my reins and whoa/slow down. Then repeat until the slow down/stop when I hum and don't have to go to my reins. Its helpful later on when they start going faster so you don't have to use your reins to much for speed control. People look at me when I say that I hum. I'm not talking about humming a song. Just a quick, hmmmmmmmmmm. Longer and drawn out at first, then later, when they get it, a short "hmmm" is enough.
Wouldn't that make them try to stop alot lets say if you were riding with someone and tried to talk to them? lol |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | If the mare wasnt conditioned for this then she might not have the strength yet.. I know shes 5 but if previous owners didnt build her up to do this then it will just take some time and strength.. id not do small circles yet in my opinion until she can do straight lines and large circles.. also if she isnt strong on her hind end she will have a difficult time carrying her weight on it in slow lopes.Id canter and do lots of half halts and stop transitions and maybe figure eights to get her to slow it down. Id work on this and develop her more until she can do this.. if she was doing it prevoiusly then Id ask owner the cues.. but lots of halfhalts to get her on her hind and collected a lil more.. Id not worry so much head set as I would hind end engagement.. you can do lateral work as well..
Edited by Bibliafarm 2015-08-25 10:18 AM
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| I would say that more riding time will create more consistency. It's more difficult to travel slow and collected, so the horse must develop the muscle. Small circles are also more difficult than large circles. I would guess that at this point it's a combination of not having the physical ability (muscle), as well needing to learn your cues. Lope larger circles until they are perfect, then start decreasing the size. You could also do spirals in and out, asking the horse to work the smaller circle but only to the point that their body and mind is able, before allowing them to increase the size again. As far as moving off into the lope, again building the muscle and creating an understanding of what you're asking from the horse will also come with time. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Bibliafarm - 2015-08-25 10:16 AM If the mare wasnt conditioned for this then she might not have the strength yet.. I know shes 5 but if previous owners didnt build her up to do this then it will just take some time and strength.. id not do small circles yet in my opinion until she can do straight lines and large circles.. also if she isnt strong on her hind end she will have a difficult time carrying her weight on it in slow lopes.Id canter and do lots of half halts and stop transitions and maybe figure eights to get her to slow it down. Id work on this and develop her more until she can do this.. if she was doing it prevoiusly then Id ask owner the cues.. but lots of halfhalts to get her on her hind and collected a lil more.. Id not worry so much head set as I would hind end engagement.. you can do lateral work as well..
 This, exactly. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | A tired horse lopes on loose rein. All ones we get go outside an have a job. Then come back to pen if calf horse. Our barrels behind house in trees. They get to rest there. Give them a job with a goal. And safe place to end the day. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| CE's wrapn3 - 2015-08-25 11:08 AM
Wouldn't that make them try to stop alot lets say if you were riding with someone and tried to talk to them? lol
Nope. Not usually. Every once in a while if you say a word that sounds similar they cock their ear back and listen, like "what was that?" - but nope. Never had one slow or stop on me while I'm talking. They get broke to that too!
I do also push my legs forward as part of the "whoa" cue, and I have had them stop or half halt when I've stretched my leg out to stretch my jeans or something. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | I agree with giving her time to build the muscles and strength to hold her body as your asking. Last fall my 5 year old struggled with loping any size circle to the right and with time and riding correct with my seat and legs he now can lope both ways at any speed I ask at any size. Their confidence plays a factor in this too if we push and push for something they don't understand yet or physically can't do you'll have a horse who panics and goes Mach 10 or shuts down on you.
Edited by dream_chaser 2015-08-25 5:21 PM
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | OutlawsLastDance - 2015-08-25 11:44 AM CE's wrapn3 - 2015-08-25 11:08 AM Wouldn't that make them try to stop alot lets say if you were riding with someone and tried to talk to them? lol Nope. Not usually. Every once in a while if you say a word that sounds similar they cock their ear back and listen, like "what was that?" - but nope. Never had one slow or stop on me while I'm talking. They get broke to that too! I do also push my legs forward as part of the "whoa" cue, and I have had them stop or half halt when I've stretched my leg out to stretch my jeans or something.
My mare loves to stop and is very smart. She stops for whoa, good girl, easy, you biatch...I'm pretty sure that last one is what got her to stop bucking once. I have to watch what I say.  |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Please find someone to teach you, horsemanship is not something to try and wing it. |
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