A poll about your riding technique, and how you stop a horse...

[Natch]

Just wondering as I have heard time and time again that the bit is there for refinement, not to steer and not for breaks.

Now, all well and good and yes I can see this would result in a much more softly going horse yada yada... but to oput it crudely I was taught to stop by using the reins and go by using the legs, and steer with a combination of both.

ETA Obviously I ride with a bit more finesse than this - i.e. I use my legs and seat as well as reins to woah...

Sitting up and scratching the welsh D's ex-stallion neck would have got me my head lopped off by the branches speeding past overhead! And there are a few other horses who I think would also throw a big 2 fingers up at me if I tried to slow them down that way. Equally, there are sensitive horses who I think I would have been able to train this way.

So I was just wondering, what do the majority of HHO users do to stop a horse?

 

[only_me]

squeeze my thighs together; horse is trained to go when I open my knees and stop/slow when close my knees.
Then "catch" the forward movement into my hands.
A downwards transition requires more riding than an upwards transition.

Need to stop the back end of the engine first for the front to stop

 

[cobgirlie]

Lol!! My lad likes to run off with me just to keep me awake so I can give you a definate answer. I usually start of regaining my stirrups, cos no doubt he'll have found something to rub my leg against making me drop the stirrup!! Then I'll yell 'STOP YOU T*T'. (Which works surprisingly well sometimes!!) Then drop my bum into the saddle, stick my feet out in front of me and if all else fails use the 'brakes' as in my hands! Sorry but 550kg of cob running down a single track lane...I use what I have and if it's the bit then it's the bit.

IF I'm stopping after requesting a canter or gallop I just say STOP or let him stop naturally, cos he tires out after 5 mins anyway!!!

 

[LizzyandToddy]

squeeze my thighs together; horse is trained to go when I open my knees and stop/slow when close my knees.
Then "catch" the forward movement into my hands.
A downwards transition requires more riding than an upwards transition.

Need to stop the back end of the engine first for the front to stop

second this i've always been told the same!

 

[siennamum]

I do like to keep things simple and think you should be able to pull to stop & kick to go.

BUT, I am also idle and will teach mine to stop or slow down primarily by closing the knees, followed by sitting tall and a little back, then I go whoa, stand, steady or whatever & finally I close my hands on the reins & brace.

When hunting, galloping in company or at moments of extreme rudeness of course I am not adverse to leaning back pulling up with bit, doing all manner of funny things with the reins to get some brakes, turning in circles, running through plough or just shouting "Stop you b***er"!

 

[flyingfeet]

I am retraining a polo pony (for polocrosse), at the moment I am trying to teach her when I sit right back and stick legs forwards, so all my weight is going backwards, she stops and then backs up.

The ideal is to get her doing this without a cue from the mouth, as I am not using an English contact.

My dressage horse stops when I simply sit more upright and I don't have to touch the reins, which is ideal as the judge can see you hauling.

The question is if you are using your reins, are you being clear with your seat, or just going along for the ride?

 

[Natch]

I guess it'd also be helpful to know in what situations your method applies. I know I could have asked F to do almost anything with thought alone, if in an arena and I had his full attention. However if we were out on a hack or fun ride, then the bit it was, as anything less would have been pointless and not even noticed by Mr Tank himself!

 

[somethingorother]

When i started riding my share a year ago, he was very strong and ran around with his ears up my nose. I don't think i helped because i was tense, and i did used to be heavy in the hand when he got strong. So the last 12+ month i have spent trying not to use my hands in the school. To slow i put my weight down into my stirrups, and for lack of a better description hold my breath for a second and become very still, tensing my stomach muscles *slightly* but staying soft in the arms/ hand. If he ran through the aids, i did need my reins because i made him back up until he became soft and stopped fighting.

I also tried to not use my reins for steering, and close my leg in on the outside for him to turn away from, putting my weight slightly more onto what i want to be the 'inside' leg. If he ignored this repeatedly then he gets a stronger pressure either from a sharper kick on the outside, or a few bouncy/light taps on his shoulder with the schooling whip.

He rarely does giraffe impressions in the school now and loves having next to no contact or aids through the bit. I lift my hands slightly to collect him or back him up, lower them *slightly* for him to stretch and widen one or the other very slightly when turning. But i try not to put much pressure on them in the school.

I have to admit hacking out i am still quite heavy handed at times, because he can be a right idiot and when he's trying to canter up the road because a truck came up behind him, i have no qualms about pulling on his mouth. Subtle aids do not work yet when hacking out on roads full of 'monsters'

Hope that essay helps a bit.

ETS: that might not be correct, but it works And i was going off the sylvia loch principle of energy being like a river and to stop you either reduce the flow a bit or reduce it a lot. I guess thinking about it i tend to cut it off all together, i should stop that.

 

[La Fiaba]

Seat, legs, hands in that order. Voice or a whistle if it would be useful. But if it's tanking off with you, yes do anything you can to stop the beggar!

 

[Kokopelli]

It depends on situtaion if its just a transition and the horse is looking at me I can stop with my seat and by thinking 'slow'.

But if the horse is buggering off with me I will try to use my seat but in some situatons you need to use the reins.

I think breaking is the most important thing for a horse after all you wouldn't get in a car without breaks! Its a shame most the people I encouter have been taught the wrong way, ie pulling with the rein on its own

 

[Fire_Fly]

I was originally taught just hands, but this was a basic riding school 20 years ago, the instructor I use now teaches to sit back in your seat and then use the hands after.

 

[Rhandir]

I sit down and say whoa, on a slack rein. Works for me

 

[Chavhorse]

I sit down and say whoa, on a slack rein. Works for me

Works for me too Rhandir

Unless of course the horse is buggering off with me and then we enter one rein stop and disengage the hip territory

 

[Janah]

I use my voice.

 

[Bertthefrog]

Er - to make it go I flap evrifin and shout "ge.....up yer basterd".

To stop I leen back, pul hell on the rains, shout a lot and if all else fails aim it at a wall.....

This is ow i av bin tort to ride at my ridin skewl.

I am qwite gd now and can do rizin trot n galop.

 

[Rhandir]

Works for me too Rhandir

Unless of course the horse is buggering off with me and then we enter one rein stop and disengage the hip territory

Yep, one rein stop too Chavhorse, with you there.

PS .... Love your horse

 

[blitznbobs]

With the big fella I tend to ask for 'halt' with my back... downward transitions I ride with my thighs. He has a great tendency to lean on the rein so asking for 'slow down' with reins is only used in 'emergency situations'...

With the baby I tend to use my reins more as this is what he understands but he is learning more and more to slow down off my legs and back...

Reins always come in to the equation if in an 'emergency situation' ie brakes are failing for whatever reason. In this situation, I am an advocate of using one rein only.

Bx

 

[Seahorse]

Sounds silly but in the school on Axey I would only have to think about halting and he would
Out hacking is another matter entirely however...

 

[Enfys]

Depends which I am riding, all stop/slow down with a simple shift in weight/leg position.

Two of the mares stop dead, and I mean dead, doesn't matter what speed you are going at, with a simple 'Ho!'

 

[spaniel]

I use my back and seat, no hands and no legs. Horse is built like a tank so there is no point in letting him know there is any link between brakes and bit!! Shift weight down and back a fraction and he is happy to slow or stop.

In an emergency things would be different! Brace one rein hand on the neck and haul with the other hand!!

 

[kerilli]

mostly with my shoulders, just bringing them back slows down my horses, usually. legs to engage and rebalance. rocking on seat bones to go from canter downwards or walk downwards. either loose reins or intermittently loose reins, on light consistent rein contact if schooling. it depends hugely on the horse and what it's doing, though.

 

[bonnie93]

"catch" the forward movement into my hands.
A downwards transition requires more riding than an upwards transition.

Need to stop the back end of the engine first for the front to stop

yep! my horse is very responsive to your seat in the school, so only ride her in snaffle to catch her energy however if something spooks her out hacking then she bolts and your unable to 'catch' her energy in a snaffle! hence we hack out out in a kimblewick but it is very softly used. if she bolts i simply sit deep and tall (does that make sense!), no pulling of reins, contact is kept normal to 'contain' the energy, usually resultin in on the spot trot/canter, shame we cant collect that much in the dressage arena!

 

[polopony]

Thanks to quick thinking polo pony with super breaks; on a good day its just lean back and say WOAH.

 

[Janette]

Depends on what frame of mind Star is in......

If she is feeling generous - seat only.
If she is not feeling 'sprightly' - seat, legs then hands in that order.
If she's b*ggering off with me - HANDS!!!!!! and small circles.

 

[3DE]

Here's what I do

- close fingers around reins (not pulled back)
- close legs around horse
- clench bum cheeks

 

[spotty_pony]

Depends on the horse but usually I use a combination of hands, seat and legs.

 

[SecretSquirrell379]

in the school I almost just have to think of the transition and she's very responsive....out hacking is a totally different matter all together. She is very, very strong. I don't care if you slaughter me for this but its what i have to do. If I don't have a firm contact then you wouldn't see us for dust, she just goes flat out, I know because I've tried it. Soft hands are only an option if you have a very long run and you don't mind a race I do use my seat, NOT my legs/thighs as she thinks I want faster if I do this out hacking and half halts on each rein. It works for us, may not be the 'correct' way of doing it but my girl is 18 1/2 and she has a blast, she loves it and has never, ever come home with a sore mouth

 

[somethingorother]

To slow i put my weight down into my stirrups, and for lack of a better description hold my breath for a second and become very still, tensing my stomach muscles *slightly* but staying soft in the arms/ hand. If he ran through the aids, i did need my reins because i made him back up until he became soft and stopped fighting.

After working him (or red rum reincarnated) tonight and having to exagerate my aids a bit because he seems to have lost his brain out in the field. I was thinking about this thread and i actually breathe out as i ask for a dfownward transition, i don't hold my breath. Phew. Was a bit horrified i had put that. Just wanted to put the record straight, i'm not that big of a numpty.

 

[SuperSonicMare]

I use a lot of voice aids with my girlie. I close my fingers on the reins & also close my knees (I was shocked when my instuctor suggested it - I'd always been told previously that gripping with your knees made them run faster! And even more shocked when my relatively un-schooled ex driving horse stopped!!!). If she's being a t*t then sometimes a bit of hauling is involved, but I try very hard not to get into a "fight" with her, it only ends up with me having sore arms

 

[soulfull]

If the normal doesn't work then I just use my voice. Usually if I just slightly brace myself against the movement he goes down a pace