Can you easily control your horse in a gallop?

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bluewhippet

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Just wondered.

Mine is in a very mild bit, no noseband or martingale and is very responsive although sharp and spooky.

I can slow him down in one of our known galloping stretches but it is a very gradual process and involves a lot of protesting. I never gallop anywhere that I don't feel safe and we have some great and very empty woods near us.

This is me on my own. Not racing. And I feel pretty full of adrenalin myself so this is fine for us.
 
Yes, with the cob when we reach a hedge he stops. To eat.

The Warmblood girls are powerful and quick, but sane and obliging. Sometimes we do have to practice a sliding stop, I just ask them if they're sure they only need a hair's breath to pull up.

Just checking girls...:o
 
I can generally, although like you it is a gradual process! I have to be quite forward thinking! The main problem I have is that she is quite "hot" and is incredibly fast (very fleet footed Arab), so it can take a while to slow down! She will also then jog and prance if she feels she's been made to stop too soon :p
 
Can fully trust my welshie on our own flat out but in company choose place and order carefully to avoid racing. Ridden in KK ultra snaffle.
 
Alone: easily - a "woah" and standing more upright in my stirrups will slow him to a canter, then a trot. He takes a little while to get to walk though :p

In company: clearly this is a race situation which he MUST win, and under no circumstances will he stop until all the other horses have realised that he is a champion sprinter in a fat little cobs body!
 
Urmmmm I can slow her down gradually. Too fast and she does a mini rodeo routine.
However our steering goes to pot :o
 
First 20 strides, absolutely not. When she realises 'wow this is hard work' then yes.... Albeit with some argument still! :D
 
Yes, he's very good whilst galloping alone or in company :) Just a little squeeze of the rein and he slows down, I sit back down properly and a little squeeze and he's cantering again. He's a good boy really :o
 
HashRouge said:
I can generally, although like you it is a gradual process! I have to be quite forward thinking! The main problem I have is that she is quite "hot" and is incredibly fast (very fleet footed Arab), so it can take a while to slow down! She will also then jog and prance if she feels she's been made to stop too soon :p
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Mine sounds very similar.
 
Galloping is hard Work for sturdy ikkle ASBO cob and besides he can't grab food at that speed .. Well speed is exaggerating it a bit :rolleyes::D
 
No! But not a problem, plenty of wide open spaces round here so I just make sure the reins are bridged before setting off and be prepared to circle for a while :D
 
I was taught as a child to always bridge my reins going into a gallop. I have to admit that my one ex-racer is a "directional challenge" ie might choose his own direction somewhat. Fortunately he is fabulous with the magic word "whoa". His promptitude in this is remarkable - and a bit of a mixed blessing really. :)
 
Yes, but on mine it doesn't always work like that. She does listen straight off if I want to slow or stop. But after 20yrs of riding her she can read me too well, what I'm actually thinking effects her more than any physical aids I might give. Eg I know we should stop but I'm actually just enjoying it too much to really want to, she doesn't respond immediately to me sitting up etc. By contrast I've been crouched over her egging her & seen something from the corner of my eye (dog running at us, once when a friend fell etc) & just thought 'oh **** stop' & she will.
Daughters pony (& daughter) are both into galloping, they appear to both get further fueled by the others adrenaline. But, lw skinny daughter has no problems in a snaffle, even in company. Pony does get very determined to keep up with bigger horses & ponies, but if needs be will reluctantly slow if asked, even if the others continue.
 
Both my sister's ex-racers are really good. Reg especially- he can go like the clappers, but will always pull up as soon as he's asked too. Last summer, Al took him out round the belts bareback for canters as he is such a sweetie! He's as sane in company as he is solo.

The rest? Well... Lol! Amusing that the 2 ex-racers are the best :D
 
Yes, out hacking, xc etc she is very sharp, but hunting/sponsered rides erm..nope! Nothing uncontrollable shes just more keen in a group!
 
I would say I can stop okay on a normal day, even with company I have to put her up front so she's not racing with anything.. I normally start pulling up gradually and she normally obliges..

But the one time I took her to a sponsored ride and it blew her mind and any gallop was out of control! Put me off for a very long time.
 
Lolo said:
Both my sister's ex-racers are really good. Reg especially- he can go like the clappers, but will always pull up as soon as he's asked too. Last summer, Al took him out round the belts bareback for canters as he is such a sweetie! He's as sane in company as he is solo.

The rest? Well... Lol! Amusing that the 2 ex-racers are the best :D
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Wouldn't attempt that on mine. As well as getting over-excited, he is an expert at unexpected stops and swerves. Managed to stay on for the last 18 months after the first 6 months when I was constantly on the ground, but I'm not getting complacent!
 
With K yes, the amount of times hes done an emergency stop and turned about face to let me help someone is phenomenal. he will also chase and pull up alongside a horse to let me catch it all without me really thinking about it :D

With S shes not that fast if Im honest and the few times I have required a screeching halt she has been most obliging for a 6yr old :D

They are both in loosering, frenchlink snaffles :)
 
bluewhippet said:
Wouldn't attempt that on mine. As well as getting over-excited, he is an expert at unexpected stops and swerves. Managed to stay on for the last 18 months after the first 6 months when I was constantly on the ground, but I'm not getting complacent!
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Reg is just one of those 'pleasers'- if all else failed, he would happily spend his life as a hacker, pootling about being adored and cuddled. He has almost always been an excellent hack. His compatriot, Bee, is sharp as a tack and has bucked Al off on more than one occasion! She's a monster, just not a strong one ;)
 
Mine [now past tense :( ] I expected to be able to gallop them bareback on the buckle and pull up fine ultimately. We galloped 'regularly' enough it wasn't ever treated as a 'big' event, so none ever got silly or het up for it really.
 
I'm not really consistent enough myself at the gallop, but am better than I was. I used to hang on to the cantle and have no steering or control over the pace, thankfully my horse has the sense to look after us both and never went far but it wasn't ideal so i worked on my core muscles a bit and my balance so i could let go the cantle and attempt to offer some control over the pace, but i still find its patchy, i keep tipping forward, friend gave me a tip about keeping open across chest and shoulders
 
Yes, usually:D.
On the very odd occasion in the past he got a hold and really went for it, but that was before I changed the bit - used to ride him in a plain snaffle, now he's in a western curb (jointed with a roller). Haven't had a problem since, and he's very light on it.

I secretly love hell-for-leather galloping anyway, so it's not a problem unless it's in a scarey place like rocky ground or something.
 
The only horse I have galloped is my little grey. He pulls like a freight train! I can stop him, regardless if he is alone or racing, it just may take a while especially if he is in his snaffle bit. I jump and do fast work on him in a Stubben EZ Control Pelham and I find it helps alot to stop him leaning and pulling on the bit.

My TB, I haven't galloped yet. We have gone for canters, fast ones and slow ones, but no galloping yet. Not saying I won't however I am working on bonding with him, building trust and once we have that, I will let the throttle out. He is good though, no pulling and is happy to let me pick the pace, so I don't anticipate having any problems :)
 
It depends where we are, we can canter / slow gallop through the woodland tracks no bother and have pretty good controle, if I ask him to go faster than a trot when we are at the side of a feild however then I'm doomed and just have to wrestle with him untill he rembers I'm still on board!
 
I am surprised at how mnay people have trouble stopping! I have never had concerns galloping any of mine anywhere, alone or in company (yes in company they may be a little keener! :) )
Mind you, my current horse is 22 and I've had him 18 years so I pretty much trust him anywhere, plus, being TB x Connie he isn't really a natural galloper as such (he has heavy legs! Lol) so although he likes to think he can "go fast", in reality he's no racehorse!!
My old pony was probably the only one who was difficult to stop - I used to have jelly arms after`X-Country (can't believe I thought that normal and acceptable!) but then he again was so trustworthy, he would always stop at the end of the galloping stretch as he knew every hacking route.
 
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