Can you easily control your horse in a gallop?

Rarely gallop as don't have the places to do so but always taught mine that when I stand up, loosen reins and scratch the neck this means slow down. Comes of being physically unable to stop my mare at the end of XC so had to teach her a different way and have done it with all of mine since.
 
Never galloped my ISH, but my ex-racehorse will stop dead at the slightest pull. My sisters welsh section D took off with her once and he didn't even break into trot, needless to say he was a rubbish racehorse lol!
 
Never tried it alone, but in company? Keep dreaming :D Those stumpy legs are gonna keep hammering 'til he wins, damn it!!

We don't have anywhere to canter, let alone gallop though at the mo :(
 
I can't imagine not having a good gallop at least once a week :D We have a favourite long slop which we (my friend and I) really let go on, I usually let me friend on her IDx get ahead and then we zoom in front, but with a touch on my reins I can steady my TB and allow the IDx the idea that she can still win and we go stride for stride until I let Belle go again :D Fantastic fun. A thoroughbred gallop just eats the ground.
 
Used to gallop my old boy when he was younger and once i swapped to pelham from snaffle i could stop no trouble.
Current ex racer i have only galloped once and actually i didn't enjoy it, just felt too fast although i had only ridden him for 6 months at the time, maybe now id be less bothered. He stopped no trouble with a woah and then walked back on buckle which was lovely. I do canter regularly and choose what speed we do and again same technique stops him. Im moving back to old yard with gallops so no doubt ill try it again- but those jockeys have balls to jump at that speed just doesn't feel possible!
 
Half a mile's notice to stop counts as being in control, right?!

We used to only have one big field where we could let rip. Walk/trot hack up to the field, trot one side, canter the next, turn and GO hell for leather across the diagonal towards home! I always made a point of being in walk by the time we went through the gateway, but this did involve starting to ask him to slow from the half way mark. This would be duly ignored, so stopping signal increased accordingly until a real "Oh ffs damn you STOP" pitch was reached. :o
 
My youngster's more difficult to get going than he is to stop, he might be half TB, but he has no competitive instinct and would rather ponce about in a dressage ring than get himself in a sweat galloping.

My Connemara loves to gallop, preferably in pursuit of hounds with hedges to leap over. In the past we've had stopping issues, but I've always been able to stop it's just not always been pretty. I have learnt now though, unless it's a long way minimum of 500m I don't let him drop his neck and really open his stride, he takes a long time to reach "flat out", and once he's up there it takes a long time to reel him back in. By himself it's not really problem and I can talk him down, but in company he's more competitve and it's a bit more of a debate!

I have memories of my brother disapearing into the distance on him at a very nice hunting canter in a lovely rhythm with me in pursuit on the poncy youngster. He had only been walking him off and had very gradually gained speed as he pointed him up a very inviting grassy hill. He was however, totally unable to stop and went about 2 miles avoiding fences and hedges pony'd jump until my brother found an enormous hedge to point him at. Pony wasn't bolting, he just wasn't being given the correct aids to stop, so he didn't. The stop with him all comes from the seat, if you pull he gains speed, brother knew this so opted to sit and do nothing instead as wasn't quite sure what the seat aids were. He was only supposed to be walking (a tired pony) back to the trailer. He laughs about it now and says he wasn't scared, but he's not been back on board since.
 
Yes, out hacking or hunting you couldn't ask for a horse to have better manners. He might protest a little if he's not allowed to go/ asked to pull up but he is v well mannered and wouldn't think to just bog off. He hunts in a Dr. Bristol so even in that situation, he doesn't need a particularly strong bit, though he does get strong when jumping (only hunting). He'll gallop, stop, gallop again, without any fuss. TBH without sounding smug, he's an absolute pleasure in that sort of situation.

Same couldn't be said for the last horse though!! If I was planning on doing a route with a fast canter or gallop in then I needed at the very least a change of noseband. He went in a drop normally but needed a flash or grackle to have any chance of pulling up. Hunting or cantering/galloping in company required a waterford gag and a lot of effort on my part! He was 17hh of ISH attitude and I'm only 5ft4 and a size 8 so it was sometimes a fight. Now you see why I feel justified in being a little smug about the new one ;)
 
I remember being ditched on the village pony and my mum laughing as he tanked off down a stubble field, they all knew he woudl stop at the end by jamming his head on the floor to eat, shooting me up his neck :eek:

I've never had problems stopping, sometimes it takes longer than others, but not something that concerns me, I know that if we had to do an emergency stop we can do. I remember trying my second pony in a large field and being unable to stop him in canter when I was 10yo, I thought that was brilliant - he didn't tank off, just wasn't paying attention ;)
 
It usually takes quite a long time to stop! I really have to prepare. And it isn't a light touch when I need him to stop either, I quite often have to pull a fair bit which I hate doing but otherwise we'd be disappearing into the distance at a gallop across all terrain! And then suddenly when I'm not expecting it he'll notice something in the distance (person/dog/deer/anything!) and will slam the brakes on. Thankfully he keeps his head up at this point, first time he did it I nearly went over the top! And then when we do eventually stop it's jogging and head flinging, not often does he walk. This makes him sound really bad!

In company he's pretty much the same unless he gets particularly excited. On a sponsored ride he was fab and really easy to stop but again jogged. But the addition of jumps seem to make him easier to stop!
 
feisty_filly said:
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!
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I have learnt to avoid bridle paths alone the edge of nice soft grass in spring!
 
My cob is pretty good to pull up in company or solo and we generally have control, although that wasn't always the case.

He tanked off with me once on the DOwns when the ground was hard and we were going downhill from a walk. Knew if I tried to stop with reins he would buck me off (very fresh) so tried to put him on a big circle, but he lost his footing and we both went down and slid along the ground. Knocked the wind out of us both but he has never done it since.

We gallop a lot with ex-racers so, although he is super fit, he usually runs out of puff at gallop before they do and just drops back to canter. But a touch of rein and whoa and he slows. He isn't competitive with them if we start behind.

He is quite funny if we start in front though and will do a lovely side pass at gallop to block our ex-racer friend from getting in front. It's hilarious and I have no control as he moves over and then back to keep him from getting in front. When you are a cob you have to use whatever you can to win!!
 
Can't beat a good gallop to make you feel better about things :) Can pull my girl up no problem alone or in company. It's a pity she's so good in company as means we always end up at the back behind people who can't keep control behind but then proceed to canter really really really slowly in front so much so we just trot very frustrating when there are only a few places where you can have a good blast!
 
I never galloped Spooks - probably just as well as he was broken and he probably would have gone down at full pelt. Also, we had that small issue of whopping ruddy great bucks in canter with his head between his knees that frightened the life out of me. We know why, now.

I used to take Rosie for a good gallop on occasion. No issue on stopping on our own...bridged reins, sit up, sit deep and a 'whoa' or three and we could pull up within a couple of hundred yards of going full pelt. But when I was getting her fit with a friend on her Brontohorsus, Rosie saw this as a race and even our intervals were faster than necessary. I had to change to a gag but she felt this was more of a challenge than 'breaks' and would 'grab' it at every opportunity.

Previously, I always found our ex racers the easiest to stop. Mind you, walking back again was a nigh on impossibility. There was one, though, who wouldn't so I faced him at a very large hedge. He was not a steeplechaser - we only had flat racers in Kenya - however, the hedge (all 6 feet of it) was no object for the boy and he soared over (and through) it with me clinging on for dear life. The next obstacle I could see was a clump of trees and we were half way through before he ground to a halt and I flew through his ears and landed in a crumpled, winded heap in front of him. The b****** then turned round and took off in the other direction. It took half an hour to catch him.

My next one will, of course, be fleet of foot but will absolutely understand that whoa means whoa and not varying degrees of in between.
 
I had to be very careful where I chose to gallop my old ID, he would often put in a 'leap of joy' first then gallop full pelt through anything in his way (walkers, dogs, trees etc) the only way i could control him was make sure I had my reins short and was prepared to sit to a massive leap! We also couldnt go for a 'nice gallop' in a field as he always got over excited!
He also believe it or not was a very nice horse to school but was like a tank when the feeling took him!
 
Yes - alone and in company. She has fantastic brakes, and to be honest, doesn't seem all that fussed on going fast/racing (despite being a racehorse!), but she goes when she's asked to go and she stops when she's asked to stop.

All the other bits I can work on over time; the fact that she does the above is why I can't let her go!
 
I can pull my TB ex racer up from gallop at drop of a hat, not even bothered by something passing her (doesnt happen very often), the beauty of an ex racer they take galloping in their stride.
 
Ah......the beauty of ex polo ponies!!!

Zoomy will stop dead with a tiny pull on the reins from a flat out gallop if I need her to. Even if the other horses are still going. I'm very lucky! :)
 
I have an ex-racehorse, he's in a snaffle, mostly just a cavesson and rarely a martingale. He is a very good boy and will come back to me with just a bit of weight transfer, like you stopping tends to take a few hundred metres, but to be honest i don't ask very forcefully and i imagine in an emergency he would stop quickly if i asked.

In company he's much the same and i can easily keep him behind, the most he does is fling his head around in a small amount of protest but then settles.

Best thing is i can go flat out along one stretch, stop for the corner then have a steady canter along the next he's a very good boy. But he is very sharp and i have been dumped previously as he spun round and took himself home.
 
bluewhippet said:
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.
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If you can't control your horse at a gallop you shouldn't be galloping. End of story.
 
I was scared to tears at the thought of galloping Ned by myself (done it plenty of times with others, he stops when they do!)

I finally plucked up the courage and he was amazing! Pulled up with no effort and no pulling. I can just sit up and he'll slow :) So proud of him, I have even galloped him towards home and he was just as good. Never thought he'd be so good!
 
Ellen Durow said:
If you can't control your horse at a gallop you shouldn't be galloping. End of story.
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There are safe places to gallop even if you can't control it, if you do so up a hill they will stop at some point, and if it is something you want to improve then you have to find some safe way of doing so.
 
Yes she is fine to stop if it's a long stretch of gallop, takes more persuasion after a quick short one or if no obvious end in sight. However she got a tad excited last time we galloped, bucked and slipped over bringing us both to the ground so I have lost my nerve somewhat at the moment!
 
I own a couple of cutting horses and they are trained to stop immediately on the woah! command. So we can be going flat out and within a step be stopped and standing quietly. With my TBs and WBs they come back to me easily, not as quick as the AQHAs though obviously. I only ride in mild bits and none of mine put a fight to stop, although my ancient old (36 year old) AQHA doesn't care to be going slow. He's actually the worst out of the lot but at his age I don't mind at all, he can do what he likes :)
 
Lol SF - last time I rode our ex-racer, prob when he was about 25 (29 now) I had to do a lap of the stubble field just to stop him, he was head down and go go go, would have probably helped had I not been laughing hysterically at how funny he was. :D :D He wasn't bolting or unsafe, just having a good time, and who can deny an old horse that? :)

Although thank god I didn't point him at a hedge, as an ex-chaser the crazy old fool would have gone for it, and having seen his racing results I know exactly how many times he fell, and it was a reasonable proportion :D
 
Mine stops as soon as asked, but don't do the same gallop every time, yesterday I galloped half our usual gallop stretch and trotted the other half....keeps her interested. I sometimes do a break check in the middle too, where we slow for a few strides of collected canter and then go again. But then other times all caution goes out the window and I lean forwards and whoop like a red indian to blow the cobwebs away!
 
Yes, quite easily. One is in a Waterford snaffle and will sit on her arse and stop within a few paces (although she can pull for her head, I have to tape my fingers up as I have lost skin!) and t'other is in a modified Cheltenham gag thing and is a bit boingy in the downwards transition, but then he's a bit boingy anyway! :D
 
Stencilface said:
Lol SF - last time I rode our ex-racer, prob when he was about 25 (29 now) I had to do a lap of the stubble field just to stop him, he was head down and go go go, would have probably helped had I not been laughing hysterically at how funny he was. :D :D He wasn't bolting or unsafe, just having a good time, and who can deny an old horse that? :)

Although thank god I didn't point him at a hedge, as an ex-chaser the crazy old fool would have gone for it, and having seen his racing results I know exactly how many times he fell, and it was a reasonable proportion :D
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I laughed out loud at that! Too funny :D Yeah the old ones are fun eh? I don't let my old guy gallop much, only on footings I know very well and are suitable for his old legs. I often have this vision that the old coot might break a leg or something so we tend to go steadier than he would like. He is incapable of walking and although I've made him do it when he was younger, these days I just let him get on with it. If he wants to jog the whole ride then he can. There have to be some privileges of being ancient I figure and tbh he's a good boy so there's very little I stop him from doing these days :)
 
My cob is very easy have a bag of crisps in my pocket rattle them and he stops before me sometimes:D. My spanish is another storey he overbends so nothing to stop so tend to circle him until he slows down tend not to gallop though as hes very very hot headed
 
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