Getting a "jogger" to walk nicely

[trundle]

i took my new loan mare out for our first proper little hack this morning. She was a bit of a donkey in the school, so i thought perhaps a little hack would cheer her up.

We moved yards a couple of weeks ago, and prior to that I'd only taken her out a couple of times, just down the driveway and back, and she jogged and jogged. Today, she walked nicely for a while, then started jogging again.

She doesn't do anything except jog - if I drop my reins, she carries on jogging at the same speed ! However, it is very uncomfortable and I don't want her to jog, I want her to WALK ! What can i do to stop the jogging?

 

[Nailed]

ha good luck.. Ted used to jog. I used to let him get on with it.. its doesnt hurt.. or it didnt with Ted. he jsut had high spirits and i prefer than to a broken spirit.

Lou x

 

[Shilasdair]

I don't allow them to jog - it's so rude, and so uncomfortable, besides, it is disobedience.

Whenever the horse jogs, I'd halt completely, then immediately give the rein, and ask the horse to walk on. You have to give the rein fully, whilst keeping contact, to encourage the horse to stretch into a nice forward walk. Praise and stroke the neck when they walk, and let them walk with as long a stride as possible.
If you hang on their mouth, then you get a mincy walk, and soon, a mincy jog.
If, having been given the longish rein and asked to walk on, the horse starts jogging again, I halt again, and so on.
I always win in the end - but I have patience.
If your loan horse has been allowed to do this, then it might take you a while to break the habit, though.
Good luck.
S

 

[Bossanova]

I find a stern 'Walk' everytime they jog generally does the trick if you repeat it enough and praise when they do

 

[RhiannonE]

When Whisp used to do this (would sometimes jog when we were near to home) I would make him turn a circle, then we would go on a bit, so we'd turn a circle again - we did this for a few weeks and now he just extends his walk and walks super fast instead! (which is better than bounce bounce bounce to his jog!)

 

[stencilface]

We have an ex-racer who jogs constantly (esp after a canter

) Tbh, I find it stresses them out more to try and stop them and just let him get on with it. I would get a comfy saddle and just enjoy the fact that your horse enjoys itself

I had a pony that jogged terribly too ( I used to get off him just to have a rest!) but then one day another girl sat on him mid-jog let his reins go, and he fell into walk. Now I had tried the 'letting the reins go' theory time and time again and he had just pegged off in trot

I only think I must have had a fizzy bum on him, and she didn't. Maybe if you can try instead of stopping them, turning them back on themselves and away from the direction they are going and walk that way instead. Ok they may continue, but if its a homing instinct it might stop them? Repeat as necessary

 

[Chumsmum]

Could it just be excitement at new home/owner/hack etc?

 

[loopyloop]

Totally agree with Stencilface and the fizzy bum!!

My mare is an absolute so an so for it also when jumping she just goes totally loopy!

She's the same for my friend who's renowned for having a hot backside on anything yet when another friend gets on her she can't get her to go full stop be it hacking or jumping!

 

[Silverspring]

I taught a jogger to walk using the method described by Shils. Not always easy to give the rein freely when you know they are going to burst off into either a trot or jog but if you don't let them make the mistake they will never learn.

My girl now only jog in company and even then it's a few bumps then she either trots or walks.

The onyl thing I would say is be careful what you wish for, I no longer get the jogging on the way home but she can do a mean goose march which throws you in about 20 different directions at once! Not pleasant and I would prefer the jogging

 

[GinaB]

Mist jogs when I take her somewhere new. If I try and slow her it makes her worse and she goes sideways, so I give her her head and a loose rein and ride with my seat more, I then make her do bends and moving away from the leg, going onto the bit etc and as she begins to concentrae on that she stops jogging. She then gets lots of praise.

 

[Hippona]

yep...taught my jogger using Shils method.

He only really does it now if excited...for example, I rode last night and when OH set off trotting I held back to give him space as he is a novice...Desi then starts jog/trotting...to catch up ....very annoying but if I hold him back we then get a rocking-horse canter at walk speed with his nose on his chest. Actually, come to think of it thats much more comfortable and it looks well good, especially if he has his tail in the air also....

 

[trundle]

Thanks everyone. i suspect part of it is just excitement / nerves at being in a new place with a new "mum", but it does need to stop sooner rather than later ! I will try the halt-walk technique and see how we get on. SHe's a very bright little horse, so I think she will hopefully learn quite quickly that walking is preferable to jogging.

 

[donna_mccrate]

i sometimes have this problem if out on a hack and not in lead file, bit of a tantrum maybe.. but talking in low tones and the ''walk'' command always seem to work.. eventually

im lucky she has a super comfortable jog so i dont mind too much, just dont like stalking the person in front too close!!

 

[Bowen4Horses]

as a teenager, i spent many an hour TEACHING my pony to jog... i thought it looked cool... *blush*

then i put him in a pelham, and over used the curb rein... whilst encouraging his jogging.... *huge blush*

my poor, darling little pony. x

 

[BeckyD]

Ditto Shilasdair. My old mare did this when I bought her and she soon stopped. Refuse to jog with your seat, keep your bum walking, and really give with the rein. Halt if they get carried away, then push into walk, a good walk not a slow one. Lots of praise.

 

[littlemisslauren]

I'm glad some1 posted this, the pony i ride for a friend jogs constantly. Whn i try to stop it i get rocking horse canter or a sideways jog! will try the halting method next time!

 

[annret]

My horse used to jog all over the shop and couldn't do anything to stop it, followed everyone's advice. Then I decided to ignore it and relax into it - when I stopped tensing and just sat like a bag of tatties and ignored her, she magically stopped jogging and doesn't anymore.

If I asked for halt from a jog, I'd just get a mean piaffe which, whilst very pretty, was verrry frustrating!

 

[Riverboy]

River used to jog everywhere out hacking - it was sheer excitement... I ignored him and eventually he gave it up... tbh his jog was better than his super fast super short strided walk that replaced it!!!

 

[Shilasdair]

I am sorry, that you all disagree with me, and think jogging is fine.

From my point of view, trotting when asked to walk is a disobedience, just as much as galloping, or stopping dead would be, and I would not allow a horse to do it.
Mind you, if the riders are bouncing along, hanging onto a dead rein, with tight seat bones, I suppose the horse has little option.
S

 

[Ziggy_]

I have also used Shils' method to stop my mare jogging with good results. I also collapse like a sack of spuds when she starts jogging, basically make it really uncomfortable for her to carry me; as soon as she walks I sit lightly again.

Re. whether or not jogging is a disobedience; my mare used to have a habit of taking off towards home. She'd jog home and use any excuse to spook and break into a few strides of trot. One day a few strides of trot became a stride of canter and so forth until one day she peed off with me, down the main road, for two miles at a flat out gallop. It was pure naughtiness and started from a jogging habit.

Not saying every horse that jogs will turn into one that runs off, but the phrase 'give an inch and they'll take a mile' springs to mind. These things can escalate almost without you realising, until you have a real problem on your hands. Worth bearing in mind