How do racehorses get ridden

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Hi

I've seen a lot of threads about racehorses and how taking a contact asks them to go faster.

I don't know anything about racehorses, so for all you who ride them, how are racehorses asked to come back from a gallop? How do you stop them if they take a hold or get strong?

Thanks.
 
Hard to explain in words. Basically you ride with your reigns in a bridge, when a horse pulls you want to have your hands nice and low on the wither and let the horse pull against itself. If a horse is free (very strong) then you lean back against the horse, go through the pain barrier and don't let it go!

It's all about balance and teqnique, the main aim at home is to have a horse on the bridle but settled and not p****ing off all over the place. Some people have a natural gift for holding and settling a horse and some don't.

If a horse is getting the better of you and you feel like it's going to tank off the moist important thing is not to fight, as soon as you release your grip to take hold of a new grip then the horse will be gone.

Hope this helps slightly? As I say hard to put into words!!
 
Little Squirrel said:
Hard to explain in words. Basically you ride with your reigns in a bridge, when a horse pulls you want to have your hands nice and low on the wither and let the horse pull against itself. If a horse is free (very strong) then you lean back against the horse, go through the pain barrier and don't let it go!

It's all about balance and teqnique, the main aim at home is to have a horse on the bridle but settled and not p****ing off all over the place. Some people have a natural gift for holding and settling a horse and some don't.

If a horse is getting the better of you and you feel like it's going to tank off the moist important thing is not to fight, as soon as you release your grip to take hold of a new grip then the horse will be gone.

Hope this helps slightly? As I say hard to put into words!!
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well you did well :D
just wanted to add that with the racehorses, as soon as we shortened up our reins it meant we were going to go faster. Some people make that mistake with ex racers and if they start getting a bit fizzy they automatically shorten up their reins. The horse then assumes it's going to be off for a gallop. Best to keep a light contact and relax.
 
Generally - racers are trained to go up the gallop from a young age - initially they canter up very slowly and are taught to go upsides, infront and behind in a relaxed and steady fashion. Overtime, as they get fitter and older, they will start going faster but will still only be doing a good canter.They only gallop on work days and on these days they will canter the first mile or so to warm up so its always fairly well controlled. Stopping them from tanking off is all about technique and getting them to settle and not strength. Shortening the reins is a cue for them that they are going to go faster - i.e. from walk to canter or canter to gallop etc. Its what jockeys do during a race prior to waggling a whip about but its quite subtle so you only see it if your looking. Basically when on the gallop you need a steady even contact and let the horse relax in your hands. Trying not to change your grip even if the horse is taking a hold usually they will come back to you after a few strides. Your weight and voice do a lot of the work aswell. If a horse for whatever reason really wants to tank off with you then you cant physically stop it - getting it to relax and staying calm are more likely to slow it down and they know where the gallop ends so hopefull stop at the end theyselves - similar to out hacking when horses know which field you canter in - they are raring to go and you couldnt pull them up half way but they always stop at the end - does that make sence?
 
Yes it totally does. Thanks!
Training racehorses is very interesting.
I'm just starting to canter mine on hacks and am going through the whole process of teaching him to go in front (no prob), behind etc and to not take a hold when overtaken. I want to hunt him so am teaching him all this now
With your racehorse experience do you have any tips or advice?
 
MY lad is an ex-pony racer trained the exact same way just smaller. :p

I have recently been told by a new instructor that if he takes hold to drop my reins and hold him on the buckle, it will confuse him and he won't have anything to take hold of and he'll stop better rather than hauling at his mouth (not that I did that anyway.)

So far it has worked very well, that along with breathing correctly has turned my nutty lad into a half decent pony. :p
 
I always have my horse voice trained, very useful out hunting, but I generally had a vulcanite pelham with curb chain rather than a snaffle on hunting days, it seemed to work with normal types. More control needed with nutters, certainly a running martingale and some type of cheek piece snaffle, maybe.
 
Kokopelli said:
MY lad is an ex-pony racer trained the exact same way just smaller. :p

I have recently been told by a new instructor that if he takes hold to drop my reins and hold him on the buckle, it will confuse him and he won't have anything to take hold of and he'll stop better rather than hauling at his mouth (not that I did that anyway.)

So far it has worked very well, that along with breathing correctly has turned my nutty lad into a half decent pony. :p
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Lets hope he doesn't try a little buck with you one day :lol:
 
Please don't canter round fields on the buckle end :eek: , try a nice balanced forward, [brushing your bum on the saddle] seat, not exaggerated though, that is to say you AND horse are both balanced, as one, then lightly rest your fists on his neck, about the withers, his head and neck should feel as though they are rising towards you, I don't know how else to explain how you should feel, and it is all about feel, you should be relaxed and enjoying the moment as much as your boy.
You need to use your stirrup leathers as part of the whole balance thing, this is why riders always have chaps or long boots, Adjustment of the leathers becomes part of the ride, longs for walk, one up for trot two up for canter four up for gallop .. a whole new posting required on the racehorse gallop.
 
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MrsD123 said:
Please don't canter round fields on the buckle end :eek: , try a nice balanced forward, [brushing your bum on the saddle] seat, not exaggerated though, that is to say you AND horse are both balanced, as one, then lightly rest your fists on his neck, about the withers, his head and neck should feel as though they are rising towards you, I don't know how else to explain how you should feel, and it is all about feel, you should be relaxed and enjoying the moment as much as your boy.
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I don't canter on the buckle end but if he takes hold I'll drop my reins, has worked on two occasions and haven't needed to do it again because he now knows not to take hold as it's pointless.
 
With a young horse really its just repatition and consistancy
Ideally canter up hills to start with and stay relaxed - helps if you have a good sensible companian and do some trot work first to get rid of some of the excess energy and just repeat multiple times adding differant variables. I wouldnt do it on too loose a rein but just try not to take a hold of them more than you would to canter in a school. Best thing you can learn if your riding racers or young horses is too relax - as in relax your body and mind - I usually try to actively breathe out through my nose and relax my shoulders. If they do buck or run on a bit try to keep your hands low and maintain the same contact - unless you need to pull their head out from between their knees! and keep them moving forward.
 
With our exracer if you ride round grass strips on a tight contact he is a pain in the ar*e and just goes, if you walk on the buckle he goes like a donkey
 
It's not about strength, half a tonne of horse that wants to go is not going to listen to a puny human! It's about technique and knowing the feel of your horse.

This a video of the reigning Derby Champion, Pour Moi, doing his last leg stretch at Epsom before the big race. And that is all he is doing, having a leg stretch - I would love to ride a proper piece of work on this horse!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7VwFsczJIg

Ok, this is flat racing and their irons are up far, far more than most peoples but it gives you an idea of how he is just swinging along quite settled and how he slows down effortlessly.

This one shows better how the rider is just sitting quiet and the horse is lovely and settled. Through his hands he will be feeling the power that is underneath him. If you can get your horse cantering like that then your are more than half way to getting him to gallop nicely for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPv3Hyr-Ufc
 
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Basically 99.9% of all racehorses know the gallops they are on inside out and back to front. If you are working a horse over a mile or a mile 2 there is still a good few furlongs for you to pull up. You just drop your hands and relax and then they come back to you. The sprinters which are worked over a shorter distance will go through a slip to get on to the gallops so they do not block the gallop up for any horses coming up behind. On a work morning you don't want a horse to work over 5 on a mile 2 gallop and be hacking the last 3 furlongs + as if there's a horse working over a longer distance behind you would be in the way. I do have some funny stories where things didn't quite go according to plan though!!
Kokopelli - that's how I was taught to stop one of my ponies when I was young. Literally throwing the reins at it and it did work.
 
My reply to that question is with difficulty! I struggle. I can get on the quietest racer, tuck it in behind (hate that phrase! as soon as a trainer says that i know whats in store :-@)and overtake the whole string!

I think i should probably race ride as have no problems with making them go...lol

In reality as the others have said dont pull, they go faster!
 
My ex race horse (p to p ) was an absolute gem. If you shortened your reins, off you went. If you dropped your reins and said woah, you were back in walk form full gallop in a few strides!! First time I discovered this was how you stop him I was nearly out the front door!!
 
I once rode a German Thoroughbred who had been trained to race in Germany, but was never actually raced. He was quite tricky to ride, because as soon as we got on any grass he immediately changed and hotted up. I was also told to ride on with a softer, relaxed rein no matter how excited he got, as race horses are trained with the cue that shortening the reins is a signal for them to go faster. I made the mistake of shortening my reins once whilst having a canter up a long grassy slope (it actually looked like a gallop track!) and he took it as a signal to go into full pelt gallop! :eek: :o I have never been so fast in my entire life and it gave me such an adrenaline rush! Luckily I managed to pull him up at the top! :) :p
 
Pretty much as everyone else has said but it's important to not that they do have a contact! It is light but there. My OH describes its as gently playing the bit with your hands as if you are gently tinkling the keys of a piano...he can be poetic at times lol! To ride a free or hot horse takes skill and often the really truely great work riders are ones who do something that they prob don't even realise they do. It's just a way they have.
 
The problem I have is jumping my ex racer... I have found that out galloping around that dropping my hands and reins bring him back but you obviously cant do this going into jumps :eek:

I have found that half halting helps BUT he can take a hold going into jumps sometimes and it can be a real frightener sometimes....

Any advice on jumping is much appreciated... We have tried poles, circling in front of jumps ect...
 
AndiK said:
The problem I have is jumping my ex racer... I have found that out galloping around that dropping my hands and reins bring him back but you obviously cant do this going into jumps :eek:

I have found that half halting helps BUT he can take a hold going into jumps sometimes and it can be a real frightener sometimes....

Any advice on jumping is much appreciated... We have tried poles, circling in front of jumps ect...
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Bring him right back to the basics and walk him into poles in the ground, then small jumps and just get him walk over them and relax. Once you have established walking then repeat the process in trot. If he tries to take off then go back to walking him over things until he is settled and ready to attempt trotting again. Once trot is established then repeat for canter. He will soon get the idea that the faster he goes into the jumps the slower and more boring youare going to make him do things until he starts to listen to you.
 
EKW said:
Bring him right back to the basics and walk him into poles in the ground, then small jumps and just get him walk over them and relax. Once you have established walking then repeat the process in trot. If he tries to take off then go back to walking him over things until he is settled and ready to attempt trotting again. Once trot is established then repeat for canter. He will soon get the idea that the faster he goes into the jumps the slower and more boring youare going to make him do things until he starts to listen to you.
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Thanks EKW - I want to start jumping again but my confidence has taken a bit of a battering so this will be useful in a) re-training my boy and b) building my confidence

Thanks for the advice :D
 
I find with my boy dropping the contact doesn't slow him down at all. Using my seat and remaining relaxed usually works (although not everytime!). He did a few years flat with h.Cecil and a few NH so he knew his job well!! I made the mistake once of shortening reins whilst uphill in a nice steady canter (dunno what I was thinking!) and he catapulted into gallop! I couldn't see my eyes were watering that much! God he moved, his sire was zafonic so it's no wonder!!! Wish I could take him for a blast more often, just got nowhere safe enough!
 
I'd just like to add that BREATHING also helps! Hehe. I know its sounds silly, but when I am something that's keen, I bury my hands in the neck strap and sing to myself so that I breath. That way you don't tense up, sometimes its almost worth letting them half run away and then gently steady, repeat as necessary.

Thought you might enjoy an ride on a racehorse (probably the coolest horse in training ever!);

http://youtu.be/Tx-XAQem-Vk
 
Laura if I have my wee beasty on the gallops tomorrow I shall try and take a video as well lol. I did try before on the Hocamaffe but he decided that as I wasn't paying attention to him he would rocket sideways to get me listeneing again lol!
 
Absolutely agree that my ex-chaser definitely responds to the reins being given to him and slows down. If you try and fight, you'll be in the next county before he's ready to stop.

In terms of the jumping question, I'd concur with the going back to basics. We went back and did the ground work, then the pole work etc etc which really worked. I have to say the bit I found hardest was being strict with myself and stopping him over poles/jumps when he got headstrong and took over. However, stopping him when it was not as I wanted and then letting him complete and praising him when it was, did work. He now jumps nicely rather than locking on an flying at them - a much more pleasant experience, especially in the school. There were numerous time that I just shut my eyes as the wall seemed to come up very quickly:D
 
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