How do you get your horse to stop??

[JackFrost]

Young horse is proving to be a natural at the liberty/agility stuff, but I have so far failed to install an effective STOP instruction. Horse instead just slows down, then wanders about and eventually grinds to a halt, a bit like an old clockwork toy. So to anyone who has effectively taught 'STOP!', what is your cue and how did you teach it?

 

[Snow Falcon]

Funnily enough one of mine responds to a raised hand in the "stop" position.

 

[Mule]

Mine stops dead when I say "aaand whoa".
It's a bit sudden when we're cantering Strangely enough, I haven't tried it at liberty.

 

[Cortez]

You teach it in hand first, then progress to liberty, going back to using headcollar/bridle/whatever-you're-using whenever it stops working.

 

[Equi]

I don’t know who taught it to him but my
Lad grinds to a halt if I say good boy. I’ve learned never to say those words at any faster than a walk ?

 

[Mule]

I don’t know who taught it to him but my
Lad grinds to a halt if I say good boy. I’ve learned never to say those words at any faster than a walk ?

I had one like that too! Whenever I said good girl, she'd grind to a halt

 

[Gloi]

I put my hand in my pocket and get halt and a hopeful look ?

 

[littleshetland]

I make a 'prrrrp' noise and if they're in trot or canter they'll come down a gear, and if I'm in walk they'll halt.

 

[hollyandivy123]

I had one who would do a downward transition when anyone said the word "and"........think how many times someone says the word "and" in a lesson.......

 

[DabDab]

Just off the word woah. They get a treat when they stop to train it.

 

[scruffyponies]

Stand.
Turned out quite useful the other day when idiot pony was rearing whilst tied in the stable and got his leg over the rope. The moment he heard 'stand' he froze. He had by this time got the other on the top of the stable wall, so was on 2 legs with his head trapped. It took me a good minute and a half to put down the armfull of stuff I was carrying, get across the yard and open the stable door, let alone get him free. He never moved.
A second before he had been throwing himself around on 2 legs like he was demented, but he knew I was on my way to sort him out.

Once a driving pony, always a driving pony.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

If you’re at liberty he should stop when you do or with some other taught cue. You can teach a bend to stop at liberty but you teach it in hand first and that will bring the horse to face you. But you can also do stop off voice command but again, needs to be taught in hand first.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

When we do in-hand work, whip gently laid on the neck/ shoulder is cue to stop. Taking the whip off means she is free to move.

 

[JackFrost]

Thanking you all for your replies, they have given me some ideas to work with. Clearly it shouldn't be that hard as everyone seems to have masterful control of their equines

 

[mini_b]

I make a 'prrrrp' noise and if they're in trot or canter they'll come down a gear, and if I'm in walk they'll halt.

That’s my go up a gear noise ?

 

[paddy555]

in hand and when leading the horse out for walks or even just out to the field. I use HO. Very short, roughly spoken and very sharp and loud to start with. "aaaand whoa" to me is "stop when you get around to it and have the time" 'HO' means stop now, mid stride, immediately.
Then as you progress keep using it but perhaps not so harshly as they have got it. Shouldn't take very long to teach in hand.


HO is my emergency stop when out riding. No reins, no legs or seat just "HO" harshly is stop instantly practised a couple of times each ride.

 

[FestiveG]

A late friend of mine used to let her riding school horses out of the yard and allow them to go to the field, down a private lane. She would stand in the yard, or lookin out of her kitchen window, and could direct the whole bunch (about a dozen) or each individual simply by voice.

 

[Ratface]

I use "and steady" to go down a gear, and "uh ooh" to stop. Paired with a slight change of balance and breathing out. A generalised vocal click to go up a gear.
Not very sophisticated, but horse and I have travelled many hundreds of miles together, and seem to have a mutually compatible method of communication.

 

[littleshetland]

That’s my go up a gear noise ?

It can be confusing as we all have a unique set of words or noises that we use for our own beasties. A good friend of mine was riding mine and also used the 'prrrp' noise to make the horse go forward, and we laughed when the horse ground obediently to a halt. If i'm not concentrating I sometimes give the wrong word/ noise command when I'm riding and find myself apologising to the horse....they seem to know I'm sorry!

 

[JackFrost]

It can be confusing as we all have a unique set of words or noises that we use for our own beasties. A good friend of mine was riding mine and also used the 'prrrp' noise to make the horse go forward, and we laughed when the horse ground obediently to a halt. If i'm not concentrating I sometimes give the wrong word/ noise command when I'm riding and find myself apologising to the horse....they seem to know I'm sorry!

I use a click to mean go faster. I was hacking past some obviously non horsey people, trying to keep the youngster steady, when the man started making clicking noises, and seemed to think this was what to do when you see a horse. Fortunately my young one took no notice of him, but I was sitting there thinking 'Really, you are NOT helping!!'

 

[Annagain]

When I was looking for a new one I tried one horse and really liked him so went back the next day to hack him out, with his owner on a borrowed horse. We had to go down a steep hill and he was picking up a bit of speed so I said "steady" to him and his owner said " he won't respond to that, you have to use woah". Cue the next 15 minutes of me saying "Steady woah" as I couldn't train myself not to say "steady". He responded really well to the "woah" and was a little sweetie.

I would have bought him but his owner decided not to sell. He was never properly on the market but belonged to a friend of a friend so I got to try him before she'd really made up her mind. I knew it was a possibility that he wouldn't be for sale so she didn't waste my time.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

We speak with whistles over here. Whistling brings him down a gear or to a stop. He does have a "stay" command for parking purposes.

A few years ago I was riding either the radio on and someone whistled on the radio and he came to a dead stop.

Then there was the time when someone in the adjacent school began whistling a tune while I was lunging and my horse slowed his trot and and thought for a second, but realized it wasn't me nor the tone of whistling that meant any thing ?

I think having a verbal cue is a good idea for times when you can't physically touch them. Such as the time my horse got spooked by a dog and got loose from where he was tied. He trotted a few steps, I whistled, and he came to a stop. Or if they're all bothered about something and a calming verbal cue does the job better than strictly physical means.

 

[Nasicus]

I use a click to mean go faster. I was hacking past some obviously non horsey people, trying to keep the youngster steady, when the man started making clicking noises, and seemed to think this was what to do when you see a horse. Fortunately my young one took no notice of him, but I was sitting there thinking 'Really, you are NOT helping!!'

Oh man that one drives me nuts!

 

[Pippity]

I use a click to mean go faster. I was hacking past some obviously non horsey people, trying to keep the youngster steady, when the man started making clicking noises, and seemed to think this was what to do when you see a horse. Fortunately my young one took no notice of him, but I was sitting there thinking 'Really, you are NOT helping!!'

Mine's sort-of trained to one click for walk, two clicks for trot, and prrrrp for canter. I'm still working on installing a reliable halt, whether at liberty, in-hand or, increasingly, ridden!

 

[Birker2020]

I don’t know who taught it to him but my
Lad grinds to a halt if I say good boy. I’ve learned never to say those words at any faster than a walk ?

Mine does this on the lunge. Literally throws in the towel when I praise him, its like "Ok I've done my bit now, lets call it a day"

 

[littleshetland]

I had a go at western riding once...to get canter we had to make kissing noises!

 

[JackFrost]

I had a go at western riding once...to get canter we had to make kissing noises!

Yes I remember that when I had a go at Western. I don't find the kissing noise easy, just sounded like a squeaky fart.
It didn't get my horse to canter - horse probably assumed it was just me farting.

 

[Lyle]

The horse should stop and face you when you look at its hip- this is taught on the lead doing various hind quarter yielding exercises, and then lunging and yielding. You can add in a vioce cue if you wanted to.
If I want them to change down a gear and keep tracking on the circle, I tap the air with my stick in front of their drive line. Again, taught on the lunge, with them circling quite closely at first. You can add in a voice cue here too

 

[Jellymoon]

I don’t know who taught it to him but my
Lad grinds to a halt if I say good boy. I’ve learned never to say those words at any faster than a walk ?

How funny, I’ve had ones that have done this too. Always intrigued me!

 

[cauda equina]

Mine know that 'whoa' means halt

I talk to myself a lot out hacking and have to avoid confusing words like so, no, go

For teaching 'parking' loose I used clicker training