Jogging when on a hack/excited

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Cash

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So I had a great hack on my boy today, I love hacking alone as I can choose which speed to go (usually fast!! :D ), don't have to plod when neither of us want to, plus I don't have to worry about other horses/riders getting upset when C gets wound up!! I don't mind him being excitable and forward going (obviously as long as we aren't endangering/annoying other members of the public!) but the jogging does irritate me a bit as it's not very comfy! It doesn't worry me, but just like I say, not a very relaxing comfy pace- plus I don't want him getting into bad habits, doing it at competitions/riding at home/on the road etc.
Basically as soon we've had a canter, he 'lights up' and basically refuses to walk sensibly until we get off the fields and back on the road (and even then he's sometimes still jogging).
Tips for stopping/discouraging jogging please? When he jogs his head and neck tends to come up and back the more he resists, and so I automatically shorten my reins so they're not loose and inneffective, but that just ends up with him arguing and his ears up my nose! :o
Circling doesn't really help, and coming back to halt to 'regroup' isn't very effective either as once his blood's up he doesn't stand very quietly for more than a second....!
I think I SHOULD be sending him forwards rather than fighting back to walk, but doesn't that kind of defeat the object of getting him walking quietly? :confused:

Thanks for any replies :o
 
My share jogs a lot when out hacking. The most effective thing with him is to make sure that i take some deep relaxing breaths and really relax myself. Not that i get tense, he doesn't bother me at all when he's silly. But exagerating how relaxed everything is, especially my hands really works. If he's being particularly stupid i make him stand and back up. But i always do this when he's ignoring me or tanking so he knows now that unless he stops being a wally it will keep happening. Not sure if it would be the same for your horse though.
 
I think the 'easiest' way to get horses to stop jogging is to totally relax and drop the reins on their neck - although this is easier said than done!

Circling does not work, and neither does halting IME. I used to have a pony and a horse that jogged terribly, and then I had another girl ride my pony and as soon as she sat on and dropped her reins he walked calmly. I tried this, but all he would do would be to trot on faster - it was infuriating! Thats all the help I can offer, sorry!

So, deep breaths, relax totally and loosen the contact, see how it goes :)

My current horse doesn't job thankfully, although our mostly retired TB does, I take him for a hack every so often and he is just so annoying I don't do it again for a while!
 
I have a horse that jogs and what worked for me was the minute he starts I trot not fast but do a proper working trot for a good few strides and then walk the minute he started again I would repeat he got to the point where he would try to walk himself after a few strides but I made him trot a bit more then asked him to walk when I wanted to now he doesnt jog!!! Not saying it will work for your horse though but worth a shot I guess:)
 
Stencilface said:
I think the 'easiest' way to get horses to stop jogging is to totally relax and drop the reins on their neck - although this is easier said than done!

I used to have a pony and a horse that jogged terribly, and then I had another girl ride my pony and as soon as she sat on and dropped her reins he walked calmly. I tried this, but all he would do would be to trot on faster - it was infuriating!
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Ahh see that is the problem, if I do give him the reins and drop them forward/onto his neck, he will quite happily leap straight into trot, and canter if he is allowed!!
He is an ex racer, and never needs telling twice to go faster. :rolleyes:
Deep breaths, and sitting/relaxing deep into the saddle don't really seem to work, but I will try harder!
Lol PC Steele, will try the pushing on into trot, I will need a long field or track though as he will happily trot for a long long without breaking into walk..Definitely worth a try though
somethingorother I think maybe I need to improve my schooling out hacking in general as although he will halt when necessary, eg waiting for a car or at a junction, he's not keen on standing still at all when his feet are touching grass, let alone backing up. Some work needed there I think as I definitely see the benefits in having a 'move' to call upon when oyu need to regain control! thanks
 
Simple tip given to me a gazillion years ago to stop a horse jogging- pull the martingale neck strap! Has always worked for me. I guess they don't like the restricted feeling of it digging in their chest!!
 
Hmm that does sound like it could work! I did try just giving him a short sharp slap on the shoulder with my crop, it did work initially as the surprise made him stop, but soon he was jogging again and just getting wound up when I used the crop- and I don't really want to be using my crop any more than necessary. Thanks!
 
Try occupying his brain more. Make him work. Go up and down within the pace. Leg yield. Half halt. Etc. :D.

When Dizz used to be a pain I'd do all of the above and she would have to start thinking of me, rather than joggy joggy. Also, on the long straight roads where I could see a good way in both directions, I would do serpentines and circles, which also helped to keep her focused.
 
Try asking for shoulders in when he starts jogging... Works for the mare I share when she starts jogging. It's harder work so they tend to drop back to walk. Obs no good if you are on the road but worth trying in the field.
 
I've recently ridden a horse like this - my instructor told me to relax my hands, sit back slightly and think of the horse walking backwards. Worked for me, but everyone's different!
 
When my horse jogs when we're going towards home I turn him away until he settles in walk. Once he's settled I turn him towards home and if he jogs again I turn him away until he settles again. I keep going until I get a nice walk. The first time I did it I thought I would never make it home but fortunately he learns very quickly and he stopped jogging. He started jogging again recently after several years of not doing it so we repeated the exercise last weekend.
Fortunately he's not at all nappy so we don't have any battles about turning away.
 
MrsMozart said:
Try occupying his brain more. Make him work. Go up and down within the pace. Leg yield. Half halt. Etc. :D.

When Dizz used to be a pain I'd do all of the above and she would have to start thinking of me, rather than joggy joggy. Also, on the long straight roads where I could see a good way in both directions, I would do serpentines and circles, which also helped to keep her focused.
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Ditts MRS M. Toffee Jogs alot and this alwasy shuts her up backing up makes her crow hop and she ends up trottin circles. I have a light contact long rein and really exaggerate asking for leg yields
 
PC Steele said:
I have a horse that jogs and what worked for me was the minute he starts I trot not fast but do a proper working trot for a good few strides and then walk the minute he started again I would repeat he got to the point where he would try to walk himself after a few strides but I made him trot a bit more then asked him to walk when I wanted to now he doesnt jog!!! Not saying it will work for your horse though but worth a shot I guess:)[/QUOTE

This!-exactly what I was going to suggest- very good for sharp horses!
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I don't think I've ever found the definitive way to stop a jogger. I've had 3 different horses jog with me and had to try 3 different ways!

First one was a TB who would get very wound up. With him what worked best was to competely relax and using my voice to calm him down (as I would do when lunging to get him to slow down or halt).

Second horse welsh x TB big cobby mare! When schooling she responded well to half halts and tensing the thighs and seat. If I did this when she started to jog she would normally come back to walk and relax a bit. Wouldn't have worked with the TB as he wasn't schooled that way!

Third horse I tried relaxing, i tried tensing. Neither worked so I decided that if he wanted to jog he could also carry himself in an outline. Lazy boy soon decided it was too much hard work and walked the rest of the way home!
 
I ride mine forwards into it....light contact but I don't totally drop the reins. Make sure you are moving with him and not tensing your lower back too much ( easier said than done, I know)...he may then start striding out rather than jogging and short-stepping.:D
 
he sounds exactly like my pony. once he's had a gallop, its jog jog jog most the way home. its just darned annoying. over the 18 months i've had him, i have been making him stop and listen to me and its had an effect. i've found that he's better on a loose rein, as if i tighten them up he gets more excited expecting something to happen. i got really tough with him and made him stop at every tree, or driveway. even if only for the briefest moment, but if i asked for stop, then i insisted on it. and made a big point of asking him to move again, so it was my decision, not his. over the time, i gradually increased the time he stopped for.

also, when he gets like this i will make him work by doing leg yielding or shoulder-in or just something to make him think. i've also found that when hacking alone, i let him have a pause and a look round when on the Downs before he gets joggy. when i got him, he was programmed to go forward, forward, forward and took no time to mooch and relax. i have found this helps to calm him, to do a bit of sight seeing!

keep working on it, you'll get there, altho bearing in mind if he's an excitable fwd going horse, he'll always be that way. just enjoy!
 
MrsMozart said:
Try occupying his brain more. Make him work. Go up and down within the pace. Leg yield. Half halt. Etc. :D.
QUOTE]

Go up and down within the pace- oh totally got that covered, we can do fast jog, slow jog, bouncy jog, sideways jog.. ;)

Seriously though does sound like making him leg yield, shoulder in etc could work as his TB brain is not particularly large so he's basically unable to concentrate on more than one thing ;) Think lateral work etc might be better than what I've tried so far (halting, rein back, circles) as he will still be moving forward which is basically all he wants to do!
Thanks
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My last horse used to jog half way round the hack, we used to hack around the block quite often. I tried leg yield she wouldnt listen to my leg and thought this meant go faster. I had to have a tight contact on the rein as if I dropped the contact she thought this meant she could trot. It used to do my head in. I did get used to her doing it but I couldnt stop her from jogging.
 
Firehorse said:
he sounds exactly like my pony. once he's had a gallop, its jog jog jog most the way home. its just darned annoying. over the 18 months i've had him, i have been making him stop and listen to me and its had an effect. i've found that he's better on a loose rein, as if i tighten them up he gets more excited expecting something to happen. i got really tough with him and made him stop at every tree, or driveway. even if only for the briefest moment, but if i asked for stop, then i insisted on it. and made a big point of asking him to move again, so it was my decision, not his. over the time, i gradually increased the time he stopped for.

also, when he gets like this i will make him work by doing leg yielding or shoulder-in or just something to make him think. i've also found that when hacking alone, i let him have a pause and a look round when on the Downs before he gets joggy. when i got him, he was programmed to go forward, forward, forward and took no time to mooch and relax. i have found this helps to calm him, to do a bit of sight seeing!

keep working on it, you'll get there, altho bearing in mind if he's an excitable fwd going horse, he'll always be that way. just enjoy!
Click to expand...

Thanks useful advice, I love him being forward going and would not change him at all, just the jogging can!! Would so much rather jogging and raring to go than having to kick him along. :D
 
My horse does this quite a lot. Leg yield etc worked a little but only for a little while. Pushing her up to trot didn't bother her at all - she events, so could trot all day anyway. Slipping the reins helped a lot, but I don't like riding on the buckle end all the time! One day I lost my temper a bit with her, and gave her a real crack when she was being silly - it worked - the horse was basically getting away with being naughty, and the smack helped this! This is a horse that rarely gets smacked as she is v forward and honest - and a little bit whipshy - so now even hitting my boot brings her back to walk!
 
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