Oh dear...lack of brakes...any tips for stopping?!

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bex1984

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Mr Murphy is rather full of beans at the moment, and last night he tanked off with me for the first time in ages
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It took me quite a while to pull him up (it was probably my fault anyway as I should have been concentrating and spotted the signs
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) and in the end I felt I was really having to haul on his mouth (and I was shouting a lot!!).

Now i feel guilty for pulling so hard
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So...any tips/tricks for stopping half a ton of coblet once it has set its neck?
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Emergency bit for occasions when he might tank off? Then you won't have to haul so hard.

Otherwise you'll have a battle as my skinny TB is hard to pull up once he's off, so on half a ton of coblet I doubt you stand a chance with brute strength!!! People may suggest heading him into a hedge but that sort of thing always backfires on me
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Were you tugging with both reins? If so then don't LOL! You need to give and take (hard) with one rein only, short and sharp yanks - pulling with both reins will just give him something to set himself against. Circles are ALWAYS good too
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jumpthemoon - once he sets his neck i really struggle to turn him at all...

He was aiming for a (closed) gate as his friends were in the field next door. I think if he'd reached the gate he would have screeched to a stop and I would have gone out the side door!!

RonaldoToo - he is in a pelham, which ought to be enough to stop him I think.

Weezy - I think I ended up giving him a few short sharp tugs with one rein by accident and that's what stopped him!! Thank you - i will defo try to do that (on purpose!) in future
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I just feel guilty for pulling so hard and I think someone will see and think I'm an abusive pony owner
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My first pony was impossible to stop for a year after I got him- I used to have to turn him into hedges to stop him....didn't take long to realise he was a good jumper. We ended up going over the hedges and stopping when we ran into the neighbours house!!

Eventually he came round and trusted me and we never had a problem with it again! So my vote is - steer into houses lol!
 
Bad pony Murphy
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I echo Weezy. I was taught to apply pressure on one rein so that horse couldn't set its neck against you.
 
Hmm, well i have to say I had a pelham in my old pony years ago, it was okish but really didn't give me a lot of braking once his head was down. He was sensible enough though and knew where the galloping bits on rides stopped! I found he just leaned on the bit and the curb chain didn't do anything at all. I changed him to a 3 ring gag and that worked wonders!

I have also had my horse in a rubber/vulcanite pelham which works ok as he's better behaved anyway but he is heavy on the forehand naturally and I find he also leans. He is ridden in a 3 ring gag now (on the middle ring) for hacking and competing and that gives me more than enough control without him backing off at all.

I also have a manic pony who used to have a 3 ring gag when I bought him (christ knows why) he backed off it and hated it so i put him in a snaffle. I jumped him in a rubber pelham but after testing it realised I couldn't wear it with a curb chain at all as he would stop dead at the slightest touch. He is NOT heavy on the forehand at all and quite soft in his mouth.

I think all horses differ on what they do and don't like bit wise. I think best to have a bit you don't have to haul on in order to stop - better for you and the horse. I would suggest having a play with sime different bits to be honest. Just because some person may rule out a bit because it's 'harsh' it doesn't mean it will be for your particular horse. Depends on the action of the bit and how your horse responds.

Another suggestion for stopping is to cross the reins tight across the horses neck - we were always told to do that 'back in the old days'!
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Were you tugging with both reins? If so then don't LOL! You need to give and take (hard) with one rein only, short and sharp yanks - pulling with both reins will just give him something to set himself against. Circles are ALWAYS good too
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Heehee I love it! I've seen myself pull and pull then jam one hand on the main and start jabbing with the other, I feel bad about being heavy handed but it's not like she doesn't know what I mean when I squeeze with the knees, sit back and pull she just chooses to ignore me
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Bad pony Murphy
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I echo Weezy. I was taught to apply pressure on one rein so that horse couldn't set its neck against you.

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I am honestly kicking myself for not knowing I should do this! His trick is to set his neck, and hopefully this will stop him. He acts so innocent when he does it too, ears pricked, bouncing along...it's like I'm not even there
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LadyT - I used to have him in a 3 ring gag but he hated it. Generally he is very good in the pelham so I suspect last night was down to operator-error!! I might try crossing the reins over his neck and see what happens...

Silverspring - I feel awful for having to haul on his mouth...but I didn't have much choice, I had to stop somehow!!
 
You have my sysmpathy! Whenever you post he reminds me so much of my boy, as he looks a lot like him and seems to have a cheeky personality as well.

I have to admit my boy was also a demon for tanking off when I first got him. I tried loads of different things, most of which did not help, it turned out he could still tank off flat out with his nose on my knee
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What worked in the end was improving his schooling so that, even now when he occasionally forgets himself and tanks off
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the best way to slow him down is half halts - I know it seems odd when a horse sets against you but the more you fight with them the more they can set against you.

However I know this is not an immediate solution in an emergency situation - so in the meantime, as Weezy says, the best thing is taking and releasing the rein rather than an out and out pulling match. Circling is also useful if it is a safe option.

Try not to worry in this situation if you have to pull hard - he'll live and he was the one who decided to tank off after all!
 
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Try not to worry in this situation if you have to pull hard - he'll live and he was the one who decided to tank off after all!

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Good point - cheeky little monkey!!
 
Hi Bex
Didnt you say he ran off with you on the ground the other night? (aplogies if not you!!) if so it sounds like he needs to be reminded of his manners, do some groundwork and make sure he does exactly as you ask ie if you want him to go backwards away from you, he does etc. This may serve as a reminder to him about manners on ground/ridden
Cobs are funny arent they?!
 
Hey Bex, i've posted on here about bits for my cob over the last few days - as he is very naughty and now and again just legs it and no way can i stop! People have suggested flash or drop nosebands with a bit he cant take a hold of - ported kimblewicks, waterfords with loose rings etc - any things that prevents them from holding on and setting their jaws!
 
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Heehee I love it! I've seen myself pull and pull then jam one hand on the main and start jabbing with the other,

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PMSL The last resort braking system... one hand on the neck for leverage and a good couple of pulls on the other rein!!!!! sounds depressingly familiar!

I once let go of the outside rein altogether and put both hands on the inside rein to pull up my extremely powerful old gelding... once he set his neck he would just go and go for miles and this was the only way to get him on something approaching a circle and begin to pull him up
 
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