qUESTION What verbal commands do you use

Achinghips

Achinghips

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to walk, change from walk to trot, and then from trot to canter, and then to stop?
Also, do you expect your boy/girl to stop from a canter or go to trot and then walk, to stop?
 
On Bodey I don’t , well you can’t in a dressage test.
Badger the Fjord is a bit different as we use voice commands to make it easier for Mum to ride him. Walk, I don’t use anything. From Walk to Trot, Trot on. Trot to Canter, Canter (voice going up at the end). To stop, woll/woo (low deep voice).
 
I think it depends more on the pitch and tone of my voice but Osc is very good at voice commands, especially loose schooling.

Walk on/trot on/canter are said as so but with pitch going up at the end.
To come down a pace it's aaaand wwwwaaaalk etc same for trot and stand.

Or 'whoo-aahh'. This is most useful when heading for the gate corner at high speed.

He listens to clicks too. Not as good as my old share mare though. One click was a bit faster within pace and two clicks was up a pace. I could have ridden her with no legs, she was a superstar. That's what you get when you cross a Lippi with an Arab, clever clever mares. Unless you want to slow/stop.
 
A two tone descending whistle will slow FB down one pace - so from canter to trot, trot to walk or stop from walk. He seems telepathic for upward transitions!! Works ridden or in hand, but he doesn't longe for anyone. Funnily enough, OH can't whistle and I can slow FB while he is being ridden by OH if he gets a bit bouncy.

Ari understands 'trot' ( pronounced 'trottay' in Spanish) and also a drawn out 'Soooooooooooo' which is short for 'paso', or walk, but is used like 'whoa' over here. Clucking will move him on a pace. I am teaching him the whistle cue too.

Both of them will back up on the command 'back' when in hand and both understand that 'Noooooo' in a low growl means 'stop what you are doing immediately'.
 
The usual; 'stand', 'walk on', 'trot on', 'and canter. To slow down it is generally 'whoa' he also responds to 'back'. I also click at him far too much but it keeps him going or moves him up a pace if I don't use voice commands. Anything else is either too soppy or too potty mouthed to post
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Click for trot/jog, kiss for canter/lope, 'Whoa' has to be used carefully, to all of them it means feet still and results in halt, not the English slow down.

I used 'Whoa' (meaning the English, slow down) the first time I rode Robin, almost went out the front door, very embarrassing. I always clicked to move on, poor Robin used to heave a huge sigh and go from halt to jog until I learned her language. Downward change is 'Whoa", click, or I just shift my weight back a smidge.
 
Walk/trot/canter and whoa or stand. Also 'over' for anything sideways and 'back' for backwards.

Tone going down/up depending on direction of transition.

I use voice for lunging, as appropriate in hand/on the ground and for free schooling. I don't expect indirect tranisitons free schooling/lunging and they are mostly unexpected when I get them ridden (all good fun!) but he will do them properly under saddle too.

It has been worrying me a bit that I've started to use my voice ridden though. It is obviously comfier for him for me to be super-still and only (or mostly) giving voice-aids but I'm not sure it is good training for either of us (mainly due to the dressage issue I think...)

Editing to say: this is very horse-specific, if on a random RS horse or similar I'll tend to be quieter but possibly use 'whoa/easy' to slow in an emergency and "t-rot-on" or the sort of chirrpy thing rolling tounge for canter as a back up to legs before resorting to stick/PC kicks
 
mostly only use a whistle to move up a gear, like the driving ponies are used to, and it becomes habit for the others
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To slow down a gear, its 'steady' then the pace wanted.
Dependent on what i've asked for decides how many paces we go through until a stop is found, however on my lad stop is not an option on occasions :P
 
When I school and jump Toto at home I often use my voice more than my reins! If he's a bit too speedy I say 'steady' and he'll slow down, and I use 'woah' for canter to trot etc. And 'trot on', 'terrrrrrrrot' and 'cantaaaaa'
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Genie gets 'Genie aannnd....' before any command when on the lunge, which she listens to. If doing an upward transition I'll say 'walk on'/'trot on'/'canter' at a fairly high pitch. Downward transitions are a bit sticky still (the bane of a forward going horse!) but are always long and low.
 
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Genie gets 'Genie aannnd....' before any command when on the lunge, which she listens to. If doing an upward transition I'll say 'walk on'/'trot on'/'canter' at a fairly high pitch. Downward transitions are a bit sticky still (the bane of a forward going horse!) but are always long and low.

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I do the exact same with my boy when lunging.
 
Its all about the tone, as you all above have explained

i once watched a demonstration where somebody used the words

'rhubarb' and 'custard'
when working there horse showing it was his tone and not the actuall words.

but then i suppose actual words are just made up of different sounds
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^ hope that last bit sounded right and i dont seem crazy hehe
 
"Tup" moves them up a gear, "slowly" brings the speed down within the current Gear, "wohow" comes down a gear & "and sta-and" stops (normally)

and of course the "DONT EVEN GO THERE" means they are pushing the boundrys & are about to get in trouble if they continue.
 
lucky with mine that he's been schooled very much off the voice (excellent use when schooling, rubbish in dressage test
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words/tone as everybody else. although he seems to react more to the word canter than the actual tone, but maybe he just likes canter. the only bit we struggle with (or I haven't found the magic word) is halt.
 
If i say "whoa" we stop DEAD in whatever pace we were in - pretty impressed (NOT) first time i said whoa in canter - his mane was not nice and i brused my lip on my teeth as i hit his neck !
 
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