Squeezing to stop

[cphillipsball]

Hi guys, desperately seeking advice we have just bought a new horse for my husband and the owner has told us that to stop her you need to squeeze your legs, has anyone ever come across this and anyone think of this as a benefit as I am trying to teach him to ride and I have never come across this so apart from getting on myself and trying to work it out, can anyone help?

 

[martlin]

ermm, I'm not sure I understand your question... How would you normally stop a horse?

 

[Persephone]

It's standard procedure! using the legs to push the horse into the still hand.

 

[CorvusCorax]

My RI used to tell us to imagine we were straining to do a poo

 

[Goldenstar]

To stop I brace my tummy and squeeze with my thighs to go I use my lower leg

 

[Pearlsasinger]

'Push up into resisting hands'.

 

[cphillipsball]

My problem is I just think walk and my horse does it

 

[Persephone]

My problem is I just think walk and my horse does it

You will have trouble teaching your husband that! Perhaps you should get him an instructor.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

My problem is I just think walk and my horse does it

So how would you have expected to ask this new horse to stop?

 

[Stacey6897]

When the horse is moving, his back swings from side to side and your back, waist and hips go with the movement, your hands will also go with any head movement. To stop, stop moving your back, hold your belly (yes, kinda like you're trying to poo) and stiffen/squeeze your butt/legs above the knee, if you have knee rolls you can kind of brace into them, hands also, stop going with the slight head nod and hold still

I read somewhere think 'waist to hands'

 

[aimeetb]

I always ride and teach stand to be breath in, then out deeply, pull tummy in (pelvic flaw) whilst you close your leg on and push forwards into still hands and a downward transition , that way you halt with the hind quarters engaged. If you don't use leg you tend to get a horse thinking more backward dropping begind you and on its forehand xxx

 

[typekitty]

Fab replies – I spent a long time confused by the 'squeeze to stop' method, only because no one actually said 'still hands, still body'.

 

[TigerTail]

You want to be thinking about closing your seatbones, which will stop allowing the absorption of the horses back. Dont brace your legs, identify where your seat bones are off the horse and practise closing them and moving only them.

It would be worth you/hubby joining Enlightened Equitation just to get the members dvd, a very cheap lesson from heather (im on of her EETTs) on absorbing the movement etc.

Also where are you in the country? EE lessons would be a brill way to start your OH off

 

[Goldenstar]

You want to be thinking about closing your seatbones, which will stop allowing the absorption of the horses back. Dont brace your legs, identify where your seat bones are off the horse and practise closing them and moving only them.

It would be worth you/hubby joining Enlightened Equitation just to get the members dvd, a very cheap lesson from heather (im on of her EETTs) on absorbing the movement etc.

Also where are you in the country? EE lessons would be a brill way to start your OH off

you see this is where it begins to get complicated I was trained to sqeeze my thighs which slightly lifts the seat bones which I have stopped moving with the horse by bracing my tummy thereby encouraging the horse to lift its back into the downward transition.

 

[noblesteed]

This is interesting, I was trying to teach my loaner how to stop my horse and I found it really hard to explain, because I just breathe out and slow my body down and he stops, but he wouldn't do it for her!!! Especially when I tried to get her to put her leg on and 'lift' him at the same time...
I was told once that closing your knee into the knee roll restricts the movement and can be used as an aid to stop, could it be that?

 

[skydancer]

I was always told that if your horse is ignoring your aids to stop use your knees as a second brake

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

yes that is correct for english riding

western its pushing legs forward and sitting deep in saddle makes horse stop and no contact on the rein

 

[HorseWhisperer21]

Defiantly correct!!!

 

[Luci07]

Anyone else have a backup as well? Beyond the normal stop aids, all mine have been taught that, at speed, when I sit up, loosen the reins and pat their neck this means STOP!. It comes from XC with my old mare who I could not pull up as she was in a different zone. Very handy with a horse who enjoys speed a little too much! Suffice to say I do not demonstrate this in a dressage test...