Teaching whizzy pony to WAAAAALK

[Ambers Echo]

Little Miss Jenny is not overly keen on walking anywhere. She seems to think walking is what you do on the way to the arena and after you have finished work when you stretch down on a long rein. Everything in between is done at 110mph!

I have set up obstacles round the arena for her to walk around, through etc: ie keep her going if she jogs, scurries and let her relax and chill if she walks calmly. Plus lots of walk/halt/walk/trot/walk/halt transitions but mixing it up so she does not know if she is about to trot or about to halt when she is in walk. And some backing up to get her a little more respoinsive to the snaffle.

I did srtart asking her to circle every time she jogged but that seemed to confuse and wind her up. So the obstacle courses are working better.

Anything else I should/could be doing? She is a fabulous pony and I think is just doing what she believes is wanted/expected of her. But we want her to have a proper walking gear as well as the 5th gear she prefers!!

 

[SpringArising]

Mine was like this. He thought entering the school was a cue to immediately turn into a spring coil and rush. There was no trot, it was either walk or canter wall of death!

It's taken months and months and months and has been incredibly frustrating at times, but he is finally JUST starting to walk and trot at a sensible pace, without going at the speed of light and becoming incredibly strong. I've completely forgotten about canter for six months because it blows his mind and I need to get brakes and balance first.

I found that transitions including trot made him worse - it was too much anticipation for him. So now we do ~15 mins of walking, ~10/15 mins of consistent trot, and then cool off. I intersperse this with halt/walk/halts, lots of circles and tiny steps of leg yield in walk/getting him bending round my leg etc. He needs to be constantly doing something or he goes into his own little spooky/rushy world again.

Often I make him halt and then give him a treat. I've found it's really helped to get him more receptive to coming back to me and associating it with something nice.

 

[GemG]

Just outside the box... via The away to Perfect Horsemanship by Udo Burger...

He spoke of one of his masters (can't recall who) used to get the (this was specifically for horses that pulled and were always too onward) horse out, into arena, mount, light a cigar and read the paper (the horse would simply have to become accustomed to standing) then he would give the horse a pat, dismount and have the horse put away. Im not suggesting you light up on your horse and stand for an hour, lol, but what an interesting idea that totally changes what the horse expects to be doing in the school. He explains it far better than that obviously. He saw it as teaching the horse patience and a form of 'meditation' I'm sure he described it as.

Think about doing other things than 'school' in the school. Try and think outside the box. Ingrained behaviour (anticipation) takes time to shake.

 

[Ambers Echo]

Thanks! Jenny is actually fine at standing still which is good. But walk is fast and trot is faster! She's like a little sewing machine. Today I made a track using parallel trotting poles set pony width apart with lots of right angled turns. She had to halt at each junction and then pivot 90 degrees around her front feet and set off again. Also a curved set of trotting poles set at different widths apart so she had to pick her way through them. So she had to pay attention to her feet and that seemed to calm her down and make her think! We will get there.

 

[LMSmith]

I would go hacking if possible, just hack hack hack. They will eventually walk even if it takes a couple of hours.

 

[SpringArising]

I would go hacking if possible, just hack hack hack. They will eventually walk even if it takes a couple of hours.

The thing with this is it doesn't teach them how to behave where the problem is - the arena. My boy is absolutely fine hacking and will walk and trot sensibly, but gets het up in the school so that's where the work needs to take place.

 

[scats]

Polly was like this, walking to her was largely an inconvenience!
It really does just take time and repetition. Everytime she jogged or went into trot, she was brought forwards to walk. Keeping her busy with circles and school movements was more beneficial than letting her go large. Riding squares was a good one, with little pirouettes on the corners. She had to learn to accept leg because even asking her to move sideways just caused her to shoot off. It’s so easy on these types to be tempted to ride leg off, but you simply set yourself up for problems later on. They must accept that the leg is there and doesn’t mean it’s time to set off like speedy Gonzales!

 

[tallyho!]

Quite a lot of what a horse does under saddle is down to the rider and I’ve learnt that the hard way. I was always told that but never really understood it until recently.

Have you come across Mary Wanless? It’s useful to look at her ideas about how the body influences the horse. Also Sylvia Loch has a great book on balance which might help you and the horse slow down a bit and harness that energy being offered. Better that way than a slow horse you have to gee up!

 

[ponyparty]

Lots of changes of rein, circles, changing direction all the time.
I tend to use transitions to wake/sharpen a horse up - the opposite effect to what you want! I use changes of direction to calm/slow them down. Get them thinking, never able to anticipate what's coming next. Bit of leg yield in walk perhaps, rein back, a few little lateral movements so they've got to think about what they're doing rather than being able to think "faster faster faster".

 

[Mule]

Just outside the box... via The away to Perfect Horsemanship by Udo Burger...

He spoke of one of his masters (can't recall who) used to get the (this was specifically for horses that pulled and were always too onward) horse out, into arena, mount, light a cigar and read the paper (the horse would simply have to become accustomed to standing) then he would give the horse a pat, dismount and have the horse put away. Im not suggesting you light up on your horse and stand for an hour, lol, but what an interesting idea that totally changes what the horse expects to be doing in the school. He explains it far better than that obviously. He saw it as teaching the horse patience and a form of 'meditation' I'm sure he described it as.

Think about doing other things than 'school' in the school. Try and think outside the box. Ingrained behaviour (anticipation) takes time to shake.

I love this! If I still smoked I'd be tempted to give it a go

 

[Alibear]

To be honest it sounds like you've pretty much cracked it already, I'm another who uses lateral work to slow a horse down so leg yield, shoulder fore, haunches in etc

 

[Ambers Echo]

Good ideas everyone. Thanks xx

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Would the daughter who the pony is for not be better doing these exercises?? The pony may do it with you but it doesn’t mean it will obey the child?? It’s well
Meaning mum hopping on all the time but you will be a different level of riding and confidence from your kids so whilst it’s great the pony learning to do it, they do behave differently with different riders.

 

[GemG]

Would the daughter who the pony is for not be better doing these exercises?? The pony may do it with you but it doesn’t mean it will obey the child?? It’s well
Meaning mum hopping on all the time but you will be a different level of riding and confidence from your kids so whilst it’s great the pony learning to do it, they do behave differently with different riders.

Made me chuckle, ....my child self would have much more fun on a whizzy, busy pony that only had two gears (stop and GO!)

 

[oldie48]

You've had lots of good advice here, just to add that my horse was rushy in walk, not on hacks but only in the school. he also wouldn't stretch down. I found using my body to slow him worked best, also using seat bones to turn him and lateral work which became increasingly refined eg three steps leg yield rt three steps straight 3 steps LY left has dramatically changed his attitude. It stopped him getting bored in walk and made him listen, also has improved my riding hugely. As it's been so hot and my school has been riding a bit deep, I've done so much more in walk recently and it's not only improved his walk, which is now quite impressive but hs improved his other paces too. Getting him to stretch for half a 20 m circle than picking him up for the rest without him jogging has also been a turning point.

 

[Antw23uk]

My mare was like this, we had this 'waddle' which was between a walk and a jog and it was driving me insane. Walk was 100mph or waddle/jogging EVERYWHERE .. I tried everything and then started to get flatwork lessons with an instructor who was used to wizzy horses. Waddle/jogging is a rare thing these days and I now have a, sometimes fast but always beautifully on the bit horse that walks everywhere. Teaching her under instruction was the answer and improving her schooling and my knowledge of schooling has been absolute key and the knock on effect has been life changing

If you get her working in a correct outline and using herself correctly she will walk. Good luck

 

[Ambers Echo]

Quick update: Izzy has had some dressage lessons with an awesome instructor and in between lessons has worked hard on her flatwork and is reaping the benefits now. Jenny is like: wow this is hard work! So we are only asking her to work in a frame for 1 circle at a time then letting her relax so she does not get fed up with us. Can't work out out to attach video clips but here she is looking a little less like a sewing machine. She is actually tracking up now and using herself much better. Oh, and yes she WALKS!!!!

 

[Wheels]

Nice job

 

[tallyho!]

Yay!

 

[Antw23uk]

Nice update. I've just brought a market harborough, lol!

 

[Ambers Echo]

She's wearing a running martingale with a breast plate. Just what she came with. Would she benefit from anything else? I'm a tack dork!

 

[Antw23uk]

She's wearing a running martingale with a breast plate. Just what she came with. Would she benefit from anything else? I'm a tack dork!

You know I don't really know enough to say yes or no because Im a real less is more guy when it comes to tack and think most things can be sorted out with good patient schooling BUT after a horrendous ride on my mare the other day I resorted to going out with a pair of draw reins the day after .. I have always loathed them .. BUT my reasoning was I am constantly asking for a contact to have her working properly which makes her walk rather than this frantic waddle/ jog but with the asking comes the tension and it was just winding her up and I felt like I was constantly nagging! Sitting 'quietly' didnt help, 'riding her' didnt help so i thought right, draw reins, set, quiet hands, get on with it love and it worked very well.. I was explaining my reasoning to a friend and how I hated the draw reins etc and she mentioned a market harborough and when i researched it I thought it was worth giving it a go. I havent used it yet, now the clocks have changed I'm only riding at weekends so i will let you know how it goes. There is a part of me that doesnt really get how this aid will help but another part of me can kinda see where it may help!