I was wondering if anyone had some tips on slowing my 7 year old Buckskin Quarter Horse mare’s lope down. We ride western and sometimes I can get her slowed down when she’s really tired out but most of the time she thinks it’s a race. Please help!
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As you probably know, the rules for a lope are slow, but moving. I am not sure if your horse has a set head carrage for western, but at 7 i am pretty sure she would be able to hold her head low. A good idea when riding is to sit deep and let your stomach become a sack of potatoes. This puts more weight on the horses back and in time will make her slow. I am unsure how your horse has been trained to lower her head, but this works in relation to slow and low. Pretend that you are lifting your horses houlders. This will lower the head and will also slow the lope.
When you ask for the lope, ask when she is doing a slow jog and trot. I know the jog is for western, but if you do a hunter trot and then a few strides of western jog then ask for lope, the horse will be collected enough to lope, and you will be deep enough in the saddle to ask for a slower pace. Each time she goes faster at the lope, sit deeper and (i know you can’t speak commands at shows, but training is fine), say slow or steady. Hold you rein about 2 inches above the western saddle horn. If you train in an english saddle, compensate for the no horn, 6 inches above pommel.Lightly lift the reins and hold for a few seconds, (just like the hold and release for jumping and pace work), then release teh reins to normal position, after a few goes, your horse should be at a slow pace. If this doesn’t work, try your leg. Using your leg, push your horse forward and hold teh reins, (it will make the head go low), as you ask for jog and then lope, hold and squeeze. Use your legs to slow teh horse, so a gentle sqeeze on and then off.
If you finally get the speed you want. Lower your hands and ride forward with light leg but more seat. Sit tall and speak softly and calmly to your horse, good and steady work well. After a few strides, jog and do a super slow jog to get her ready for the lope. Repeat only a few times and then stop, after a few weeks of day to day training, (1 on 1 off), your horse will know what is being asked, and the lope will be not only cumfy but slow and precise.
If all else fails, try this. Most horses can go from walk to lope and halt to lope. It is a slower start and in tern is a slower pace. You can try this, but be aware that at first your horse will want to lift her head. Hold your reins and sqeeze yoru legs to make her stand, and lower her head. Ask for lope with outside leg back etc and lift your rein ever so slightly. The horse should lope and then back off your legs and hands, and ride as normal.
It sounds a little obvious but I believe this is how I got a pleasure canter out of my horse way back in the day. Start her out at her normal lope then start checking her up a little. Get her to go as slow as she can with out breaking back into a trot. Keep that up. If she goes to a trot, get her back into the canter and then pull her back down. It’s kind of like trying to insert a new gear so it will take a lot of practice. You might use a word, like "easy" or whatever word you use to slow her down to associate when you want her to do this action. Give her a big good girl when ever she does even close to what you are asking. I hope that helps.
I learned this from a gal who rode TWHs and it works. Put your mare in a round pen and work her down FIRST, then step on board and ask her to pick up a lope. As her lead leg moves forward, gently pick her up and set her down. Using a snaffle for this might be the best way, then you can feel your mare’s mouth as you do this. Set the beat that you want her to travel at by counting 1,2,3,4…and repeat… Once you set her speed and she can hold it, put her back in the arena and when you start her loping do the same thing, if she speeds up, circle her until she slows down repeating the process.
Good luck!
I’ve been showing an riding and training my own horses for many years.I mostly show Paints,but however I did something different.I put my 4 year Paint Mare in training with a Arabian Trainer.I don’t know if you have ever noticed how slow and collected they have theses horses going and on a tucked head on a draped rein.It takes alot of know how to do this.But a good way of starting to get that slow lope is by bending,suppleing and learning to drive your horse up from the behind.Its very important to use your legs and cue ,squeze them up.Its all basically dressage.If you learn to teach your horse softness and proper leg ques bending it should fall in to place.Ride with snaffle to do this.Timing is important as well.Clinton Anderson books and videos are great and extremly helpful.Good Luck!
i don’t want to sound all natural horsemanship here, but the one rein stop really works for this type of stuff.
make sure you use a bit that doesn’t have a shank becasue that will hurt the horses mouth.
here is a video if you don’t know how to do a one rein stop.
http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=fmpDSbXPtzU&rel=1&eurl=http%3A//video.search.yahoo.com/video/play%3Fp%3Done-rein%2Bstop%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-501%26tnr%3D21%26vid%3D1288025158%26f&iurl=http%3A//i.ytimg.com/vi/fmpDSbXPtzU/default.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskIbbTAEjUmixUrBXnpujWiZ (you don’t have to watch the whole thing, you can skip to the 4 minute marker, unless you want to watch the guy talk for 5 minutes about nothing)
however, because you are loping the best way to do it is to pull softly and slowly so she lose her balance. it sometimes helps to pull her head in the direction of the lead she is on too so she doesn’t trip or switch onto the wrong lead and fall.
everytime she speeds up her gait, do a one rein stop. try it at the walk and trot first, then move onto the lope. you may have to do it quite a few times,so don’t give up (it works, i promise) but after the first couple times you will notice a difference.
good luck