# I Don't Know What To Do.....



## gamingirl22 (Aug 1, 2011)

My 10 year old 15 hand Quarter Horse mare has been very bad lately while I've been riding her. She loves to run, so I let her gallop in the field. But when I tell her it's time to slow down by using 'press and release' on the reins, she simply ignores me and barely slows down at all!! Also, after I finally get her stopped, she's very antsy and wants to run again, so I pull back a little on the reins and tell her to whoa or at least slow down but when I do that, she pulls her head forward and takes the reins out of my hands or she just won't stand still. She listens to me very well at the walk and trot, but when I ask her to canter she just takes off into a gallop and I feel bad because I'm constantly pulling back on her mouth but I don't know how to make her listen to me. Do I need a stronger bit?
I was thinking that maybe I should lunge her before I ride her and maybe she'll listen to me better after that, but I just don't have time to lunge her and ride her and also exercise my other horses when I get home from school in the wintertime. What should I do?? I mean I want my horse to have some speed because I want her to be a gaming horse, but I want to be able to control her!


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## JustImagine (Dec 2, 2012)

I would say not to gallop her for a while, and then when you do gallop her again make sure that you do a lot of w/t/c work beforehand.
My Arab will listen to me perfectly w/t/c, but once we start galloping he doesn't want to slow down and he gets antsy and dances back and forth (like what you were describing with your mare). So I would just walk him around in large circles until her calmed down. I don't do gaming or anything so I'm not sure how much this helps, but that's just my experiences =]


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## Casey02 (Sep 20, 2011)

I would say that she needs to learn not to waste all of her energy. When she starts to run fast bring her back down to a trot and very lightly urge her into a canter, if she goes in to a fast gallop do the same thing. She will figure out that she cant always go fast nor does she need to


If you want her to completely stop- When she stops but doesn't stop on a dime... back her up and hard. She will learn VERY fast is she does not stop when you say woah she will be backing up and hard. This usually takes a whopping 3 times to figure out


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

Work her feet. Do serpentines, small circles, patterns. Anything that makes it harder for her to just take off because her brain is focused on the million things you are having her do. I do this with Chance, who immediately when mounted just wants to go. I found by doing exercises instead of putting him in a hamster wheel, he relaxes enormously. So much so, that once I accidentally dropped the lead rope as he spooked at a stool, he took off immediately. Another day after being ridden, I dismounted and I lost my balance in the snow and he just looked at me like "whatcha doing on the ground?" 

IF she bolts on you again, do a one reign stop. Be sure to sit deep, and sit back or else you will go flying. Start with a large circle then get smaller. If you need to, grab a chunk of mane as that is a hell of a lot better than relying on the reigns. 

Just remember: move her feet leftwards, backwards, forwards, rightwards. Where YOU want her to go, at whatever gait.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## gamingirl22 (Aug 1, 2011)

Thanks so much for the advice! But do you think that I need to use a stronger bit on her?


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

No, you should not need a stronger bit. Stronger bits only account for what is missing in the training. Plus, if you put her up a level into a stronger bit, you will eventually feel the need to put her up another level when she decides she isn't going to stop with this one either.
Other than that, I think everyone has summed it up nicely


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## existentialpony (Dec 4, 2012)

Sometimes (especially with Arabs) letting them "get the sillies out" only makes them want to act sillier! Start by going off of the assumption that you cannot tire out your energetic horse; rather, you need to convert that physical energy into "mental energy" or attentiveness and curiosity. Then, I think a few things might help:

- Instead of letting her gallop out her energy, let her expend energy constructively. When I've had a bad day with Jax, the next day I will take him out on the lunge line and ask him to listen to my every cue, and normally pair treats with good behavior. We will do transitions (walk to trot, trot to walk, walk to canter, canter to ho, frequent changes in direction, etc) and every time he listens to a "ho" I'll walk up to him, give him a treat, step back and keep the lesson going.

If we have lunged successfully (which we normally have since he is VERY food-motivated, haha!) we will tack up and spend the first bit of our ride walking all sorts of maneuvers-- serpentines, zig zag across the arena, anything but plodding around in a big oval. The key is to keep your cues as quiet and minimal as possible. It's a game to see how little of a cue I can give and still receive a response (eg. barely neck reining or legs-only cues, or trying to get him so sensitive to my body language that I can make him stop with a huge exhale).

- Another thing that helped me is to establish lots of respect on the ground. When she is walking beside you, she should walk at your side, stop when you stop, back when you back, yield the fore or hind based on how you move, etc. At first, you can teach this by pairing verbal cues with hand pressure. I also like to teach that "ho means ho" so that when I say "ho"and hold my hand up, I can wiggle the lead, walk a full circle around my horse, dance around him-- and he won't move.

Basically, channel that physical energy into mental energy--ie. attention!

PS if your horse *is* food-motivated, mannapro apple treats are great and nutritious for training! The trick is, however, never to give a treat that isn't reward for a behavior.

Hope this helps. 

Edit - Don't switch to a stronger bit! What are you riding in now? The only possible change I would recommend is if you are in a snaffle, try a french link snaffle as your horse might respond better. They are both very mild, and sometimes a french link/two-joint snaffle is considered less harsh than a single-joint snaffle (especially if the "link" is rounded on the edges).


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## gamingirl22 (Aug 1, 2011)

Well I don't really have time to lunge and ride after school during the winter and have time to exercise my other horses. So is it okay if I don't lunge her before I ride, or will that just make her not listen to me even more?


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## gamingirl22 (Aug 1, 2011)

Well I don't have time to lunge her and ride and exercise my other horses after school during the winter. So is it okay if I don't lunge her before I ride, or will that just make her not listen to me even more?


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

Lunging is a tool to be used to gain respect, such as doing a lot of change of directions and controlling their feet that way on the ground. I don't think you need to start it off every day with lunging, but it is helpful. 

I would probably also try doing more ground work to help set yourself up for success.


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## DoubleS (Jun 11, 2012)

Run her until she doesn't want to run anymore! When she wants to stop, let her, but if she moves her feet and she wants to be antsy again, run her some more. Teach her that rest is a reward! Good luck


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

Disclaimer - I am not a horse trainer. The following advice is worth what you paid for it - nothing. Never do anything that you are not comfortable with or could compromise your safety. That said...

It sounds like you are unable to effectively stop or slow down the horse when he gets like that. So breaking down to a trot or slow canter will not work for you.

Assuming you have a safe place to do so, I suggest letting the horse run. When he starts to slow down, make him run faster. When he gets tired of that, make him run more. Do this frequently. He should get the point pretty quickly. After the horse is past ready to slow down, them slow him down. Speed control should always be your decision. When you ask for a gait (any gait) and speed, the horse should stay at that gait/speed until asked for something different.

You can do this at other gaits and speeds to reinforce the point.


The "won't stand still" is probably an easier thing to address.Practice standing still. You have to make absolutely sure you are not giving the horse any type of cue to move. You cannot fidget and expect the horse to stay still. As soon as the horse starts to move (his feet) start moving him as if it were your idea. Do tight circles, working trot, serpentines, hips over... the point is to make the horse work. How long you have to keep this up depends on your horse. Some are more stubborn that others. After that, stop again. Relax yourself. Rest the reins. Don't move your hands. Keep you legs relaxed and still. It is harder than it sounds. Most people I know with horses that can't stand still are ridden by people who can't remain still. Do this "keep still" exercise for 15-20 minutes each day.

As far as the bit... I don't see a problem with _trying_ a different bit (as opposed to changing to a different bit). Your current bit may be part of the problem. Your hands, or other cues, may be part of the problem. When I first started riding, people noted that horses usually went faster when I rode them. It was true - I was inadvertently cueing them to do so.

Don't be so quick to say "not me." Have a third party observe you and determine that. We all have bad habits that we are unable to see.

Be careful if trying a new bit. You need "softer" hands when using a "stronger" bit. I agree that it is the training and not the bit. But sometimes, a different bit can get the horses attention. Once you get the desired reaction, you can try going back to your old bit. If using a "stronger" or even different bit, the horse will very likely react differently. That may be a negative reaction if the horse doesn't agree with the bit or you pull too hard on a "stronger" bit. 

For example, let's say you take a horse that has only known a snaffle or hackamore and drop a curb bit in his mouth. The horse could possibly react poorly if he doesn't like the bit. This problem could be magnified if you are using the same amount of pressure, since that pressure is now magnified by the leverage of the bit. Definitely not something you want to test on a running horse with no brakes.

Best route would be to get a trainer involved. He/she could evaluate the situation, see if you are contributing to the problem and suggest some solutions tailored to you and your horse.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

gamingirl22 said:


> My 10 year old 15 hand Quarter Horse mare has been very bad lately while I've been riding her. She loves to run, so I let her gallop in the field. But when I tell her it's time to slow down by using 'press and release' on the reins, she simply ignores me and barely slows down at all!! Also, after I finally get her stopped, she's very antsy and wants to run again, so I pull back a little on the reins and tell her to whoa or at least slow down but when I do that, she pulls her head forward and takes the reins out of my hands or she just won't stand still. She listens to me very well at the walk and trot, but when I ask her to canter she just takes off into a gallop and I feel bad because I'm constantly pulling back on her mouth but I don't know how to make her listen to me. *Do I need a stronger bit?*
> I was thinking that maybe I should lunge her before I ride her and maybe she'll listen to me better after that, but I just don't have time to lunge her and ride her and also exercise my other horses when I get home from school in the wintertime. What should I do?? I mean I want my horse to have some speed because I want her to be a gaming horse, but I want to be able to control her!


This question you asked almost a month ago will get the same answers as your current question about using a stronger bit. 

No, you do not need a stronger bit. And no, I would not put your horse anywhere near gaming events until you can control your horse. This is exactly the type of situation where if you don't slow down and re-train your horse, you are going to create a monster in the arena. 

Your horse already has some terrible bad habits that were created accidentally by YOU the rider. Whether that started with allowing her to jerk on the bit, or continuing to pull on the reins when she was already stopped, or sending her mixed body signals .... the end result is the same and she needs to be retrained.

You've got great advice going on your other thread, so I won't repeat it here, but I still think a few riding lessons with an experienced trainer will help wonders. It is much better to see these things in person.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

To me it sounds like she needs more transitions rather than distances.

What I mean is canter for a bit, then come down to a trot. Then walk... then go up to a canter.. then come down for a trot for a bit, and then a walk. 

Change it up. Don't spend too long cantering. Take your time and walk twice as long as you canter. If your horse is listening, then they can go a little longer but always transition down BEFORE they get out of control.

It'll just take consistency. Maybe consider having a trainer work with your horse on slowdown/stop aids. Pulling isn't the only aid to stop a horse....


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## moniegx3 (Feb 18, 2013)

Try see-sawing your reins.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

moniegx3 said:


> Try see-sawing your reins.


Please don't :hide:


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

**Takes a deep breath and backs out of thread**


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

moniegx3 said:


> Try see-sawing your reins.


 Worst advice you could give on a thread like this!


OP. I personaly would go back to slow work and gain your controll there!


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