# Galloping my horse



## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

I have had him 6 months and I have ridden horses before, but during the 6 months this has been the most consistent riding I have ever done. I try to ride once a week at least. I have gotten him to pick up a fast trot, but not sure he is gallopping or not. I don't think he is galloping, just fast walking or trotting. I give him a nice knudge and he picks up the pace. I know some horses do it automatically, just pick it up faster and faster and want to run but mines doesn't seem to. What do i need to do to get him to gallop? 

And also when he gallops, I need to lean forward into the ride right?


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

What time of horse is he? My haflinger would rather do a spanking trot than gallop, but she is gradually learning that she can go faster and i find riding in company helps. A gallop is a 4 beat pace and much faster than a canter, they really open up and flatten usually, or at least my TB does and we have hit 40mph

Yes, take weight out of saddle and lean forwards slightly (english riding - can't comment on anything else).


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Something tells me you haven't galloped at all because once you experience a gallop, there is no confusing it with any kind of walk or trot. So if you're not sure your horse is galloping, then it isn't. Trust me, the speed difference is dramatic.

A horse will pick up a gallop from a canter if you add a good squeeze with your legs. If that fails, a slap with the crop right behind your leg will git'r done.


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Clava said:


> What time of horse is he? My haflinger would rather do a spanking trot than gallop, but she is gradually learning that she can go faster and i find riding in company helps. A gallop is a 4 beat pace and much faster than a canter, they really open up and flatten usually, or at least my TB does and we have hit 40mph
> 
> Yes, take weight out of saddle and lean forwards slightly (english riding - can't comment on anything else).


 
Sorry that should have read what "type" of horse (must remember to check what my fingers are typing!)

and agree with mildot - there is a huge difference in the paces.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

One more thing OP, you might want to be sure you are comfortable and secure at a canter before you amp up the speed.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

OP, I think you're confusing canter and gallop. The primary gaits of the horse are:
walk-->trot-->canter-->gallop.
Canter feels drastically different than the trot.

http://www.angelfire.com/sports/neighnet/neighschool.htm


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

equiniphile said:


> OP, I think you're confusing canter and gallop. The primary gaits of the horse are:
> walk-->trot-->canter-->gallop.
> Canter feels drastically different than the trot.
> 
> Neigh School - Animations of horse schooling movements



he is a paint quarter. I am comfortable now with picking up speed. I rode a horse once that took off upon turning around to head back to the owners house and I definitely remembered that as I fell/jumped off right before approaching the fence and not knowing what the horse was going to do. I was ok though, but yeah I am comfortable with mine picking up speed. I will try the leg squeeze thing for sure. 

and what about slowly bringing him to a stop or slow down?


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

just watched a video and yes the canter is what I want. Once I get that down, then I can start to gallop him . Trotting is what he was doing


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

nyg052003 said:


> and what about slowly bringing him to a stop or slow down?


I would just suggest you take lessons. Strongly.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

mildot said:


> I would just suggest you take lessons. Strongly.


thanks but I will learn surely without lessons. 

thats why i talk to people and ask questions, then I ask more questions, then I ask more questions. All upon trying things and getting a feel for things


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## tcb5040 (Jun 15, 2010)

I would suggest at least finding an experienced friend to help you with these things. Not saying you have to have lessons as I never have had a lesson and learned how to ride right, but I had a lot of experienced people to help me along the way. Or do some research about riding
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

I agree with finding an experienced friend to ride with. I was also one of there's non lesson riders until I could afford to pay for them my own. I was a good rider before, but a better rider after. 

The canter is like a rocking horse motion. You will need to relax your hips and back to flow with the horses movement. KEEP YOUR HEELS DOWN. That applies to every time you are on a horse, your heels must be down and your toe forward, not out to the side. 

To ask the horse to slow down sit deeply in the saddle and pull back on the reins with gentle pressure. Increases the pressure if the horses isn't responding. 

Watch all the instructional videos you can. YouTube can help you out a lot. I strongly suggest you learn the emergency stop. YouTube will also help. 

This is A good video for the emergency stop. 

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

The best thing for you to do would be to get lessons, but if you're not able to or do not want them, please keep coming back here with questions. I'd rather you be getting some sort of help rather than none at all.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

Lonestar22 said:


> I agree with finding an experienced friend to ride with. I was also one of there's non lesson riders until I could afford to pay for them my own. I was a good rider before, but a better rider after.
> 
> The canter is like a rocking horse motion. You will need to relax your hips and back to flow with the horses movement. KEEP YOUR HEELS DOWN. That applies to every time you are on a horse, your heels must be down and your toe forward, not out to the side.
> 
> ...


couldnt find the video there


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

mildot said:


> I would just suggest you take lessons. Strongly.


I'm with mildot on this one. You better know how to ride/control the horse before trying cantering. I've seen the quietest gelding getting excited and speeding up under my beginner friend. When she managed to stop him she just sled off his side and feet obviously didn't hold her well enough. I'm self-learned rider myself, but things can go wrong. 

IF you are absolutely sure you'll be able to control the horse and its very well trained, well, may be it would be OK. But canter is often a gait of excitement for many horses (even well-trained ones). 

If you are absolutely against the trainer then as suggested at least try it first in ring or take a very experienced friend with you, who'll be able to control own horse and stop the canter if needed.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

kitten_Val said:


> I'm with mildot on this one. You better know how to ride/control the horse before trying cantering. I've seen the quietest gelding getting excited and speeding up under my beginner friend. When she managed to stop him she just sled off his side and feet obviously didn't hold her well enough. I'm self-learned rider myself, but things can go wrong.
> 
> IF you are absolutely sure you'll be able to control the horse and its very well trained, well, may be it would be OK. But canter is often a gait of excitement for many horses (even well-trained ones).
> 
> If you are absolutely against the trainer then as suggested at least try it first in ring or take a very experienced friend with you, who'll be able to control own horse and stop the canter if needed.


oh yeah no doubt I talk to experienced people and get help from them when time permits


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

Ooops sorry. 

One Rein Stop - YouTube
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horsemadgirl (Aug 23, 2011)

getting a fast trot it not going to help at all, you can get a canter from a steady trot. You don't need a trot that out of control. Get a nice trot, once its consistent go into a turn and sit the trot if you were posting and give a firm nudge, if you on a corner you horse should go straight into a canter. You don't need to lean froward if yo cantering, sitting back is better.. but if you galloping.. yes lean forward.


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## skyhorse1999 (Dec 29, 2011)

if you want tyour horse to canter give it its head while youare asking or else it might get confuse about what you want. if there is anyone at your barn that can give ou a few tips, go ahead! i hope you get it down and have fun with your horse!!!!!


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

When you don't know what you are doing on horseback, your horse pays for your mistakes and heavy handedness.

Working with a trainer or instructor makes progress MUCH faster than trying to figure things out on your own. That much is indisputable.

Which means that your horse has to suffer much less when you figure things out with someone who really knows what they are doing.

How many times have we seen uneducated riders reefing on a horse's mouth to make him stop or turn? 

Unless your horse is out of control, pulling on his mouth is completely unnecessary to make him slow down. A simple shift in weight and a tightening of the back muscles, as well as firming the grip on the reins (without ever pulling back) is more than enough to bring a horse back to a trot from a canter and from a trot to a walk. Adding half halts to the equation makes the down transitions smooth and pleasing for both the horse and rider.

But you can't really learn a half halt by yourself because you don't know how a horse feels when you do it right. An instructor can tell by looking at the horse when you do a down transition correctly and tell you the moment it happens. THEN you can connect the dots and start working on repeating the aids the same way to get that feeling.

It's not fair to the horse to subject them to brute force just because one does not know better.

You don't necessarily need to pay for lessons each and every week, but at some point you need to pay for a few to get a new technique figured out. This, IMO, is one of those times.


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

when i got my QH i had my TWH and i had my mom ride my TWH and had her take off (after warming up(and after a month of having him)) and i held him back and kicked him an dgave him his head and he took off gaining on my TWH. after that i would take him to a feild (plowed) and take him to the far end and push him into it until we went a half mile and slow him down and cool off on the way home.


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

I understand your opinion that you will be able to cope with everything by yourself, but it is the horse that will be paying for your mistakes - with unwanted behaviour, health problems, and in other ways. For example - the reason why he just trots faster and does not go into canter might be because you have your weight shifted too much on his forequarters, even if the cues you give are correct. In that way he simply is not able to rise in canter, because his forequarters are blocked (correct canter begins in his hindquarters and with natural collection). And, being forced to go faster and faster while all the weight on forequarters (which can result in a nasty fall, if there happens to be something wrong with the terrain), he will most probably hollow his back and carry you in a way that will eventually harm his spine.


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## Nuala (Jan 2, 2012)

First you need to learn what the different paces are and how to count them out. a walk is a 4 pace a trot is a 2 pace and a canter is a 3 pace. you can not go from a working, or what you call 'fast', trot to a gallop without picking up a canter. If you do go from one to the other you raise the risk of a torn ligament or suspensory injury. 

Do you know how to properly post and 2-point while troting? If not do NOT try galloping. Yes while galloping your horse across a flat pasture or to the top of a hill is an dreamy idea that hollywood has put into the heads of novice riders...its a fool thing and a fool idea.

If you can not feel or tell the difference between a trot and a gallop then you need to take lessons. Without the proper knowledge of seat, position and paces you risk injuring yourself and your horse. Learning is not as easy as just getting on a horse and trying something new...trust me my first ride was getting thrown on a 15.3h horse bareback and bridleless and told to hold on as he ran flat out across a field.

Your question about how to sit in a gallop and slow your horse in a gallop. You first need to know what pace your are counting to know how to sit. If you sit forward and out of the saddle like you would for a gallop but you are only trying to canter your going to get your horse going faster confuse him and end up either thrown off or worse...under him. If you are set deep in the saddle like you would for a canter but push him to a gallop he will get hard in the mouth and stubborn and more so harder to stop.

Please at least take your basics in lessons. If your horse has already taken off with you once he WILL, in all likelihood, do it again. If you can not properly stop him, control him and know how to jump him if the need should arise you are far from being prepared to canter him let alone Galloping. Even if all you do in lessons is control workouts and rein management you will be in a far better standing.


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## ElaineLighten (Jan 1, 2012)

Are you meaning to go from trot to canter? If you do, you need to make sure you have rising and sitting trot nailed first. If you're riding English, when you want to canter, take sitting trot as you approach a corner, and place the outside leg (closest to the fence) just behind the girth. It doesn't have to go back a massive amount. Then give a good kick with your inside leg. If your horse doesn't pick up canter from your leg and seat aids, give a tap with the crop.


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