# MY Horse won't trot!!



## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

Hi, my 13 year old quarter horse mare will not trot. At least not when I ask, she trots fine when she wants to, but when asked to trot she takes off running! What do I do? I am pretty sure its not a pain thing as her saddle fits well, and she trots under saddle when she wants to, just not when I ask. Thanks in advance!


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

- Ask more softly
- Let her run, but bring her back with half-halts, using the word "Trot!" ("Forward" is good! You are not going to punish her for being forward, just fine-tune it.)
- Start posting - it's hard to sustain a 3-beat gait when the rider follows a 2-beat rhythm
- Make "going fast" more difficult by utilizing circles

Just some ideas...


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

In order to address this issue, we should consider at least two issues. 

The first is your horse’s past history. Are you her only owner? If she was owned by someone before you, do you know how this individual rode her?

The second consideration focuses on communication. Many people seem to think that a horse automatically understands certain cues and should respond accordingly. While certain cues – or aids – seem to generate more positive responses from horses than others, cues simply serve as a form of common communication between two different species. We should not assume that a member of a different species automatically understands our “words”.

If a person of our own species who speaks a different language does not do what we are telling them to do, we seldom think that they are simply disobeying because they are rebellious. We assume – or we at least should assume – that they do not understand us. We should respond by trying to find an alternative way of presenting our request. We should offer this same courtesy to horses – members of a different species.

This is where knowledge of different techniques comes in handy. But even without such knowledge, we can begin to experiment by trying different ways of communicating our desires.

If you can present more information about your horse’s previous experiences or, at least, tell us what methods you are using to ask for the trot, we may be better able to help you.


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## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

No I'm not her only owner I just got her about a year ago. Unfortunately I have no clue how her preivous owner used to ride. As far as asking her to trot I guess I just kind of cluck once or twice. What would you suggest? Thank you both for your help!


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## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

The people I got her from did say she was a rescue horse, not sure if that helps or not


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Do you have a small arena or a round pen to ride in? That would help.


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## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

No unfortunately I dont have a round or small really


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I try to get my horses to understand certain words. like whoa, walk, trot and canter. I do this with ground work until they are solid with the commands. Then when I start riding them I use vocal cues in the beginning and it helps them understand what I am asking for then gradually shift over to physical cues.

I would try leading her and teaching him the word trot and or lunging until she understands what the word means then when riding give the vocal cue along with a subtle physical cue and see if she gets the message.

Working in circles might help to keep her from moving forward faster than you want.


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

The verbal cue of clicking (or clucking) with the tongue often proves useful. The advantage perhaps derives from the sound which can be considered as imitating the sound of the horse’s feet when trotting on solid ground.

Another common verbal cue is to simply use the word “trot”.

A commonly used physical cue is a kick, although a squeeze of the legs is often all that is required. While both the squeeze and kick are also often employed when asking for the walk, the intensity used usually varies. A rider should always be careful not to “over cue” – especially if he does not know how the horse might respond.

But such cues are never perceived in isolation. A common fault when riding is applying the reins – usually without intending to do so – at the same time the rider kicks the horse and asks it to trot. This may be compared to stepping on the brake at the same time you step on the accelerator of a car.

The balance of the rider can also be a factor.

If the horse does not respond to your initial cue by trotting, try altering the cue and note how the horse responds. Compare the two cues and the two responses when choosing a third cue to employ. Keep experimenting until you get the desired response. 

Once you get the desired response, you can keep using the same cue. You can also use this cue to help you horse understand another cue.


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## mslady254 (May 21, 2013)

Do you do groundwork with her? If it were me, I'd focus on getting a nice trot online without her breaking into canter. Also, it's helpful to have consistent cues for the different gaits, whether groundwork or under saddle. For example, Sonny knows that one cluck is walk, two clucks is trot and one smooch is canter. Once he appeared to consistently understand those , I taught him the words, walk, Trrrot, Cannnter as well. Of course, always use your body, energy, legs and seat as well , both with groundwork and riding. Acutally , the verbal cues should be a backup, imho...something I'm still working on, I forget and depend too heavily on clucking and smooching, etc. 
Anyhow, once I had things solid with groundwork, then I'd ask for walk , trot, canter if youre ready, riding. 

OK, so if you ask for trot and she canters instead? Get a vet check,,,make sure her teeth are in good shape (Sonny prefers canter to trot when it's time to have his teeth floated...his way of telling me that the trot is too jarring with a bit in his mouth, I can only guess...but he's gone back to trotting when asked after his teeth were done,,on more than a couple of occasions. Make sure the saddle fits,,,maybe it's pinching and she's trying to run away from pain. Vet should be able to tell if it's a hock issue, etc. Or..you could go ahead with the vet check now if you havent already done that.....

Once you're as sure as you can be that it's not a physical issue.....when she canters instead of trotting, I'd calmly but firmly slow her down and try to get trot Vs walk or halt, as posted above. IF you get even only 1 or two trot strides, halt her and praise,praise! Build from that.

If that doesnt' work...is there a friend who can ask for trot with a line on her, do the groundwork as you do (same cues) to get trot while you are riding? ...gradually switch to you cueing for trot Vs the person holding the rope...?

Also, since you don't know how the previous owner rode her,,,,could it be that she wasn't fully broke/trained...maybe she is unbalanced or doesnt' realize that she can trot with a rider and canter is easier for her. She might need a trainer to finish her. 
Could you get a video posted ?

Keep us updated on how it's going.


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## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

Allright thank you all very much! It is very possible that she not finished. I will try to get a video upload on monday. Thanks again I'll keep you all posted


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

More information? When does she trot of her own accord? Under saddle, or only when you're off. Does she 'run' as in bolt when you ask her to trot, or just goes too fast? 

I'm guessing you're not that experienced in training, but do you have someone good you can get to help you? What training have you done with her to establish what she knows & ensure you understand eachother? Have you had anyone else check her out? 

You say you're not her only owner, so what does the other rider(s) do with her? Are they very experienced, good riders or otherwise?


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## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

She trots on her own acord under saddle, I've never tried on a lunge line before, as of right now she doesnt know how to lunge (something I'm working on). Normally just goes too fast, she did bolt once tho. No I'm not very experienced, my aunt is experienced but she lives in Colorado (I'm in Wi). I am the only owner I was referring to the Previous owner. As far as training her to understand me, I have not done much of anything yet.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Sounds like you need someone experienced to help you. So horse gets taught how to respond to leg cues and voice. Then you can also learn how to ride work with horse. 

Maybe in mean time see about getting some riding lessons...on a trained horse.

Good luck let us know how it goes.


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## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

Since you don't have a lot of riding experience yet and she bolted with you in the past, my guess is that when you cluck to her for the trot your body and hands may be telling her to skip right to the canter.

Next time you try, check to see if you are leaning forward slightly, clamping down with your legs and/or taking all the slack out of the reins. All these are cues for the horse to go faster.

To trot, the cluck is good (sounds like she knows what it means) but make sure you are sitting up straight. Take a deep breath to relax, think about draping your legs softly on your horse. Hold on to the saddle horn or her mane rather than the reins. All these convey your relaxation to her which helps her stay relaxed. 

It takes a lot of practice and there's a lot of little things involved, but once you get her trotting you can focus on not pulling on her mouth or bouncing around roughly on her back.


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## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

okay I clearly have a lot to work on!! thank you all so much! 
what bit should I be using?


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

What bit? What are you/has she been ridden in? A simple snaffle, or whatever she is used to, *providing it's not harsh & she is comfortable with it, *and you're experienced enough to use it well & not harshly. Or a hackamore/bosal or a halter or bitless bridle...


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## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

She came with some tack and the bit that came was a tom thumb, so that is what I've been using. She seems to do okay with it, and hopefully I'm not too harsh (I try not to be) but I wasn't sure if I should be using it or not.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

My horse trots in the arena when I gather the reins slightly, sit a little deeper, and think 'trot'. On the trail she trots when she says, 'this looks like a fine place to trot, what do you think?" and I lift the reins a little to say 'looks good to me too.' I'm trying to say, it really doesn't take much with an eager horse. 

If she is TOO eager and starts to canter I just post more obviously.


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