# How do you tell your horse to gallop?



## lizzie_magic (Sep 18, 2008)

I ask my horse to gallop by shortening my reins, lightening my seat
and squeezing with my legs.


----------



## ojoazule13 (Jan 10, 2009)

I shorten my reins and get light in the saddle, jockey style. Sometimes I gently pull back on the reins a little because Woodsy is an X-racer and thats how he was trained. Of course I squeeze him and then hes off...But I've learned not to do that anymore, because he does not like stopping, lol


----------



## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

I do the same, shorten the reins, pressure with the leg but I do the "click click" kissy thing to speed her up. We rarely gallop unless we are on the way home and then I try to keep it to a minimum. I also don't like to do it unless we are someplace with a soft landing like a plowed field.


----------



## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

Cool. So am I the only person who using a very strange voice command to get the gallop? Lol.


----------



## Sliding4ever (Jun 1, 2008)

Nope your not alone lol. I shorten my reins and tell my mare "hut, hut" with a firm voice and she gets going. But her favorite word by far is whoa.


----------



## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

H aha so far! I click my tonque when i want faster. Also get up out of the saddle. Don't always shorten my reins, sometimes I just let them have their head and run, except on Bundy, cause he thinks a good gallop is also a good excuse for a buck :]


----------



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Vidaloco -- you run home? Wow. I almost never do. I run out and walk back.

I guess I shorten my reins too (sometimes she gets a bit excited), squeeze and do the throat "g g" thing... know what I mean? I don't know how to type it. I just realized I lean forward too... I wonder how much? I'm going to pay attention more next time and see -- maybe I'm throwing her off balance and that's why she gets bucky... hmmm... Thanks for the good question!


----------



## mlkarel2010 (Jan 27, 2008)

First I just drive with my hips more. Some horses instantly switch gears, but others you have to squeeze more. I also encourage them with my hand and weight. I lean forward just a bit more and "push" with the reins. It really depends on the horse though


----------



## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

Lol. Cool. 

I also run towards home... my mare is cool about it... I can have her in a full out run towards home and stop her and make her walk and she's perfect on a loose rein after coming in from a gallop no matter how close we are to home. 

It's amazing how differently we all ask for the gallop, lol.


----------



## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

Well, seeing as I don't have very many places clear and long enough for me to do a full out gallop, there's only one place I do it. My pony usually knows what it means when I'm gathering the reins and asking her to collect a little bit before we make the turn onto the straightaway. She's usually jigging by the time I've made the turn, and it's really just a matter of me giving her clearance for takeoff after that. ^_^ I'll give her the reins and off we go. I'm lucky, having a pony who's nearly bombproof but also loves to get up and go.


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Our girls know that when we're in a field or a long straight and I give them free rein and a little leg, it means they're free to go....


----------



## Gillian (Aug 2, 2008)

I do the same as many of you. :] 
I get light in my seat, shorten my reins, squeeze with my legs, and I always add in a "GIT UP!" Ha ha.


----------



## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

Lol. Cool...


----------



## moomoo (Feb 21, 2007)

I think 'I might have a gallop' and moo picks up on my thought and off we go, lol.


----------



## happygoose123 (Jan 19, 2009)

I go galloping all the time it is sooo much fun! Its like flying! I dont really have a specific word, i just sort of raise my voice and get all excited, shorten the reins a little and sit lighter. I dont have to squeeze with my legs when im on my 10yo paint gelding, as soon as i get excited and let him go, he is off!!!


----------



## PalominoStarsky (Dec 18, 2008)

I have been trying to get Starsky to gallop, and he won't. He just stays in the lope, no matter what I do. Any tips?


----------



## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

Um... try what some of the people on here have said that they do... or carry a crop or switch with you and pop him when he won't gallop...


----------



## Dressagepony (Jan 23, 2009)

We in Germany make that very complicated. Horse is inward placed, made exterior leg to the rear and pressed there. At it with the internal leg also pressure. Naturally there are also which, which make only the outside leg to the rear, as I. That is many more comfortable.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

When I ask for a run, I leave my reins how they are for regular riding, lean forward a little bit and apply firm pressure with both legs. They will go into a lope and when I keep the pressure on, they will begin to gallop. If I need them to explode into a run that instant to head a cow or something, I will do the same only with more urgency and hiss or say (not shout) "come on" into their ear. When I do that, I better have a firm hold on the saddle horn or they will leave me in the dust. LOL

If starsky is a young horse, sometimes it takes them a while to figure out how to run with a rider. When he lopes, just keep the leg pressure on then if he doesn't respond, you could give him a soft pop on the rump with a bridle rein and that should be cue enough to get him to gallop. Be happy that he is content to stay in a lope, I know too many people who's horses will not lope at all. With them, it is a dead run or nothing at all.


----------



## hntrjmpr (Jan 11, 2009)

Galloping home probably isn't the safest thing to do...


----------



## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

> Galloping home probably isn't the safest thing to do...


Perhaps not... but a few people do it often, and as long as the horse will come out of a gallop while galloping towards the house and walk on a loose rein, I've never seen a problem with it. I know a few people who teach their horses to canter and gallop by turning them towards home and letting them go... As long as the rider knows what they're getting into and the horse is willing toobey the rider, I don't see a problem with it.


----------



## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

Dumas was more of a fast loper....he didn't gallop unless you ASKED for it. Then, like smrobs, you needed to be hanging on!!! He shifted like a dump truck. :lol:

The magic words were, "get it"

Twister on the other hand liked to buck with his gallops. You had better pull up your reins, get your butt just right and hope for the best. :roll: If he had any slack where he could get his head down you were going for a ride. He got too excited!!! 

With him a good squeeze or a hard hip bump would get him going. (reins were also a cue)


----------



## Joshie (Aug 26, 2008)

I'm all for a little bit of pressure with your legs and a kissing sound.


----------



## xLaurenOscarx (Aug 11, 2009)

I Go 4ward 2 Light Seat And Click!
My Horse Is An X Racehorse So Hes Jst Straight Off! I Dont Shorten My Reins Coz I Find He Stays At A Steady Gallop If The Reins Are Loose But If I Shorten Them He Jst Goes Faster! X


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I have this sudden urge to take Denny to the track and see what he's made of.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

^^ If you do, I want video.


----------



## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

My horse knows where we run. It's probably terrible to do what I do, but my horse lets me know when she wants to go, so I get my bum in a two point, shorten my reins [still no contact] and let her go. It's a lot easier to get a good run when she wants to as opposed to asking her to. And my horse LOVES to run. She usually gives me a "casual" gallop, and when I decide we're ready for the next gear, I give her a "HUP" and a kiss and all of a sudden we're REALLY flying.

I don't think where you run or what you're running to matters, as long as your horse stops. If your horse doesn't stop, you shouldn't be running. 

A silly thing about my girl. While we're walking along down trails, she'll "spook" at things all the time, but when we're running, she doesn't pay attention to anything but how fast we're going. We were running down the road once, at a full out gallop, and a huge black dog crashes out of the bushes right next to us barking it's head off rand my horse didn't even flick an ear at it. Scared ME to pieces though, haha.


----------



## o0hawaiigirl0o (Aug 8, 2008)

For galloping, I'll shorten up my reins so they're not all loose and dangly, then go to half seat and kiss. Miss Take often goes from 2mph to a full out gallop with a kiss, so sometimes I'll ask more gently with a nudge so I don't lose my balance completely.


----------



## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

When I go full-on galloping it's usually on the barrel racing pony, so a simple "Go!" is sufficient for her. And she LOVES to run, so it's tons of fun.


----------



## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

I will shift my seat a bit further forward, give a squeeze with my legs, and click to urge him foward; unless the horse is 'goofy' I won't really shorten my reins...


----------

