# How to get a lazy horse moving?



## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

Lola has been sound for two weeks now =D I rode her on sunday and she seemed lame again...But I lunged her today and she was perfect..Maybe she is not ready for weight yet..I dunno..

Anyways when I did ride her she was sooooooo lazy! I mean she had not been ridden in over two months and she would hardly trot! She has been like that since I got her. It takes a lot of kicks and then the whip to get her trotting. But once she trots it is easier to get her to canter. Can anyone give me advice to get her going easier and to keep her going? She randomly comes to a full stop..Especially at the gate. And when we canter she will go from canter to walk. She will not keep trotting at all. And I have really weak legs so it is really hard for me to have to kick her the whole time..

Any help would be great =D


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Excel was really lazy last summer, I used little nub spurs on him for one ride and he got the idea that he better move off when told. I've never needed them again. Once she understands that she needs to listen even when she's feeling lazy, you won't need the spurs anymore.


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## TheLovedOne (Jan 26, 2011)

So she's perfect on the ground ... are you sure? Do you keep pressuring her with the whip on the ground to keep her moving? Or do you ask her to go and she maintains gait until you ask her to stop? If not then you need to get her more connected with you on the ground.

The next thing is what you are doing when you ride. Do you ask her to go and then as soon as you feel her moving you relax and stop riding? You need to stop kicking her and you need to raise your energy and if she doesn't respond squeeze your butt and if she doesn't respond use a string and slap yourself to make a bunch of noise. If she goes then relax your butt, stop with the string but keep your energy active i.e. don't stop riding her. You know how your energy goes up when you go from a walk to a run ... raise it up when you want her to move and do the opposite when you want her to stop i.e. relax. You need to think about what you're doing when you ride.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

loved,
Sarah won't have a "string" as she rides English. But your philosphy is correct and a good old crop will do just fine.
Sarah, 
Hopefully your legs will get stronger, but it shouldn't be that hard of a workout just to trot your horse. keep the crop with you.
I just think that Lola knows that you are a bit of a push over. I mean no insult, but she knows she can get away with it, so she does. If she truly is not lame anymore, than there is NO reason for her not to move out, though you will want to grant her some slack as she might be a bit out of shape.

When she gets close to the gate, BEFORE she does anything, YOu make a change. Doens't matter what, but you make a change. Up, down. Then make a change again, and again. Make being by the gate the place where you make her get busy. when she is away from the gate, stop and let her rest. YOu have to really stay mentally active. You have to think ahead and plan what you are going to do. Tell yourself "at that fence post, we are going to go up to a trot" , Then do it! Truly, your attitude of committment will really shine through to Lola. If she isn't listening, say, " you're late!" and smacke her one and do it! by God! It's ok to get a bit angry. "Late!" smakck , go. smarten up, quicken up, no messing around. Make if short and clear and when she does well, ask a wee bit more, then let her rest.


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## Northern (Mar 26, 2010)

ANY kicking of a horse with both heels at once is ineffective, just like pulling both reins to slow/stop is ineffective.

Seems, Sarah, that "kick to go & pull to stop" is what's been taught you, by humans. Well, now your horse is teaching you differently; this is a good thing.

Lola is teaching you, so understand that & thank her for it, rather than get frustrated. "How interesting!" is the appropriate response to her choices, rather than, "Oh, no!" Good Luck!


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## Sahara (Jul 23, 2010)

I have a mare that can revert to a full blooded couch potato if you let her. When I first got her, 2 years ago, you had to nag her with constant squeezing to get her to trot. That lasted all of 2 days with me. 

What worked for her started with me. Many times when we think our horse is being stubborn or lazy, it is often due to rider error, knowingly or not. Keep your Head up, look where you are going, imagine the trot, squeeze with butt/thighs (wait one one thousand, two one thousand), continue squeezing but add a kiss sound (wait 2 seconds), add a slap of the rein to my leg or her flank. You will probably have to squeeze, kiss, slap for several times/sessions before she "gets it", but eventually, you will get to the point that she moves off with the squeeze only. 

The key to success with this and anything you train your horse to do is consistency. Do it the exact same way every. single. time. 

If you squeeze and give up before she trots off, you just taught your horse how to ignore your squeeze cue.


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## TheLovedOne (Jan 26, 2011)

Tiny, Northern and Sahara you are all right. Stop kicking, use consistency, make it easy to do the right thing, hard to do the wrong thing. You have to think about what you're doing and absolutely stay mentally and physically active.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Ever see Clinton Anderson's cruise control exercise? The game is simple. Pick a gait and the horse is to stay in that gait until told otherwise. Your job is to be very clear, but not nag. Ask for the gait you want and actively ride and follow the motion, but do not kick every stride or otherwise nag with crop or spurs. If she tries to slow down, one sharp pop of your crop behind the leg and then nothing until she slows down again. You get the idea. Take her fitness level into account, but if she's slowing down mostly at the gate, she's just being lazy because she feels like it.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

^ Yes to that!!! Lola sounds like she needs some lessons in taking 'responsibility' for the gait she is put into. 

As for getting her IN to the gait you want her to go into, the others have already given you GREAT advice; keep it simple, and make it so the horse learns to move out off of a simple, light cue...if you simply kick and use a crop, she will remain dull for the rest of her life. click/kiss, squeeze, spank is the order I use... lightest cue first, 'hardest' last...and when the horse responds drop your cues, and just ride.


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## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

Thanks everyone! Such great advice I am gonna try today =D


I was thinking of trying spurs but she can be pretty moody sometimes and just jump forward from just a kick. So I think spurs would really irritate her.

I am gonna try the lightest aid to hardest aid. And she is gonna get a whip on the butt before the gate! Hopefully she realises it is better to keep going..It is so funny though! The gate seems to pull her over! Then when I pull her away she leg yields away XD She really likes the gate!

Oh and yes I have been thought to kick to go. I have ridden school horses up until now and they are the same as her =/ I guess that is what made her lazy. I probably just kept kicking.


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## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

So I rode her today..She must have read my mind because she trotted after some clicking and squeezing. I didn't have to kick at all apart from when I had to keep her going. And she was sound =D So we walked and trotted for 15 minutes. She is really unfit so I cannot do much. And I do not want to overwork her leg and make her lame again. 

But I have figured out another reason I cannot keep her going. I am very nervous on her. I have already posted a topic about this ages ago. But I am so stiff on her. My arms are like dead straight. when we trot my rising is all over the place. I panic when she speeds up etc. So I have to work on that. But I have got over getting on her. I used to not at all but I am ok with that now it is just anything faster than a walk is tough XD I am gonna have to canter her tomorrow.

Oh and the saddle keeps slipping back so I am gonna have to get her back muscles up again =/

Pictures =D Everytime I see pictures of her I hate her heck even more! 

Oh my gosh freak XD
































































I make weird faces XD I will blame it on the sun ha










Woah horsey don't walk off while I tighten the girth! First time she did that


















Sorry about picture overload!


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## TheLovedOne (Jan 26, 2011)

I think you are leaning too far forward in particular when she is moving. That is placing your body weight in front of her drive line which is telling her to slow down or stop. If you lengthen your stirrups a little that will help you to keep your torso a little more upright like when you're standing still with her. 

Stop kicking her to keep her going. This is completely wrong. It is her responsibility to maintain gait not yours. So if she stops then you ask her to go again and if she stops again you ask again....and so on. Eventually she'll think it is much easier to just keep going. You have to do this without impatience or emotion. You have the attitude of "oh I get to ask you to go again"...


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## Northern (Mar 26, 2010)

The fact that you're "very nervous on her" is the root problem. 

Sarah, you need to dismount for development of your leadership on the ground. You need to feel of her first, & earn her respect, on the ground first. You need to gain confidence so that when you're ready to ride, your confidence is well above "very nervous".

You've got a flash noseband holding her mouth shut & a martingale on her, showing further the lack of "feel" between you. With the flash, you are "riding her head," not communicating with her jaw, as you should be. I don't know who told you to put that stuff on her, & I don't know who's mentoring your progress, but that's mo. 

What I DO like are the rubber bit guards to prevent pinching her lips!

I suggest that you get some good horsemanship literature/dvd's, like Parelli 7 Games & True Horsemanship Through Feel, by Bill Dorrance.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

> So I rode her today..She must have read my mind because she trotted after some clicking and squeezing. I didn't have to kick at all apart from when I had to keep her going.



Good, I was hoping you'd notice that! Horses can feel you body so well, it's almost like they are reading your mind. They know how much you're willing be walked on and when you're done taking crap. Just keep up with it. Ride every stride. The second you take your mind off of her, that's the second she starts ignoring you again. Remember, do not nag her. Get her going forward, and then do nothing in terms of cueing her unless she slows down again. 

As for your nervousness problem, first realize that you just made a big leap forward here. She's starting to listen to you now. Horses respect leadership and that's what you're now giving her. Enjoy the confidence that should bring. At the walk, pay attention to your body parts. Start with you ankles, then calves, thighs, etc. Make sure there's no tension anywhere. It's easier said than done. I still find tense things every time I do a parts check. Then once you start trotting, just pick a song you like that matches your horse's trot and sing it to help you keep the rhythm. At first she probably will still bounce you around little, but once feels a more steady rhythm from you, she'll adapt your pace rather than the other way around. 

Great job! Keep it up. 
​


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## westlytraining (Mar 31, 2011)

Ask ,Tell ,Demand if you nag with you legs to much then the horse will become dead to your legs. Every time you put your legs on your horse you should feel atleast a little more movement if you dont then squeeze with your calves if horse doesnt respond elevate pressure if still doesnt respond tap horse 3 times quickly behind your leg if you keep this up consistently every time your horse feels dead to your leg and the problem should improve you just have to get after it


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## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

I might bring my Ipod today and listen to that. It will probably work because I love music =P And we are going into the big arena today ( If it is not still raining) She is easier in there because the small arena is to small! I hate it so much but had to go in there because the mounting block is in there and I need that to get on XD


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