There is nothing more unnerving than riding a horse that’s hard to control. It’s difficult to relax and enjoy yourself when you aren’t confident your horse will stop when asked. So how can you get a resistance free stop from your horse without reaching for a bigger, stronger bit?
First, let’s look at a few reasons that cause a horse to ignore or even fight your requests to stop.
Lack of Training
This is an all too common reason for what some mistake as disobedience. A surprising number of horses start their training with an amateur owner. Their owner probably had the best intentions, however, possibly lacked the feel and timing to develop a soft and responsive horse.
A green horse needs a clear release of pressure for correct responses to understand its job. The first few rides, the young horse will not understand any cues well, and it is sometimes necessary to use stronger than usual pressure on the reins to guide and stop the horse. This is normal. As the horse progresses in his training, it is the rider’s responsibility to apply less pressure to the horse’s mouth to navigate and stop. The horse should learn to listen to seat and leg aids first. Eventually they should need only light guidance and contact with the reins.
Unfortunately, many riders never learn to use their seat and legs more, and rein pressure less. They continue to pull their horse around with the bridle. The horse doesn’t learn how to be lighter in the bridle, and the force used to control the horse damages it’s sensitive mouth. Now the horse becomes desensitized to the pressure and even less responsive. Sadly, when this happens many people do reach for the bigger (or twisted wire mouthed) bit. Leverage bits and severe mouth pieces often provide better control, for a little while, due to the increased pain they can inflict with heavy hands. The horse may begin to ignore the stronger bit after some time, or may start rearing, bucking, or bolting to evade the constant painful pressure.
Pain
I am not going to spend a lot of time on this subject. As horse owners, we know that ill fitting tack, poor farrier care, lack of dental care can cause pain. A horse that is in pain will not think clearly, and may be too focused on finding relief to be obedient. Think about how hard it would be to do your job if you had tacks in your shoes! Check the saddle and bridle fit, talk to your farrier about possible issues with soreness, and have a vet perform a soundness exam and float their teeth.
Excitability
If a horse has not spent enough time learning how to respond lightly in a controlled atmosphere, it becomes increasingly hard to handle in exciting new environments. The key here is to have consistent responses at home before expecting obedience in competition or on the trails. When a horse is worried about it’s surroundings, it’s adrenaline will rise. The instinctual fight or flight response overpowers any incomplete training, and results in a horse who fights it’s rider or spooks dangerously.
Here’s the point. As owners and riders, it is our responsibility to make riding as enjoyable and stress free as possible for our equine partners. This takes time and consistency. When we do our job well, we will have a reliable horse that doesn’t require a harsh bit to control. So let’s look at a few easy ways to help your horse understand his job without unnecessary force.
Stay Safe
If you are retraining a horse that doesn’t stop well, make sure you are in an enclosed space. A round pen or riding ring will work well. Also, make sure you are wearing a helmet.
Put Away the Big Bits
Go back to a simple bridle or bitless option. A french link snaffle with a smooth mouth, a sidepull, gentle hackamore, or even a halter can be used here. Your goal is to give your horse the opportunity to respond without the fear of serious discomfort. Take a few minutes to lead your horse around in the new tack. Ask him to stop, back, and flex laterally in hand before mounting. If he fails to respond to your requests on the ground, take the time to get him comfortable with those simple tasks before riding him. ( If you know someone who can show you how to ground drive, it’s an excellent exercise to help retrain a horse ) . You are building a foundation. Make sure you don’t rush it!
Go Back to Basics
Once you feel your horse responds well on the ground, it is time to mount up. Remember to stay in your enclosed, safe area and have your helmet on. Start at a walk, and remember that old habits die hard. Your horse may still have anxiety about riding and anticipate pain when asked to stop. Calm, consistent repetitions will help reshape his behavior.
When working on these exercises, I like to introduce a new cue to the horse. I personally use a slight shift of weight back in the seat with a light bracing of the back. Really, I just slightly resist following the horse’s movement for a stride before applying pressure to the reins and verbally saying “Whoa!”. Only use as much rein pressure as needed to stop. The key here is not to pull back on your horse. Don’t engage in a tug of war! Even if he doesn’t stop immediately, maintain steady pressure and wait. When he does stop, release and praise him. Repeat this pattern at a walk until the horse starts to respond to the weight shift and stiffening of the back before you need the reins.
Keep these lessons simple and stress free. If your horse acts up or gets startled, bring him back under control with a one rein stop. Always end on a positive note.
When your horse reliably responds to light cues at a walk, move up through all gaits testing his response in that enclosed space. If he gets strong or relapses to old habits, go back to a walk and fix it. A solid foundation takes time. Before you know it, you will have a light and responsive horse!
But It Didn’t Work for My Horse
If you take the time and use as little pressure as needed to stop it will eventually work. Some horses simply need more help breaking free from old routines.
If I am working with a very defensive and bracey horse, I will use a gentle one rein stop at first to retrain a soft whoa. Use the above seat cues first, then gently apply a one rein stop without excessive force. Practice the stop using each rein individually. Soon just the seat cue followed by a gentle lift of one rein should work. This method is also helpful if you want a horse to work well on a loose rein in the future.
So there you have it, with a little time and effort you and your horse can have a soft, reliable stop. And you don’t need a whole tack store full of bits to achieve it!
