Horse That Won’t Go
How many times have you heard this saying? I have a horse that won’t go . . . or, he’s a non-goer.
The problem is that these horses are not responding to a light cue in order to move forward. You want a horse that responds to the lightest of touches, and does not require heavy kicking or other heavy application of aids in order to perform. A horse who responds to a light touch is a pleasure to ride. So how do we get our horse to be a pleasure to ride?
Let’s refresh on the cue to move forward: The cue is slight pressure from both legs on the horse’s girth, with an instantaneous release upon him moving forward. Pressure and release. If your horse is not recognizing this cue, you need to re-educate him on what the cue is, and that you mean to be taken seriously when it is applied.
One method is to equip yourself with either a standard length English riding crop (26”) or a Native/Western-style crop called a “quirt”. A quirt measures almost the same length as a shorter English crop (22”), but in general is made of loose straps of rawhide or braided horsehair. It is typically more flexible than the stiff English riding crop. A rawhide quirt will run you roughly $6, however, a horsehair one can run up to $500 or more!
How to carry your aid: Put the loop over your wrist, so you’ll still have the crop if your hand drops it. The handle is carried in your palm with the business end of your crop or quirt pointing backward. Some riders ride with their crops tucked into their boot, but you need to have it on hand for this exercise.
Give the cue to go forward. If the horse remains standing, keep the pressure of both legs on his girth and tap him behind your leg with your crop or switch. If he moves off, release pressure. If he does not move on, apply firmer pressure with your legs and use the crop again. Once you have achieved movement, even if it is only a few steps, release your leg pressure.
After a few steps, bring your horse to a stop. Repeat the above, using as little pressure and crop as possible. After movement, stop him and repeat. Continue this until you have consistency.
Eventually, your horse should respond with only leg pressure. Test him, and if he’s moving off fine, the crop will not be needed. If your horse progresses, tuck that crop back in your boot or loop your quirt back on your belt and congratulate yourself. If any reversion to the old behavior returns, practice this exercise again until he understands that light leg pressure means to move on.
Some people advocate kicking in place of the crop, however, my reasoning behind the crop being applied behind the leg or even upon the hind quarters goes back to the nature of the horse as a prey animal. A sharp pressure upon their rear simulates the action of a predator animal attacking from the rear (as they almost always do). A horse will always move away (or in this case, forward) from pressure on their hind end. Also, with kicking, you’re just dulling the horse’s sides, which goes contrary to the idea of wanting light leg pressure to be the cue.
Horse That Won’t Stop
Another common problem is the horse that refuses to obey a “whoa” command. Sometimes this is a “barn sour” horse who wants to get away from the barn rapidly, or can be a horse who, after a long ride, wants to get back to that hay net and refuses to slow down for you. Both make for an unpleasant ride.
First, make sure you are applying the correct cues. The cues to stop are: Sit back in your saddle, leaning back slightly and using light rein pressure backward. Your legs should not be squeezing the horse’s sides, as that is the cue to move forward.
For the horse that won’t stop, turn him in circles. Use your reining and leg cues to turn him in a circle in either direction, and keep circling him slowly until he calms down. After circling a while, they usually get the idea that you’re in charge. Move on in the direction you want to go. If the speeding up behavior returns, immediately start circling. This exercise can be used at any time, in the arena, out on the trail, and really does work.
Here are some aids to assist you in retraining these horses:
Short (24”) riding crop, all leather, made in England
Standard length (26”) riding crop, leather, English made
Colored riding crop (22"), for a different look
Children’s/pony crop (16” long)
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