Techniques to Whoa and Slow
Have you ever had the frightening out-of–control experience of riding a horse that won’t stop? Maybe you have a horse that tends to rush and you constantly try to slow him down. Or, your horse trots out on the trail ride when you want him to walk. Maybe your horse spooks when he is frightened and takes off running.
Before I ever get on a horse, I check to sure, my brakes are working. I wouldn’t drive a car that didn’t have brakes. That wouldn’t be safe. Neither is riding a horse that won’t stop for you. Here are some helpful techniques to slow your horse down and get control of his speed.
Ask most people how to whoa or stop their horse and they will answer, “pull back on both reins”. This type of hand brake works on a horse with a good foundation (education) in a calm environment. However, horses that are frightened or difficult to slow or stop, often will hang on the bit and actually brace against the riders hand. The harder you pull back on the reins, the more they lean and brace against you. It becomes a tug of war. The more you pull the more they resist. In these situations, you need a different tool or technique to stop or slow your horse.
Circling is a good technique to use with a horse that rushes or goes faster than you want him to. When your horse speeds up, ride him in a small circle. You can do this out on the trail or in the arena. Once he gets chugging along too fast, ride a small circle until he relaxes and is going at the rate of speed you desire. The size of your circle depends on the gait you are in. Slower gaits like walk and trot you can use a 10 or 15-meter circle. Loping circles need to be larger. It’s harder for your horse to rush in a smaller figure. He has to work harder to stay balanced and keep his feet underneath him. Reward him when he is going the speed you want by allowing him to go straight again. This technique is more effective than constantly pulling on your reins to slow your horse down. Any time you can incorporate bending your horse, like riding a serpentine, (bending one way to go around a cone then changing the bend to go around the next cone) it helps you gain control of your horse. Get them bending and flexing rather than lifting their head, stiffening and rushing.
Pulley Rein is an emergency stopping technique. This is very helpful when a horse gets strong in the canter and takes off with its rider. Remember to sit up tall in order to be strongest and most successful. Shorten one rein as taut as you can. Press the knuckle of this hand into the horse’s withers or top of the neck. Slide your other hand down the opposite rein as far as you can. Pull straight back with this hand as you keep your knuckles of the other hand braced against the horse. Use a series of strong pulls to bring your horse back into control.
One Rein-Stop is another useful technique to gain control of your horse. It can be used to stop a horse from bucking or running through a riders hands (not listening to rein cues).It can be used to make a horse stand and to stop a panicking horse. I visualize my horse bending to a stop with the one-rein technique. Use one rein, either left or right will work. Take the slack out of the rein and pull it back toward your hip. When the horse gives to that pressure and bends his neck so his nose comes toward your boot, release the pull. This bending of his neck and body causes his hind feet to disengage. Disengagement means the crossing of his hind legs. This takes away the power of his hindquarters to propel him forward.
These three techniques can bring you safely back into control. Practice them in a safe place until the technique becomes second nature for both you and your horse.
Mounted Police Story
Our mounted police assignment was to keep the crowd of 30,000 noisy revelers off the street so floats could safely pass by during the parade. My spit-shined black boots were “worse for the wear” at the University’s homecoming football celebration. As we patrolled the parade route, my boots were beer cup high as people jumped from the street to the curb. In an hour’s ride, my boots had bumped virtually every hand, spilling beer by the gallons. Even worse, two people threw up on us. Poor Major, my red chestnut police horse smelled like a bar room tavern.
Major wasn’t easy to control on these big events. Being the “alpha” member of his herd, he was always ready to challenge neighboring department’s horses. At this event, I kept control by using the serpentine technique. Bending him right then left then right again. Suddenly, a float’s loud speaker blew up as it approached from behind us. There was a deafening pop then that awful screech. Major launched into a bucking spree worthy of any PRCA rodeo bronc. Trapped between the float and the crowd we had nowhere safe to go. I thought, this would be a good time to use a “one-rein stop”! I sat deep and pulled my rein to my hip. Practice does pay off. Major bent his head around to my boot and came to a stop. Having reliable tools to use when the unexpected happens can be invaluable to your safety.Written by: Mary Hamilton Mounted Police Instructor