“How To Get Your Horse To Stop ‘RIGHT NOW’!”
It can be real dangerous.
Thousands are hurt every year.
It’s probably one of the most important
things you can teach your horse.
What’s that?
Teach the command “Whoa”.
It doesn’t mean slow down.
It doesn’t mean maybe.
And it doesn’t mean stop then go again.
It means STOP, Right Now and stand there
until you tell the horse to go again.
I need to tell you a story about my kids (I have 5).
When my first child (a daughter) was about 3
she almost stepped out in front of a moving car.
It was noisy and I called her name
but she didn’t hear me.
So I decided at that point to teach my
kids to respond to a signal that whenever
they heard it they were to stop and look
towards me and get eye contact immediately.
Not a few seconds later.
Not when they wanted too.
Immediately.
My signal? A sharp whistle I can do – sort
of like how some put two fingers in their mouth –
but I can do it without my fingers.
I can’t tell you how many times over the years
with all five kids that has been helpful – and
has kept our kids from danger.
It also works in a big crowd when you get
separated. And it doesn’t matter how old they are.
We can be anywhere – outside, in the mall,
in a parking lot, at a gym or arena,
it doesn’t matter.
They always stop and look my direction.
So the same is true with your horses.
When you say “Whoa” your horse should
stop and wait for direction.
See if these sound familiar:
1. My horse won’t stop no matter how hard
I pull the reins and scream ‘STOP’.
2. My horse will FINALLY stop, but it takes
a hundred feet or more to do so.
3. My horse will stop fairly quickly but
takes off again right away.
4. Every time I head back home my horse takes
off and I can’t get him stopped until
we reach the barn.
I’ve heard more like these…most of them
were variations of the above.
From a pure safety standpoint, I can’t think
of anything more important than
teaching your horse ‘Whoa’.
Imagine being confronted with a situation where
you are riding into danger and your horse doesn’t
want to stop and just keeps going…..
it’s happened many times and quite often both
horse and rider are hurt.
Just remember – you must teach your horse that
‘Whoa’ means stop and stand still.
That’s all it means. Don’t use the command ‘Whoa’
for anything else or your horse will be confused.
In Beery’s Book 1 ‘Colt Training’, Prof. Beery teaches
the command ‘Whoa’ using a bridle, long lines and a
training surcingle.
You can rig up something similar to a surcingle with
rope, long straps, etc. and run them through the
stirrups of a saddle.
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Here’s a direct quote from Beery’s book:
Harness the colt as in the previous lesson, and have
it in the same enclosure. In this lesson give the
colt a thorough review of the previous lesson
[the command ‘Get Up’] and add the additional
command, ‘Whoa.’ If you have said ‘Whoa’ before this,
you might as well have said any other word in any
language so far as the colt knowing it meant ‘stop.’
The meaning of this command will only become apparent
to the colt when it is associated with an action,
and the first time you use the command, be sure that
you are in a position to follow with the action.
We now suppose that you have started the colt with
the command, ‘Get-up’, and it is obedient to the bit,
and, you are now ready to stop. Pull the left line tight,
and hold steady with the left hand; grasp the right
line about a foot ahead of the left hand, the right
line not drawn tight.
Say ‘Whoa’ decisively and distinctly, and immediately
follow with a sharp jerk on the right line, followed
by slackening both lines. If necessary to stop the colt,
repeat the word and action.
It helps the colt to receive the impression if it is
stopped the first few times at the same spot. The third
or fourth time coming around to this spot, it probably
will stop at command without the action of the lines.
As soon as the colt shows an inclination to stop at
this spot, without either action or command, force
it on by the command, ‘Get-up’, and stop it at another
place. It will be necessary to follow the command with
an action at this new place. Repeat the command,
and the action, if necessary, until the colt stops
at the command at any place, without the action
and with the lines as in the illustration.
Always relax the lines as soon as the colt stops.
Teach the colt that ‘Whoa’ means ‘Stop,’ whether you are
behind it or at either side. It is not thoroughly
trained with this word until it stops with you ten,
fifteen or twenty-five feet away.
This is the most important command you have to
teach your horse. Your life or the lives of your
friends or others may sometimes depend upon your
horse being so thoroughly trained to stop at command,
that under all circumstances or under any excitement,
he must obey.
Never use the word unless you mean it, and be prepared
to let your colt understand you mean it. Use only
the one word to mean stop and let that word mean only
the one act. If, for instance, you want your horse
merely to slow down, use some other word, as ‘steady.’
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Keep in mind that once you finish teaching the
command ‘Whoa’ from the ground that you also need
to do teach the same thing while mounted.
Here’s a couple tricks that may help to teach your
horse to stop using the command ‘Whoa’ when mounted.
1. Just like from the ground, hold the left rein
fairly tight and give sharp jerk on the right
rein while saying ‘Whoa’ like you mean it. Then
immediately let the reins go slack.
Then – wait…. in fact, some trainers like to
count to 10. This gives the horse a chance to let
it sink in and not confuse anything that follows
Whoa with anything else.
2. Once stopped, wait a few seconds and have the horse
back up a couple steps. What you’re doing by that
is teaching the horse that you don’t always go
forward after stopping and using the command ‘Whoa’.
Try this 2 or 3 times in a row…. go forward,
give the command Whoa, have the horse stop immediately,
make him stand for a few seconds, then back him up
a couple steps. It will help break that habit of
wanting to immediately start walking forward again
prior to telling the horse to move.
Make sure your horse stops on the command.
One of the scariest situations is to be on a horse
that won’t stop and those fence posts keep whizzing by…
it’s dangerous! Don’t put yourself, your horse and
others around you in that predicament.
It’s no laughing matter and certainly unnecessary.
J.J. Rydberg teaches how to ‘finish a stop’ in his video
(along with lots of other valuable things). You can
read about his video here:
http://horsetrainingresources.com/dvd-jjrydberg.html
And, of course, the Jesse Beery 8 volume manual on
horse training is a wealth of information distilled
over many years and successfully training hundreds
of horse all across the country.
Read more of Beery’s course here:
http://horsetrainingresources.com/beery.html
Ok… that’s it for today – stay safe out there!
Charlie
P.S. Safety in riding and handling horses is so critical.
I have published the statistics in the past about how
so many thousands have not only been hurt but many have
been crippled, get brain trauma and even killed – every year.
If you can’t completely control your horse then PLEASE
do something about it.
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“After a serious accident, I’m glad to admit your
newsletters have helped both myself and my horse.
Thank you,
Nannette”
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