“Want Your Horse To Stop? Quit Riding!”
“Quit Riding”
True.
You see, there’s an powerful phenomenon in the horse’s brain that’s useful to us horsey people.
Kenny Scott, one of our featured trainers, said it like this:
“A horse will move with your
motion without even knowing why.”
Thus, if you are “riding” (in other words, not sitting in the saddle like a lump of flesh…instead you’re actually moving your body and hips rhythmically), then your horse will move.
If you quit, your horse will sense that and quit too.
Not always…but generally.
Even if he doesn’t quit, he can be taught to quit when you quit riding.
Anyway, J.J. Rydberg (another one of our excellent trainers) says in his video:
“Get to the point when you hardly have
to pull on the reins to stop. When you
sit down, he stops.”
This is powerful advice and here’s why.
Any time…and I mean “any time” you don’t have to pull on a horse…
“Don’t!”
Why?
Let me ask you this.
How’d ya like to be pulled on constantly?
Just cuz he’s a horse doesn’t mean he’s okay with it.
It can feel like he’s bein’ picked on which in turn makes him less willing to learn and cooperate.
Now…back to the “quit riding” thing…
I want you to try this experiment and see for yourself how powerful this advice is.
First, hold out your right hand in front of you with palm down.
Now put your left hand “on top” of your right hand.
Grip the top of your right hand with your left hand just enough so that when you relax your left arm, your hand stays on your right hand.
Now move your right hand in a circular motion forward and backward sort of like how a horse would move.
Very quickly, you’ll find it fatigues your right arm.
Now while your moving your right arm in that circular fashion, don’t allow your left hand to rest on top of your right hand.
Make your left hand move with your right hand while it resides on your right hand.
See the difference?
The analogy is your left hand is like the rider on the horse.
The left hand rides when it moves with the right hand.
But when it just sits on the right hand like a lump of dough, it’s tiring. It’s no fun.
“THAT’S” what I mean about stopping your horse.
In other words, quit riding kind of like what your left hand does when it rests on the right hand.
The flip side, of course, is to “ride” when you want your horse to move.
A minute ago, I mentioned these principles came from J.J. Rydberg and Kenny Scott.
If you want to read more about them, click the following:
http://www.horsetrainingresources.com/dvd-jjrydberg.html
http://www.horsetrainingresources.com/dvd-kennyscott.html
And here’s a tip that never occurs to a lot of horse owners.
If your horse is slow to move, sluggish, or just stops after a few feet…the reason “may be” that you aren’t riding.
Yeah…you’re in the saddle.
But are you “riding” or just sitting?
Ok…that’s it for today.
Continually learn – but stay safe out there.
Charlie
P.S. Thanks for all your feedback about these emails. It helps us to know you’re reading them, using them and enjoying them. It encourages us to keep going.
I even had one Ph.D. who is a Director of Equine Sciences say he uses many of my tips in his training classes.
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Just learning, or want to learn, to ride?
Here’s the best way to start before you mount for the first time.
I would urge you to read about our book:
“Horseback Riding: The Complete Beginner’s Guide”
You’ll learn lots in just a few hours and save many times the cost of the book in lessons.
It’s not a substitute for lessons – it just gets you started before you start lessons. Your instructor will be impressed with your knowledge… a nice position to be in!
