How well does your horse stop?
Does he just slow down and eventually stop?
Does he stop at all?
The most important thing about training your horse is how to stop.
Some argue the most important thing a horse should know is how to move forward. I’ll share another one of my horse training tips about this in a minute.
In my mind, the stop is the biggie because a good hearty “WHOA” can save your life.
Think about it – if your horse isn’t very good at stopping then you’re just askin’ for trouble.
Here is a big secret to get you horse to stop:
Right AFTER you get your horse to stop, do this…
“Back him up a couple steps!”
Why? Because the horse quickly fixes in his mind that he won’t be going forward.
Going forward is, of course, the opposite of stopping.
By teaching him NOT to go forward, he eventually gets it in his mind.
Now, here’s my extra little secret you can use right away:
Remember I said that some folks think going forward is the most important thing a horse needs to know?
Here’s one of the reasons why…
Get your horse going forward and work him. Then get him to the point where he is getting a little tired. Then keep working him a little more and….he will “WANT” to stop!
A mistake many make is asking the horse to stop before it’s occurred to the horse that he’d like to stop.
Work him first and watch his overall demeanor. Pretty soon you’ll see him WANT to stop.
When he hits that point, then practice your stops.
But don’t nag him about it – no one, you or the horse, likes to be nagged.
Get a few good stops. Then just ride him around on a loose rein. He needs to konw that not all your time together is all work.
He does what you ask and you let him chill out. You’re building a good bond in the process.
There’s some great horse training videos showing these valuable horse training tips that you can use. You can learn a lot by watching professional trainers explain and do it.
Training your horse can be a lot of fun – especially when the horse training methods you use are getting results.
Want more secrets and free tips on training your horse? Simply click the link below for more. Folks rave about the free horse training tips we send out weekly.
Ready to take your horse and your riding to the next level?
