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Working with a Western Pleasure Trot & Lope2007-11-24 21:23:28

My mare has been shown in WP before I have owned her but she seems to have forgotten some of the gaits. I was just wondering how I slow down her western pleasure canter and how I can get her to keep on with her WP trot without breaking into a walk. She has the awesome slow trot but does break when she is going slow. Not usually at the shows but more at home when I am working her in the arena. Any Suggestions as to what I can do to get her to keep her trot without breaking stride and how to slow down her lope ?

Answers:

Many horses need more exercise before they'll slow for a lope. Warm up before a class in a practice ring for at least 30 minutes. For perpetual fast cruisers at home I like to work on the lounge line first in a small coral under saddle with the reins set tight enough so you get a slight bend or arch on the neck and the horse is looking 20 feet or so in front of him. Let him get some energy out and don't worry so much if he's loping or trotting. I watch for his ability to pick a lead on his own and if he's fighting that 20 feet. If he's awkward on this I'll pay extra attention under saddle. An awkward horse will overcompensate in balance by speeding up. Once he starts to settle down, say 30 minutes or so, I'll groom him a little to relax him then mount him in a small coral. I like to practice holding the reins dressage style as well as making sure my weight is deep, slightly back and my legs are long in the stirrup. I want the horse to focus on that 20 feet in front of him so I am working the neck in a slight arch, sometimes gently seesawing the reins but not pulling! You may get some resistance at first for horses that love to hold their heads up and gaze the landscape. Let them get their tension out be it a mild buck, don't let them get their head down too far. I also gently apply leg pressure if he speeds up and gently say ho! over and over till he relaxes. I reward him by discontinuing the see saw in the reins and the leg pressure. I work the rail in both directions, speeding up and slowing down, just as if you have a horse in front of you in the show ring. Praise him up and down when he relaxes. Vary the path in your ring once he gets this into diagonals across the ring, always watching that lead change. I do this to keep him on his toes and make sure he is listening to my leg and rein cues. A month or two of working out, at least an hour a day will calm a horses canter into a gentle lope and reduce a trot to a jog. Resume the long western rein and seat once he's back into the swing of things. Also check with your farrier. The way a hoof is trimmed will slow or speed up a gate.

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to slow down her lope the best way would be to sit deeply in your saddle which would make her bring her lower back legs in more collective way (without pulling back on the reins ofcourse!). The trotting, same suggestion, sit deeply, lean back

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First you need to determine whether she was trained with the ever so hard "Spur Stop" method. This could be the key indicator to her training. To find out as her for her lope. When she is at her speed, lay gentle pressure on her ribs with your spurs or your heel if you do not use spurs. If she slows or come's to a complete stop- your horse use's the spur stop. If this is the case here are some pointers---