To cue for a halt, close your fingers and squeeze backward. The horse should stop as he feels the backward pull on the reins. As you use the rein aids, you will eventually learn to stop by using your body, seat, and legs. By stopping your body, you are cuing your horse to stop as well.
It's whoa. This interjection means “stop.” You might use it as a command to stop a galloping horse.
Use a firm but gentle hand to pull on the reins while asking for a stop. If the horse does not respond, increase the pressure on the rein accordingly until they do. Keep your hands low. If you have too much slack in the reins, reach down lower on the rein and pull toward your belly button.
Squeezing is politely asking the horse to go forward. Cluck If he doesn't immediately respond by moving forward, continue to squeeze with your legs and then cluck two times with your tongue, “Cluck, cluck.” Clucking is a warning that he's about to feel uncomfortable if he chooses not to move.
Simple bending can be effective, as can a long, brisk trot to settle both his mind and his muscles. “If I'm trail riding and on decent ground, I usually go for a long trot to let the horse burn off some of his nervous energy.” Ride quiet.
Let the horse release some of its nervous energy by giving it a simple and familiar task. Doing one or two basic training exercises or going for a brisk trot can put your horse's attention elsewhere and lessen their anxiety. “He [the horse] can think of just one thing at a time,” said Zdenek.
When your horse is going too fast, making a circle is one of the easiest ways to slow your horse down. You can use a pulley rein to help you if they won't stop. Plant one hand down on your horse's neck, and with the other hand, shorten your rein and pull hard towards your hip to turn your horse into a small circle.
Your aids should be given in this order: seat first, followed by leg, with hand last, only if needed. Leaning back drives your seat forward into your horse's back (causing him to drop it and run away from that pressure) and pushes your leg forward. To ask for halt, exhale as you stop your following seat and elbows.
If your galloping horse is ignoring your cues, the emergency pulley-rein stop can safely bring him to a halt. To execute it, shorten both reins, then brace one hand on your horse's neck, holding the rein tightly and grabbing mane. Then raise the other rein up and back, pulling toward your shoulder (not your hip).
Step 3: Keep it calm
Press the L Button as many times as you can to try to sooth it. If you do it right, you'll see little pink hearts floating around your horse's head.
The ears laid flat against the neck, head raised and the horse may lunge at you, whites of the eyes showing, and their mouth open showing their teeth. You should avoid approaching a horse from behind. If you do, they may warn you if they're angry and want you to stay away or go away. If you ignore this, they may kick.
If he wants to rush, let him. Don't try to hold him back or pull on the reins to stop him. Once all four of his feet are on the ground, immediately bend him in a circle. Most horses will have a tendency to veer off in one direction when they reach the bottom.
BODY LANGUAGE
Although horses communicate vocally, their verbal language is limited. It ranges from squeals and grunts (aggression or excitement), through snorts of interest or fear, to whinnying to attract attention from separated companions or humans, to the soft whicker of a mare to her foal.
It sounds like your horse has learned to stop and resist, rather than move forward and give when you ask. Horses often learn to relieve pressure by resisting, rearing, kicking up and bucking. Your horse must learn that bucking and rearing won't relieve pressure from his rider.
Two herbs commonly found in calming products are valerian root and chamomile, both reported to soothe edginess and function as a sleep aid, although valerian is the stronger of the two and is considered a banned substance by some equine associations.
Don't do a One Rein Stop, sit on the horse and cry for 10 minutes while you sort out your feelings, and then put his feet to work. Put him to work as soon as you feel like you've got him under control again. In fact, if you don't feel like you have to, don't even bring him all the way down to a standstill.
A horse that doesn't like to stop, for example, may benefit from switching to a snaffle (direct action) or to a curb (leverage action). Sometimes, it's best to try a different training method rather than a different bit.
Keep your back long, your eyes forward and your elbows fairly close to your knees. Don't lean on the horse's neck, even though you're resting your hands there. It's vital, when you are in the galloping position, that you stay in the centre of your horse and do not get in front of the movement.
The confirmed stubborn horse that refuses to go forward may initially react by backing up rather than going forward. Just remain calm and focused, and stay with him while continuing to “push” forward and tap with the whip until the backing stops. Then release and try again.