SPEED CONTROL
I firmly believe that no matter what discipline of horsemanship you enjoy, your horse needs to be exercised at all speeds. Training is muscle memory, and the horse needs to have the muscle memory at each speed to know how to respond in all situations.
Speed control is not only being able to slow down, but also being able to speed up. It is having control over the horse's gait at any time and in any place.
At a Walk
One exercise I like to do with my horses is controlling the walk, step by step. I teach them to walk just one single step at a time. I try to move the horse off mildly, and if she goes a bit fast, I'll back her up. Sometimes people have a tendency to hold a horse in a gait by restraining them with the reins. But I want my horse to control herself and restrain herself so I don't have to. During this exercise, when the horse is getting the idea of walking slowly, then let her walk out. Put some energy into it. When she does that well, slow it back down again. When you play this game of going back and forth, the horse really has to learn to be in tune with your seat to know what's coming.
At a Trot
Do the same exercise at a trot. Bring the horse up to a trot and really move out by putting a lot of energy into your seat. When your horse is moving out, make sure the nose is soft. Then relax your seat and see if the horse will offer to stop. If the horse doesn't quite slow down, ask for a backup. Repeat.
At a Lope
Bring your horse to a lope. Just like the trot, ask the horse to move out and soften that nose. Don't be afraid to really move out. Then bring the horse back down through your relaxed seat. If the horse slows down, allow her to walk through it. If not, pick up on the bridle reins and have her back up. It is important to note that most of the time when we don't have a great lope, it's because we aren't loping enough.
Anticipation
This exercise brings up the topic of ANTICIPATION. Anticipation is often seen as a negative thing in horse training, but I happen to think anticipation is your friend. Anticipation means the horse is seeing patterns and thinking about YOU and what you want from them.
Restraint
When I practice exercises in speed control, I am reminded of another word: RESTRAINT. Restraint is another way of saying self-control. It's you putting a lid on yourself. Lack of restraint creates a sort of head-shyness of the people and animals around us. Restraint sometimes just means letting go and saying "it's okay." It's separating yourself from the circumstances around you. Your ability to practice restraint has a tremendous impact on your horsemanship, your relationships, and your experience of life in general.
I hope these tips help you and your horse become more in tune with one another. Until next time, may God bless the trails you ride!
- Ken McNabb
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7 дек 2022
