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Discussion on Show horse to trail riding
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New Member:
kdunn57
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Posted on Monday, Jun 29, 2009 - 5:17 pm:
We just recently received a horse that had once been a TWH show horse. We are trying to get it adjusted to its new home and riding trails. We realize that there is going to be a break-in period for the horse, but we soon realized that being a show horse meant that the minute you mounted her, she wanted to go, go, go and does not travel relaxed. We ride TWH's, we walk, fast walk, cantor, jump, etc. This horse seems to have only one speed. She is a wonderful horse on the ground, but it is apparent that she never had any formal training other than fast walking. She doesn't move sideways very well, she backs up when she is not allowed to move forward and stomps her foot. Oddly, when she is ridden up to someone and we talk while on the horse, she is very calm. Has anyone else taken a fast moving show horse and managed to convert it to a relaxed trail horse? I would be interested in your training techniques. I am confident in my husbands training abilities, he had trained our other two horses (some said they were too much to handle) and they are very good, very responsive trail horses. But, even he is losing his patience with her.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Monday, Jun 29, 2009 - 8:09 pm:
 Katie, we had just the opposite problem! We had a mare that was a phenominal Western Pleasure horse, won every class she was ever in but one. After a few years we brought her home for good and tried her on trails. She had no idea that she could move out and would just do her little WP jog, etc. even when riden with other horses. One of my friends does endurance and somehow talked me into going and I took Maarissa. We started out in the same little jog, and vasalated between that and a full gallop. Meanwhile getting passed by all these fast trotting horses. About half an hour into the ride you could just see a light bulb go off in her head and she went into the greatest, ground covering trot you ever saw. It was wonderful! We passed all our checks and finished the ride 1 min. under the course record!
So, I realize your horse's "problems" are different, but I'd hang in there. I'll bet she'll come along. Has your husband done ground work with her? I would think that might be a good place to start; just kind of training her all over. If she will relax and obey verbal cues on the ground, then I'd think it would help her to relax and respond when under saddle. I don't know what kind of bit you are using either, but I'd put her back in a simple snaffle and work up from there. There are a lot of people on this board who know a heck of a lot more than I do about training; hopefully some of them will have some suggestions for you. I bet she's a nice mare.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009 - 7:42 am:
Hello Katie,
If you are looking for assurance the horse is trainable, I will assure you this horse is trainable. I often find the fastest way to slow down a horse is to take him out on the trails and wear him out. Once worn out you can get some training in while he is not so worried about going. Some horses just don't seem to know they can get tired but once they learn, settle down quite a bit.
DrO
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009 - 11:19 am:
Katie,
We had a TW mare like that about 20 years ago. She was fast to the point of being unsafe on the trails. I mean unsafe as in falling over logs that we thought would slow her down, or she'd jump them!
She was a wonderful calm and sweet horse in our little corral, the kids could practically nap on her. But get her out in the open, and she just lost it. She was better with a horse in front of her, but we never did get her figured out going out alone. Don't know if she was shown, or if someone just ran the heck out of her. My husband bought her for him, he was a beginner, and he said he hated riding her in the woods, everything was just a blur, lol!
If I had her now, I'd do lots of arena/round pen work, starting on the ground. Teach the one rein cue to DrOp her head, and calm down. Teach to move the hind quarters over, etc. Basically start over. I think your horse will be fine, but it will take time.
DrO's suggestion would not have worked with our mare, we tried that, we got tired before she did!
Of course I am of the opinion that people on those gaited horses go too fast anyhow. LOL!!
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Member:
lhenning
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009 - 12:41 pm:
Try making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard. Circle her whenever she speeds up, keep circling until she slows, then immediately release her and let her walk forward.
Keep your weight back and heavy in the saddle. I think many show horses are trained to go faster when the rider sits forward.
Hope this helps.
Linda
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Member:
shanson
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009 - 2:09 pm:
I've seen the circling technique used on these types of horses and, many times, it seems ineffective to me. The horses are circled gazillions of times, getting more and more frustrated and tense. Over time, a forward-going horse can get pretty sour by being checked so much and not being allowed to go forward.
Dr. O's approach seems more effective, though I'm thinking of the ones I've seen that just keep going faster and faster until they're essentially runaways. For those types, I assume you'd need to establish an effective half-halt and brakes before riding them on trails.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 1, 2009 - 8:31 am:
The others bring up valid concerns. If you cannot out last the horse's high energy way of going the horse will not learn. Around here we have mountains to help and a day ride to the the Fire Tower and if necessary followed by a trip to top of Rich Mountain has trained many a energetic horse that "easy" has a place in his lexicon. For mules Mt Rogers is often used. You are trying to get the horse to the point that he begins to listen to your slow walk cues.
As to Sharon's concern, if you do not have a "stop" on the horse I do not believe it should be ridden and needs to go back to basic training. Riding a out of control horse is certainly not a solution but a recipe for disaster.
DrO
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Member:
sodmonst
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 2, 2009 - 1:19 am:
I've had luck with riding out for an hour or so, coming home, tying the horse up for 15 minutes, go out again for another ride, come home, have lunch, go out again, come home, go out, come home and tie up again for an hour or so before unsaddling. Of course I water the horse throughout the day and loosen his cinch when I come in for a break. In my experience a weekend or two of this helps get the hurry out.
If the horse gets too hot after an hour, start with shorter rides at the start of the day and go out longer as the day progresses.
Good luck. It took me months to find my horse's walk and corto, but now he's great on the trail.
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Member:
rtrotter
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 2, 2009 - 6:18 am:
Suzie has something here.
My racemare always anticipates when she is going to work, so when you go to hook her in the jogcart she wants to take off before the second side is hooked in. Then she wants to rear up and will fall down if she is held back too much.
To avoid this from happening, I take her out and tow her 3 miles before she is hooked and then when she comes back in she is the perfect lady, she'll stand and let you do anything to her.
DO you have a horse you could pony her with on the trails before you actually get on to ride. You may have to go trips ( standardbred terminology) with her to make sure she understands that going out on the trail does not mean going nuts.
Rachelle
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Member:
sodmonst
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 2, 2009 - 9:57 am:
Katie and Rachelle, I've been fascinated with the Hackney Horse William series, and it has some application here, I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkCAh6BWTIw&feature=channel_page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP3CIjWvgjs
The man probably makes his share of mistakes, but his faithful documentation of the process and his obvious delight in working with the horse shine through.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 2, 2009 - 3:28 pm:
shhhezzz Susan in AZ , that would tire ME out , heck with the horse.. !~
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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