Getting “in touch” with your horse’s body

At Horse Listening, we are emphatic life-long learners of all things horsey. You will be reminded time and again about how there is so much to be learned from horses and other horse people, if only we listened.

This guest post is by Lindsay Day, who is a Registered Equine Massage Therapist with a special interest in injury rehabilitation and performance issues. Besides her equine massage therapy practice, she also writes on equine health and science topics for magazines such as Canadian Horse Journal, Horse Sport and Trot, as well as on her website blog at www.EQmassage.ca.

This article was originally posted here.

Getting “in touch” with your horse’s body

All of us are born with the sense of touch and a set of feeling hands.

You don’t have to know the names and function of every muscle, bone and joint in your horse’s body to garner benefit from, well, quite simply, feeling your horse.

Some of my fondest memories during my equine massage therapy studies at the D’Al School (at D’Arcy Lane in London, Ontario) are the times I spent out at the barn alone with my horse after school, just gently palpating and feeling and sensing. He gave me some pretty priceless looks and it was a unique experience to interact and spend time with him in this way.

Familiarizing yourself with how your horse’s body feels is a great way to become more familiar with their anatomy and can help you detect changes and signs of strain or discomfort early on. It’s also a neat exercise in developing your sensitivity and awareness, and can provide some quality bonding time as your horse begins to show you where and how he or she likes to be touched.

The four T’s

As you touch your horse’s body, feel for differences in the “four T’s”. Some areas of your horse’s body will naturally feel more tight, firm or warm to the touch. When accompanied by pain or discomfort, or if representing a change from your horse’s “normal”, these may be early warning signs of an issue.

Temperature: Are there areas that feel particularly warm in comparison to the surrounding tissues? Does one hoof tend to feel warmer than the others? Do the flexor tendons feel warmer in one place or on one foreleg more than the other?

Tension: Are there areas that feel tighter than others? Does this differ from one side of the body to the other?

Tenderness: Are there areas where your touch evokes a protective reaction from your horse (flinching, moving away, tail swishing, ears back, increased tension)? How does this compare to the same area on the other side?

Texture: Are there areas with a boggy feel to them? Swelling? How organized do the tissue fibers feel? Can you feel scar tissue under the skin?

Some guidelines for your practice

Starting at the top of your horse’s neck, slowly work your way over their entire body, from front to back and down to their hooves. Over muscles you can add an ever so slight squeezing pressure. While over the joints of the legs simply place a hand on either side and feel for heat or tenderness.

Use a gentle touch, keeping your hands relaxed, with a slight bend in the knuckles. You want to allow your palms and finger pads to do the feeling (where we have the most sensory receptors). Excess tension in your hands will also limit your sensitivity.

Avoid putting pressure on areas that feel hard — if something doesn’t yield to your touch it is likely bone. The cervical vertebrae in the middle of the neck, for example, are often mistaken for ominous bumps or “knots” by those unfamiliar with the anatomy.

Remember to use caution when touching areas where your horse might be sensitive (like their girth area) or where they might not be used to being touched (like the inside of their thigh). If there are areas where your horse doesn’t accept your touch, gradually work up to it over a number of sessions.

As you proceed, try to keep an open mind so you can be attuned to what you are feeling in your hands, rather than what your brain is thinking. The more you practice the greater your sensitivity will improve and the more adept you will become at deciphering what “normal” is for your horse.

Happy feeling!

*****

Horse Listening

Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list. Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email

More posts by guest bloggers:

The Growing Popularity of Horse Riding: Team GB’s success at London 2012 has given the equestrian community a once in a generation chance to build its profile and encourage wider participation in the sport.

Which Pasture Plants Are Dangerous for Horses? by Hayley and Rebecca from Anything Equine, this informative article covers many different types of plants. Pictures included.

Ten Truths of Equestrianism – Reblog from @SnarkyRider, by Quill: Are you really fit for horse ownership?

Little Known Qualities of Great Farriers, by K. Arbuckle, professional farrier: The farrier, though required to scientifically balance and shoe a horse, is an artist working with a living canvas.

Scoring the Hunter Round, by L. Kelland-May, senior judge: Have you always wondered how the hunter class is judged? Read it here straight from the judge’s perspective!

Enjoys Being Brushed! by SnarkyRider: Read this hilarious take on a sales ad from Craig’slist.

Here’s How (And Why) You Should Ride With Bent Elbows

Have you ever watched riders going around the ring with straight, stiff arms?

What have you noticed?

The exact opposite of what they probably want is happening. Although they are likely trying to be quiet and still, their hands are in fact bouncing up and down with the horse's movement. The end result is an on-again, off-again contact with the horse's mouth - in other words, a pull/release repeated over and over.

Some horses truck along and find ways to hide behind the pressure, and other horses complain through head shaking, rooting of the reins, or shortening their strides till the movement minimizes. In every case, the communication between horse and rider suffers.

Of course, we know very well that contact is more than just about the hands and reins. But for today's purpose, we'll focus on one part of the body: the elbows.

1. Hang Your Upper Arm Straight Down

The ideal arm position is one that keeps a vertically straight upper arm. Essentially, the upper arm belongs to your body. In other words, if the upper arm comes off the body either forward or backward, the arm is interfering with the horse in some way.

The arms (and hands) should only aid in conjunction with the seat and upper body aids anyway. Therefore, keeping the upper arm on the body helps to prevent what we would naturally like to do - move the arm forward and backward in attempt to influence our horse.

2. Create A Light "L" Shape in Your Elbows

While your upper arm stays on the body, your lower arm comes off the body toward the horse's mouth. The arm takes the shape of a soft "L", hands staying in line with the reins that go to the horse's mouth.

Elbows can not point out ("chicken elbows") nor pull backward (pulling).

In this way, your arms will position your hands quite naturally a couple of inches in front of the saddle pommel. That is the ideal place for the hands.

3. Put Some Life Into the Elbows and Wrists

Now all you need is to find lightness in the joints. It is almost counter intuitive that stillness comes from movement (but it does make sense if you think about it). At first, it might feel awkward while you try to figure out how to move your elbows so that your hands can stay still on the reins.

Try This Trick

Hold your reins with your hands in front of the pommel with the light "L" shape in your elbows. Get the horse moving (walk, trot or canter). Put your pinkies down on the front of the saddle pad and work out how you must move your elbows to keep the hands steady on the pad. Once your hands are fairly steady, lift them off the pad and keep the elbows active in the same way.

After you have discovered soft, moving joints in your arms (all the way from the shoulder down), you will wonder how you ever could go with straight or pulling arms. You will discover so many benefits. Your horse might move forward more eagerly, start to swing through the back and maybe even give you a snort or two. All your aids will "go through" softly and with less interference, making communication suddenly easy and matter-of-fact.

But the bottom line is that your horse will benefit from a kinder, gentler bit that communicates rather than punishes. And isn't this what we are always working for?

Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the new Horse Listening Practice Sessions. This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.

Click here to read more and to join one of the most complete programs on the Internet!

Buy the books for many more riding tips! Horse Listening Book Collection.

From Horse Listening, The Book:

Riding gives us the place to just be.

Of course, there are other purposes too. Some of us revel in the challenge of learning the skills required to becoming a good team member of this unlikely duo. Riding is like no other sport or recreational pursuit simply because of the equine partner that must not only carry us, but also do so effortlessly and gracefully. As we develop our specific skill sets, we also grow as human beings in character, emotional maturity and mental acuity.

But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."

And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.

This book is geared toward the rider:

- the rider's motivations

- the essential skills for the rider

- some specific strategies

- solutions to common problems

- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience

Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!

Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Listening Corner: Contact and “On the Bit”

Theme: Contact / "On the Bit"

contact 1 — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

The difference between effective and ineffective contact in horseback riding is immense. You know what "bad" contact looks like:

- horse with mouth open wide

- frantic rider on runaway horse

- disengaged hind end and hollow-backed movement

- above the bit/below the bit/rooting the bit

- rider jerking on the bit

I'm sure we can all conjure up pictures of what we don't want to see or feel in riding.

However, if you're like me, you probably also are well aware of the conundrum of developing a compassionate yet useful contact - one that keeps you first of all, safe on the horse, and second, able to give the horse such good "feels" that every horse you ride is inspired to be their best.

There is so much to be said about the concepts of contact and "on the bit" in horseback riding. Many of the great riders of the past have elaborated on the idea and even the feel of on the bit, but without educated guidance on the ground while you're riding, true contact can become a long-awaited and distant dream. So although we can benefit greatly from the words below, it falls to ourselves to be forever on the quest of discovering an honest and effective contact with our own horses, making the act of riding pleasurable not only for the human, but also for the horse.

I've tried to pick out the most relevant sections for today's quotes, but please go to the original books to get a much more in-depth analysis. Enjoy!

****

The connection between the rider's hands and the horse's mouth is called "contact with the bit." This contact governs the guidance and collection of the horse.... To be correct this contact should be consistent. The rider should have the feeling that he is connected to the horse's mouth by means of an elastic ribbon. As the reins are made of leather and have no spring, this elastic connection can be brought about only by the supple flexion of the horse's jaw combined with the sensitive and light touch of the riders hands, which depends on flexible wrists. A perfect contact is possible only when the horse is in absolute balance, carries himself, and does not seek support from the reins. It may then be said that the horse is "on the bit."

Podhajsky, Alois. (1965). The Complete Training of Horse and Rider In the Principles of Classical Horsemanship (pp.41-42). New York, NY: Doubleday.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Unlike popular perception, acceptance of the bit has very little to do with the frame in which we ride the horse. It is more that wherever we place our reins - long, short, or to one side - the horse follows them without evasion. Acceptance of the bit could also be called "the confidence of the horse in the rider's hand."

Riding a horse in a very short and cramped frame in front has nothing to do with being on the bit. Neither does work with draw reins, martingales, curbs, chambons and other artificial aids (based on inflicting pain) help to achieve it. The acceptance of the bit is a demonstration that the horse has been taught to find his balance and to carry himself willingly in front of the rider's leg, accepting the reins and the bit as communication, rather than a threat of pain or support to lean on.

Only when a horse has accepted the bit can he begin to carry himself. And, as the engagement improves, the horse will become lighter and lighter, without the rider having to use any artificial aids or excessive rein action.

Gahwyler, Max. (1989). The Competitive Edge: Improving Your Dressage Scores in the Lower Levels (p. 29). Middletow, MD: Half Halt Press.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When one drives the horse forward towards the bit, the bit should ever so slightly elude the horse's "arrival" on it, his taking hold. This allows the horse to step forward without fear of hindrance by pulling (and the accompanying pain). The horse's forward (but not running) thinking very much depends on his courage in working towards the bit. The bit must represent to him a suggestive and resilient opening, a yielding and elusive communication, rather than a literal contact. A tense, restraining, pulling rein results in an open jaw, tense neck and back muscles, and ugly, apprehensive, stiff, pussy-footing strides.

de Kunffy, Charles. (1984). Dressage Questions Answered (p.69). New York, NY: Prentice Hall Press.

What do you think about when you consider contact and having your horse on the bit?

********

If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list. Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email

Riding Goals Defined: At some point, you’re going to find yourself wondering: why am I riding?

The ‘Art’ of Riding: When does riding transform from being a purely physical endeavour based on skills and technique, to “sculpting while progressing through space?” (de Kunffy, 1992, p.3)

Studying the Circle: The circle is used so frequently, not only in dressage, but in almost all disciplines, that we would be remiss to not include it in our “studies” about riding and training.

The Rider: Although the world around the horse has changed over the years, the horse itself remains essentially the same, and therefore the requirements of riding are essentially unchanged.

What Responsible Horse Ownership Really Means

Horses have given us so much since their domestication approximately six thousand years ago.

They gave us power and advantage as cavalry mounts. They carried our wares as pack animals. They pulled our wagons and helped us create new civilizations all over the world. Once we settled, they plowed our fields and provided us with means to grow food.

Nowadays, horses have taken a back seat to mechanized equipment. They are owned mainly for sport or pleasure, sometimes taking on the role of a pet.

Yet they continue to give.

They give by becoming our companions, our teammates, our recreational pursuits; they help us grow, learn and play.

At this point, it's our turn to give back. However, we need to keep in mind that horses are prey animals and long-time domesticated livestock. If we listen well enough, we discover that what we think of as giving might not be what the horses truly need.

As owners of these magnificent animals, it is our responsibility to prepare them for a life within the environment and structure in which we live. By taking on horse ownership, we are taking on the duty of caring for and training our horses in such a way that enables them to survive well in our social structures.

In other words, our horses should be trained sufficiently to be suitably socialized to do well in a human-ized environment. Unless we can buy 20,000 acres (or more) of pasture land with plenty of natural resources to support a herd of untouched (wild) horses, it becomes our duty to help our horses know how to get by in this world of the human.

Some examples

Our horses should not bite. They should not kick people. They should allow people to handle them in a way that keeps people safe from harm.

And it falls to us to teach them socially appropriate behavior - because the bottom line is that if the horse does not respond appropriately in regards to humans, it will be the horse that suffers in the long run - and potentially be put down for his dangerous or unacceptable behavior.

How to Be A Responsible Horse Owner

There are so many aspects of responsible horse ownership:

- simple horse training of day-to-day tasks

- bring a horse along carefully and compassionately as a young horse

- have an intrinsic lifelong passion for learning all things "horse" (the desire for self-improvement)

- represent a horse honestly and ethically when presenting him for sale

- teach people who are new to horses in a similarly responsible manner, even if they have (possibly misguided) ideas of their own

Whether you own a foal, a young horse, or an old-timer, always be aware of your responsibility to your horse. Being a good horse listener and responsible owner means that you get to "give back" in a way that ensures a long and comfortable life for your horse - even in a humanized environment!

42 Ways to Play, Learn and Grow With Your Horse

Horsin Around — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

Horses give to us in countless ways. We play, learn and grow with them, making horseback riding not merely a sport (which it truly is, like no other), but so much more. Here are forty-two ways that you can interact with a horse!

Play

1. Give your horse a great grooming session and focus especially on his sweet spots!

2. Teach your horse to bow/lie down/count/"target"/hug.

3. See if you can get your horse to come to you - at walk, then trot, then canter!

4. Get your horse to leave you when you ask him to.

5. Do shoulder-in/travers/half-pass/medium!

6. Go for a strong and exhilarating gallop.

7. Go to a horse show just for the fun of it.

8. Hang out in the pasture.

9. Listen to the horses munching on their hay during a quiet moment at the barn.

10. Give your horse a good sniff!

11. Join a musical riding group.

12. Bake some homemade horsey treats.

13. Witness the grace and beauty of horses running in the pasture.

Learn

14. Figure out how to teach him how to respond to a pull on a lead rope.

15. Always keep safety first.

16. Learn the aids for specific movements.

17. Keep your horse (and yourself?) straight(er).

18. Develop better timing or your aids.

19. Lighten your aids and get the same or better responses.

20. Feel your way to doing nothing on horseback.

21. Study the biomechanics of equine movement.

22. Learn all about good equine nutrition and care.

23. Go to a show to meet goals and become better at what you do.

24. Use a better outside rein.

25. Ride mostly from your seat.

26. Show your horse the way to his "happy place" while riding.

27. Find true "forward".

Grow

28. Develop your confidence as you begin to believe that you can work in tandem with such a magnificent animal.

29. Be humble when things don't go your way.

30. See the bigger picture in the long run.

31. Understand that the horses rely entirely on your hard wok for their well-being - despite how much work it may be.

32. Develop your own consistency and stability of character.

33. Stay calm in tense situations.

34. Laugh at yourself or at your (lack of?) performance.

35. Become gracious in your successes.

36. Mature into a strong sense of security and self-sufficiency.

37. Be patient and wait for the horse (and yourself?) to develop.

38. Figure out that the path is just as important as the end goal.

39. Live in the moment. Revel in the simplicity of life.

40. Let go of instant gratification.

41. Develop empathy and compassion.

42. Become a horse listener!

5 Common Horse and Riding Myths

Do you regularly find yourself explaining/educating/justifying/rationalizing/defending your "horse habit"?

Do your parents/friends/co-workers/brother's children mock your passion and belittle the time, energy and effort you put into your beloved equine?

Then this article is for you!

Simply send the link to the offending person and encourage them to read through the following horse riding myths.

Although (from personal experience) it is usually very difficult to teach a skeptical person the method behind the equine madness, perhaps a little list outlining the most commonly-held falsehoods will begin to point them in the right direction!

1. Horse riding is for the rich.

How many people do you know who worked their way to one riding lesson a week? Some of us cleaned tack, scooped poop, groomed and tacked up horses for other riders! Then, some of us who bought horses into adulthood did so with careful budgeting plans, sharing our horses through part-boards and maybe even giving up on our own personal comforts to find the most affordable boarding situations we could find.

It is true that the bill on horse maintenance can be limitless depending on what you want, but look carefully and you will find many average earners with average jobs with an above-average passion for equines.

2. Horseback riding is easy.

We've already discussed this topic in our musings about what "they" say about horseback riding, so I'm going to cut to the chase and say it: horseback riding is NOT easy. Just getting on, allowing an animal six times our size dictate where we go when and coordinating the body sufficiently to not fall off is enough of a feat in itself.

Making it look easy is even more of a challenge, and most of us spend our entire riding lives perfecting our skills to do just that. The riders who appear as if they are just floating along while the horse does all the work are precisely the ones who are busting a gut and sweating behind the scenes.

3. Horses require very little care.

It is true that horses can be left to fend for themselves and possibly even thrive in a grassy pasture. But watch and learn over a few seasons to discover that at the minimum, the pasture needs maintenance. The horses need fresh water and grooming. Once the pasture dries out/runs out/grows over, the horses will soon need hay supplemented to their grazing area.

Add to that any expectation for performance, and you will notice that the horse will need regular handling and training, better grooming, improved feed for a more balanced nutrition and better overall general health care and worming. Showing adds even more requirements: a regular vaccination and general health schedule, a higher quality of muscling and sheen to the coat, neater tails and manes and better behavior.

Committing to caring for and riding horses is not a task to be taken lightly. It does add up in time!

4. Horses are like dogs but bigger.

This one takes very little time to figure out. Horses are prey animals and dogs are predators. Aside from being companions to humans, they are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of social dynamics and behavior. As prey animals, horses have a highly developed flight or fight instinct (mostly flight in our domesticated horses) and tend to be resistant to hanging around long enough to make detailed observations about a threatening situation.

Horses respond differently to humans as leaders and communicate on a completely distinct level from dogs. Long-time dog owners switching over to horse ownership discover quickly that the cuddling, food-rewarded training techniques used on their dogs don't go very far on their horses. Soon enough, if they listen carefully, they learn a whole new language reserved especially for their equines!

5. Horses "love" people like we love them.

It takes time to learn to accurately interpret equine communication. What we think of as developing a loving attachment might not be exactly how the horse interprets it. Perhaps he connects with you because you have spent years developing a communication system that he is familiar and comfortable with. Perhaps he nickers and turns in your direction because he knows you will be feeding him shortly after your arrival to the barn!

Although so many books and movies have portrayed undying bonds between horses and their humans, don't be too disappointed if you begin to understand that the horse merely expects you to be another herd member! This is true and right and simply the way of the horse.

Share any other myths in the comment section below!

Use the “Canter-Trot” to Truly Engage the Hind End

The word "engagement" is second to none when it comes to horseback riding. All the disciplines ask for hind end engagement, from western performance to dressage to jumping to endurance riding - there is no other way to move than from the hind end!

We know why we want engagement: if we can get the horse moving "from the hind end", the horse can stay sound even while ridden into old age. With more weight shifted to the hind end, there is less dragging on the forehand. There is better weight bearing over the back, and the lighter footfalls save the joints and tendons. Energy from the hind end is the prerequisite for horse riding heaven and we all know that! 🙂

However, we might not be quite as accomplished when it really comes down to figuring out how we can develop hind end engagement. Many riders think that kicking the horse along and making the legs move faster is the ticket to engagement - but that is nothing further than the truth!

The key to engagement is to initiate the movement from the horse's hind end, not the front end or shoulders.

So if faster isn't the answer, then what is?

We need to find out how to ask the horse to reach deeper underneath the body without throwing their weight to the forehand, and without speeding up the leg tempo.

There are many methods to teach engagement but the "canter-trot" is relatively easy for both the horse and rider. It also accomplishes the main purpose of shifting the weight to the hind end and waking up the horse's rear engine muscles.

How to "Canter-Trot"

Start from any gait (even a reverse)

Canter (no more than three strides)

Then Trot

Before you get insulted by the seemingly simple instructions above, please take note: it's not as easy as it sounds!

Possible Errors

There might be several unwanted responses you will have to redirect before you get the desired result.

1. The horse wants to canter off into the sunset.

Many horses transition into the canter but then resist breaking back into the trot. There may be many reasons why but invariably, horses have an easier time staying in the canter (and eventually getting heavier and heavier to the forehand). This is because it takes a lot of hind end work to break the momentum of the canter!

Remember that this exercise is not intended to be a canter exercise. It is a canter-TROT exercise, so the horse has to break back into the trot within one, two or three canter strides.

2. The horse trots faster.

To engage the hind end, the horse must take a few canter strides. Just moving the legs faster into the trot is completely counterproductive to establishing hind end engagement.

If the horse just trots along faster, half-halt into a slower trot rhythm, and ask for the canter again.

Then trot.

3. The horse shows discomfort.

There might be ear pinning, tail swishing, teeth grinding, hopping... you name it. Basically, the horse is indicating either physical discomfort or mental stress.

First, ensure that there is nothing wrong with the tack, and there is nothing otherwise physically bothering the horse. If the horse is demonstrating confusion or frustration, you are likely taking him out of his comfort zone (comfortable = riding on the forehand?) and asking him to do something that he honestly finds difficult.

In this case, be gentle, calm and patient but be firm! Many horses get used to working on a heavy forehand and initially resist bearing weight on the hind legs. If this happens to be the case, then teaching the horse hind end engagement is even more essential than you think!

Keep trying for the canter and when you get it, trot.

What happens after the canter?

After the few canter strides, break back into the trot. This trot should be very different from the trots before the canter. It should feel more active, bouncier and even slower. If the hind legs are truly reaching farther underneath the body, the stride might become longer and more ground-covering.

At this point, you might want to enjoy the trot you have and move into further trot work from here. You might want to develop even more engagement and do a few more canter-trots in a row.

Alternately, you might want to move into a completely new movement that benefits from the deeper engagement you just achieved.

Play with this a few times, and then let us know how it works for you in the comments below!

Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands!

From the first book in the Horse Listening Collection: Horse Listening, The Book

"There are many reasons why we enjoy riding horses. Maybe one of the most appealing facets of riding is the sense of freedom: freedom from our own limitations, freedom from gravity, freedom to (literally) roam the Earth. Time stands still while we have the privilege of feeling movement from the back of our four-legged friend.
Riding gives us the place to just be.
Of course, there are other purposes too. Some of us revel in the challenge of learning the skills required to becoming a good team member of this unlikely duo. Riding is like no other sport or recreational pursuit simply because of the equine partner that must not only carry us, but also do so effortlessly and gracefully. As we develop our specific skill sets, we also grow as human beings in character, emotional maturity and mental acuity.
But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."

And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.

This book is geared toward the rider:
- the rider's motivations
- the essential skills for the rider
- some specific strategies
- solutions to common problems
- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience
Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!
Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!

Click here for more information.

How to Halt Without Pulling on the Reins

Photo Credit: J. Boesveld / Power up the trot to get ready for the halt!

Does your horse get offended when you pull on the reins to stop? Does he pin his ears, shake his head, hollow his back and keep going?

Maybe he's trying to tell you something: stop pulling on the reins! 🙂

There is a way to get your horse to stop without pulling on the reins.

But first, you both have to be "in sync" together, working in tandem instead of against each other.

If you haven't done this before, it may take a few tries to convince your horse that you want to work with him. Horses that are regularly pulled on seem to accept that the pressure has to be there before they should respond. They might learn to lean on the bit, pulling against you while you pull backward, hoping for the legs to stop.

Some horses are generous and eventually slow their feet, stop/starting until finally, all four legs come to a halt. Other horses might not be quite as forgiving and just keep going until you have to put more and more pressure on the mouth. Eventually, one of you wins but it's never pretty!

We all dream of finding the halt that looks like we are in complete harmony with our horse. You know - the one that feels like the horse's legs are your legs, and your mind is so coordinated with the horse that it looks like you are reading each other's thoughts.

It does happen. The secret: ride from your seat.

I'm perfectly aware of the fact that we've talked about the seat many times already, but there is no other answer. Everything in horseback riding begins and ends with the seat.

The instructions below might sound quite complicated. Initially, developing the timing and coordination of aids should be! Learning correct aids should be a lifelong quest for most of us, and if we have old, ingrained habits (like pulling on the reins), these changes may take even longer.

But in the long run, you won't have to think anything through and the aids will happen together on their own.

Setup for a Correct Halt

1. Contact

Prepare several strides ahead of the intended location. Your reins should be a good length - not too long and not too short. There should be a steady enough contact on the bit to be able to communicate very subtle changes of pressure.

2. Begin a series of half-halts.

Power up the trot before starting with the half-halts. Two legs "on"!

The half-halts start at the seat. In rhythm with the horse's movement, resist with your lower back. Be sure to resist in rhythm. In other words, your lower back and seat will feel something like this: resist... flow... resist... flow... resist... flow.

2a. Use your legs.

During each flow moment, squeeze lightly with your lower legs. This helps the horse engage his hind end deeper underneath the body in preparation with the halt.

2b. Use the hands.

During each resist moment, squeeze the reins with your hands. You might squeeze both reins or just one rein (the outside rein being the usual rein) but in any case, do your best to use the hands after the leg aids. The rein pressure should occur in tandem with the resisting seat aid.

3.When you are ready for the halt, simply stop your seat.

Maintain contact with your legs and reins, but stop the activity. Don't keep pulling on the reins.

If the horse is truly with you, his legs will stop lightly and in balance.

***

Horses that have been trained to respond to the half-halt will sigh in relief when you lighten up on your aids and use your seat in the halt. You might be surprised at how easily the legs will stop if you can improve your timing and releases.

Horses that have always been pulled on might not respond at all. They might be expecting to be hauled backward, thrown to the forehand, and dragged to a stop. If this is the case, be patient. If you haven't done this before, it may take a few tries to convince your horse that you want to change things up.

You might have to bridge the learning gap by applying the half-halts several times, stopping your seat and then pulling to stop. In the end though, the pull should disappear completely from your vocabulary (exception: in an emergency stop).

Regardless of how you get there, the goal is to stop all four legs in a light, balanced manner that allows the horse to use his hind end when he takes that last step. Your horse might walk a few strides and then halt.

If you feel your horse’s front end lighten into the halt, you know you are on the right track. If you discover the four legs stopped square and parallel to each other, pet and gush over him, and call it a day!

What do you think? How do you halt your horse?

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding